IAmTheBooth interview with Lucchi4k
IAmTheBooth interview with
Lucchi4k
Its rare that you come across a artist of this caliber. We are ecstatic to interview the artist behind one of the Best Of 2014 submissions. We at IATB was fortunate enough to get inside of the mind of Lucchi4k.
Listen to the full interview here:
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The interview is also available on iTunes and Stitcher Radio!
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-am-the-booth/id897695558
Stitcher:
http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=51277&refid=stpr
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IAmTheBooth: Where are you from, where were you raised, and where have you lived?
Lucchi4K: Well, I was born in Canton, OH, and I lived there until I was like eight –nine years old. I moved to Athens, AL south side of Huntsville, AL. I just moved back here recently. I stayed in Atlanta for about 3 years, I be bouncing all over when I can.
IATB: Can you tell us how this all started for you as far as music wise?
L4K: Well music man, I’ve been around it all my life and I have been doing it all my life; my family you know, are the type of people that will play music around any type of event you have weather its family reunions or …… shit, even funerals. Music was always playing, so that’s how I got interested into it. When I got in high school I had met a friend that did engineering, and I got into the booth with him after football practice. It started off as a hobby, and then I started taking it serious when I found out how good I was at it.
IATB: What other genres of music do you listen to?
L4K: AH man yea, R&B…POP… I try to everything; broaden my ear a lil bit to see what’s going on.
IATB: You mentioned your family, are any of your family members into music?
L4K: Yea, my pops had a R&B group and I just found this out about a couple years ago. He popped out a tape; he played the piano, and was the singer in the group. He was pretty popular, he showed me the high school talent show they had and they were going pretty crazy for him. That was around the time I did the calling too, so that’s what kind of influenced it. I was back and forth on it like man, should I be doing this; is this something I really want to pursue? Then I realized this might just be my calling; that’s what influenced the song when I found out my dad did music.
IATB: So, your father was the inspiration behind The Calling?
L4K: Yea, and I goes deeper than that [because] I just met my father like 5 years ago. We just started building our relationship up and that’s when he hit me with being in a band.
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IATB: What was your initial reason to do music?
L4K: Man!!! I can go way back; I can tell you what song that made me want to rap. Y’all remember that ughhhhh … pumps in the bump by MC Hammer? I was probably like five or six years old when I heard that beat. I kept asking questions [like]who is that, how they do it, I want to see if I can do that. When I heard that song, that beat grabbed me and every since then I was like trying to figure out how do you rap and how do you get into hip-hop and stuff like that.
IATB: What was going through your mind making The Calling?
L4K: Maaaan I had a lot of stuff going through my mind; I was questioning myself whether the music a thing I need to do or not. I was looking around my neighborhood seeing how times have changed, kids don’t really have role models for real! It’s like worse then it was when we were little. So, I try to give them something more inspirational, something they can listen to and get a change because where I live all they know is trap. That’s all they know; Gucci Mane is the best rapper alive where I come from. I try to give them something different to look [up] to.
IATB: To us, we don’t even try to consider you a “down south” rapper. How do you feel when someone tries to place you in that category?
L4K: I try not to pay any attention to it because when I do hear it; it does touch me. That’s why I try to stay so broad because I don’t want to be in a box. I do all types of music it just depends on how I’m feeling and what I’m going through when I’m recording. So you're going to get those fun records, you’re going to get some conscious stuff from me; I’m going to give you the good, bad, and the ugly.
IATB: How is your music received in your area?
L4K: Ah, its received good man, like I said it’s more trap [here]. It’s surprising because it’s more like trap influenced around here, so I brought something different to the table. I did think it was going to get accepted well, but people they love the lyrics. It’s crazy when you think about how people love listening to lyrics. They really want to know what you have to say and where you’re coming from as a person, instead of trying to fit in and do what’s popular at the moment.
IATB: Do you think lyrical southern rappers are becoming more of a strong force within hip-hop?
L4K: I think its coming; I can feel it bubbling, but I don’t think it still gets that same respect as like a commercial or a radio artist. It’s catching on slowly but surely I can see it. As long as we got people coming out making dope music, it’s going to be fine.
IATB: What are your thoughts on radio artist like Young Thug being on the radio all the time?
L4K: Man, I can preach to you all about this because, man… I ain’t going to knock nobodies hustle or nothing, but everybody know, like (I don’t want to say there’s no passion for it), but their passion for it is a whole lot different from cats that really take their time and make something meaningful. I think it should be an even balance on the radio. You should have that, that’s cool, but you should have that other balance throwing out positive things for kids. It seems like it’s just going one way, and it’s not a good way.
IATB: Which one of your songs are you most proud of?
L4K: Man that’s a hard one. I would have to say between the two; The Calling and one I just dropped called Crazy.
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IATB: What made you submit The Calling out of all your other records?
L4K: I felt like it was needed. I felt like nobody else was trying to push out positive messages and really talk about where they are at in life instead of just fabricating things. I felt like it was important to hip-hop to tell people who I really am, and not who I am trying to be, or [who] I’m trying to act like I want to be. Just give you who I am and where I come from as a person, and what I’m going through.
IATB: Yea it’s rare that you hear personalized music, and what people are going through instead of money, bitches, hoes, and popping bottles.
L4K: That’s why I respect the J Coles and Drakes so much because you can tell they talk about exactly what they’re going through at the time.
IATB: It almost seems shameful now to talk about keeping your head above water, it’s almost like you have to be balling.
L4K: Its like cats are embarrassed; like everybody ain’t out here struggling. C’mon, man, lets keep it one hundred. Everybody out here is going through something. I don’t know why cats are just so scared to tell the truth. You have to be interested in yourself before someone can be interested in you.
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"I don’t know why cats are just so scared to tell the truth. You have to be interested in yourself before someone can be interested in you."
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IATB: Have you ever performed live?
L4K: Yea that’s how I started off performing; performing live was the same day I started rapping. A couple of my homeboys threw me in the booth because they needed a place on the song. That same night I had to perform those 8 lines. I’m in the bathroom like Eminem practicing with a piece of paper; something I wrote 45mins that night.
IATB: How do you overcome stage jitters?
L4K: Man I don’t think you do because I still get them. I’ve been performing for like almost 8 years now. Every time you get on stage you just have to get out there and do it; take that leap. Once you take that leap everything else just blacks out and you’re in your zone.
IATB: Have you ever felt a performance high while on stage?
L4K: Yea. Absolutely. I really felt the high when I didn't have to say anything when I am that part of the verse that everyone knows. It was mind blowing to me when they would recite the verse back to you, and I’m just like … This is when I was just coming out local… When they know what you saying, man that’s what I do it for.
IATB: How do you balance music career with your life, family, and job?
L4K: I’m still learning. I just had a son, he’s sixteen months now. I've been trying to balance that and with me you have to really prioritize what’s more important to you. With me, it’s always God, family, and whatever I’m trying to do as a person as in following my dream. So I make sure no matter what is going on it stays in that order, and it will fall into place.
IATB: Is there a song out there you wish you had made?
L4K: It’s plenty of them, probably the whole Kanye West Graduation album. I wish all them songs I would have thought of. I’m a Kayne junkie, that’s my mans right there.
IATB: How do you feel about Kaynes transition as far as his music goes?
L4K: Its DOPE!!! I think its dope; I think he’s coming ba
