Kevin Abstract is a true millennial artist, though he’d probably never say that himself, because the internet is so intrinsically tied to his work it hardly bears mention. Kevin caught our eye as part of the seven-strong hip-hop team BROCKHAMPTON, the winners of V-File’s inaugural music contest. Bands were judged, among other things, on their marketability, something the boys aren’t short of. Their singles merge disparate electronic sounds-of-the-moment into seven minute cross-genre odysseys.
As a solo artist, Kevin’s a little different. His tracks aren’t so much for the the club, but the time you spend alone on the walk home. In his latest single, ECHO, Kevin confesses, “Staring at the sky ain’t gon’ fix my problem/Howling at the moon ain’t gon’ bring you back.” On the Crystal Castle sampling Hell / Heroinahe talks his about hometown and his mom. Kevin’s got one LP in the bank, MTV1987, and a sophomore offering in the works. We asked the rapper to take time out from recording to walk us through his musical education.
The song that soundtracked my first heartbreak…
That Girl by Kid Cudi. I was in the 8th grade and I wanted to be with Morgan Deshields. She loved Lil Wayne & I loved Cudi. We texted like everyday and would flirt via Myspace comments and shit. She eventually ended up dating this really buff football player that went to another middle school. I used to just lay in my bed and think about how fucking dumb I was for not telling her how I felt. That Girl was the soundtrack for my 13 yr old heartbreak. Fuck me.
The song that will always chill me out…
A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton. I listen to it whenever I’m just hanging in my room on my macbook or scrolling through my phone or whatever. That’s one of the first songs I remember hearing and falling in love with on the radio as a kid. Niggas in elementary wasn’t really into the same kinda music I would geek over. My sisters put me onto pretty much everything I love from the early 2000s. They were pop culture geeks.
My favourite track from my favourite MC…
Kanye West is the greatest rapper to walk this filthy Earth. Gorgeous might be the greatest rap song ever made. Every verse is so fucking hard. And the chorus by CuDi is so perfect I hope to do something as great as that before I die.
The song I’d play to a room full of strangers…
The Blonde by TVGirl. That song sounds like Los Angeles to me. It sounds like the world I want to live in. I’m moving to California in March and I’m sure I’ll be listening to a lot of TVGirl and Fleetwood Mac.
My squad’s song…
Me and my niggas love Future. But everybody loves Future, so fuck that. I’ma say All Day. Anytime that shit comes on my friends and I will recreate the BRITS performance Ye did. We were so stoked about Allan being on that. Probably the illest shit to happen this year. I quit my job right after that happened. Anyways but yeah. All Day. Also squad is such an ugly word we gotta dead that.
Kevin Abstract’s sophomore record, THEY SHOOT HORSES, is due in 2016.
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