Lil Rekk is the type of artist who can become a viral sensation. In Philly, the young artist had to grow up before most. There are always obstacles in every neighborhood, but he was much different than most. There were plenty of times he could have gone down the wrong path, but Hip-Hop may have saved his life. Now that he is signed to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie label, he is on the way to becoming a star. His time at Highbridge The Label has been beneficial. He has countless strong singles and projects. The Philadelphia-born rapper draws inspiration from Drake, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and of course, his label CEO. There is no limit to the potential that he has as a creative. His sound, style, and work ethic combined will help him transition to the mainstream scene with ease.
Check out our insight sit-down with the HBTL signee here below!
First things first, introduce yourself to those who do not know who Lil Rekk is just yet?
Lil Rekk: I’m an outgoing person, a kid from Philadelphia that grew up in a bad environment with a good family. At the same time, my family struggled a lot, so I had to adapt to many environments growing up. I’m a hard-working person; I’m a good-looking person. Moreover, I’m a very respectful person.
Philadelphia is where you call home. Can you talk about what that city means to you?
Lil Rekk: Philly is different. There are many rappers, so for me to make it out of where I came from – it inspired me to go hard. The team I got behind me at Highbridge is from a different city. They helped build me beyond my city. People from other cities now look at me and admire me. That means a lot to me. When people think of Philly, they think of Uzi and Meek and, one day, me too.
You have A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie in your corner. How did that relationship come about?
Lil Rekk: When I first met them, I was in a motion of making music. Highbridge, QP reached out to me, Don Q reached out to me. Once I met them, it wasn’t business — it was family first, then business and that meant a lot to me. Where I come from, we don’t have that. With them around, they’re like the mentors and big brothers I didn’t have in my life. Having a buzz in NY is crazy to me because I’m not from there. They got me on a bigger platform — they did a lot for me.
You are still young but it seems like you been through a lot. How has your upbringing affected your music?
Lil Rekk: The way I grew up was crazy. I bounced around a lot my whole life, but the places I grew up in were treacherous. Most of my real friends that I called real friends got killed. I used to live with my father, but he used to work 3 jobs. My dad was a felon, so he worked backdoor jobs. He used to be mad all the time, so I grew up mad.
My dad has 14 kids, I’m the only boy. My mom has 4 daughters. I’m the only boy on both sides. I’ve always been a street kid. My mom worked 2 jobs my whole life, so I was outside the whole time. My upbringing affected my music because, at one point in time, I used to make a lot of happy music and a lot like dancing and stuff. Now, I just make realistic music — stuff that other people can relate to.
Who are some of your favorite artists to listen to from your city?
Lil Rekk: I really wasn’t into music growing up. I didn’t really start listening to music until I was 12 or 13, but once I got to that age I used to listen to Meek Mill and Cassidy. But Lil Uzi gave me a lot of inspiration. Outside of Philly, I like Future. I’ve been listening to Drake, Lil Wayne, G Herbo, A Boogie, and Durk for years. I’m also a fan of Brent Faiyaz and Russ.
If you had dinner and could only invite 5 musicians whose work you enjoy(DOA) who would those people be?
Lil Rekk: I would invite Drake to talk about music, about his versatility and how he manages his craft. Lil Wayne – I grew up my whole life listening and watching him evolve from a gangsta to a skateboarder. I want to know what made him transition. He’s one of the most intelligent people when it comes to money and business. I would also invite Selena because my mom and sisters listened to her my whole life. Her career took off fast, so I want to know how she do it. I don’t want to know from no movie. I want to hear it from her.
Nipsey because he was an independent man doing things that most people from the hood talk about, but he really did it. He took care of his people. I’m the same way – I give out and I don’t look to receive anything back. A person like that is rare to come by. Finally, I’d invite TLC because I would ask them how they stuck together through all the bullshit, hold it down as a group and not budge and give up on each other. Everybody that’s coming to dinner with me — we talking about life. We talking about life and then music. Without a good life there is no good music.
What inspired your sound?
Lil Rekk: When I first started doing music, I was rapping here and there. Somebody used to always tell me, ‘You look like a singer. You look like a rapper.’ I’d just be like ‘I’m not no singer.’ They used to call me pretty and tell me to stop trying to be a gangsta. One day, I went to the studio and I told the engineer to turn on autotune and we started playing with it. I didn’t like it at first. Around that time, I used to mess around with this girl and I would try to sing to her. She used to tell me that I didn’t really need any autotune. She came to the studio with me one day and she told the engineer to turn it on to a certain level, and we ended up doing like seven songs.
You work well with other artists. Who are some of your dream collaborators going forward?
Lil Rekk: Future, Uzi, A Boogie, Tems, Adele, Pink $weats, Rihanna, Latto, Kehlani, Kane Brown, Ed Sheeran, Swae Lee.
What can your fans expect from Lil Rekk in 2022?
Lil Rekk: I’m taking over the world. We’re doing big things in 2022. We’re doing life-changing things. I’ll drop a lot more this year. We’re gonna work hard. They’re gonna see me work harder than I ever worked this year. This is going to be the best year. 2022 – it just sounds better. It’s got a ring to it. They gonna see Lil Rekk go #1 in 2022.
Lastly, check out the latest visual from the A-Boogie Wit Da Hoodie signee here below!
