What’s Good Everyone! We are back with another interview, this time introducing upcoming artist/entrepreneur – Prince Kofi.
Kofi talks moving to Los Angeles, and his latest project 5 Years In LA. He explains the influence the city has had on him and his experience working in the music industry. Being inspired by past and present musicians of timeless quality, Kofi gives us a look into his earliest and most recent soulful inspirations as an artist. Prince Kofi expresses great prospects for his future in music, and we look forward to seeing/hearing it all unfold. Read below, and get to know this artist on the rise!
I was born in College Station, Texas and soon after we moved to Spokane, Washington, I grew up there slid down here like 5 years ago.
I always wanted to go, for a few reasons, I mean the weather, the size and feel of the city, an the opportunity. My pops from Ghana grew up in a village made it to the states went to school, my moms from Paducah Kentucky, population like 2,000 even the city im from I think is like 200,000 but I always needed more. I had some friends from out here that had either moved to WA, or like from college and I always told em soon as this school shit done, I’ma do this for moms and im getting a one way ticket… an I did. August 2013, and haven’t looked back since.
My parents were 35 and 37 years older than me so being born in like 54 and 56, they had a lot of Motown playing, there was a lot of Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Black Street, as I found music it shifted a little. I always appreciated the older music it just spoke to me in a diff way, but young, I was on 50 Cent, Tupac, I remember having a Kriss Kross tape in my lil player ha, an of course like Snoop, mack 10, and stuff. So as I became a writer I think its been more like frank oceans, studying writers like tank and bg the chicago kid, or neyo just so I can truly craft songs that stay with people.
5 Years In LA is a reflective project, a story, and a living body of work. It represents my first 5 years out here, it’s me trying to battle demons I had long before I ever dreamed of coming to LA, issues that plague most of us who grow up around the inner city influences, you can have perfect parents, one parent none… but the world gone get to you eventually. I moved here and knew a bit about the city but what I didn’t I had to learn quick. Politics get tricky, who you kick it wit or even look like can turn dangerous. So I kept my head down analyzed shit and through the years have grown close to some people from various of the city. I love LA and after these last 5 years, To Live an Die In LA has never been a clearer way to describe the vibe of the city of angels and demons…. wouldn’t trade it for the world.
This was gonna be an LA tape, like current LA vibe sounds and all so Paupa was a natural selection, he has a vein of the city in his production that just makes everyone go dumb… it was easy to write to half of the songs wrote themselves. He collaborated with some dope producers too Kayoe and FlyGuyVeezy went off on them tracks. My younging Supreme Tyler had an old placement too, one we did a couple years back that just fit to end the tape. We met years back, he from NJ but loved the cali sound, he finished school an moved out here so we been running it up since. The features, man those had to be right, the dudes I’ve grown to know from the BassSquad like BassSquad Black, Bossman, Rucci, an them are on the rize they like the up now and up next in the city. Their camp is tight, it’s small, they don’t pull no punches but they some real mf, the types I was raised around so it was an honor to work with them an be around them while I made this project. Skeme is a writer an artist I’ve watched for years, through some organic shit we just ended up linking hit the studio killed a few bottles of Dusse and we bonded. I’ll def have more stuff wit him soon. I wanted to find singers and rappers who could compliment my diary basically, which is hard when putting together a project like this. I grabbed Abyssinian gold to sing a hook I wrote for “Have A Party” an she killed it, and her boyfriend Collin Duhh hit the last verse. All together I never imagined it coming out like this, but I’m def happy with this project, ready for the next though.
I want to have access to anyone, to be able to write with, or for, get a feature from just about anyone, fuck clout I don’t care about being popular, whether I am behind the scenes or on the main stage. I do this in hopes that my music will find someone who been trying to figure themselves out and can’t hoping this sparks a thought. Maybe what I have written will help them get through some shit, or just have a good time so they can forget the bullshit that is going on you feel me? So within the industry, as I grow, get more placements like this year I wrote sumn for an HBO show, never thought I’d make that happen with no manager an shit. Working on some stuff for Netflix shows now, so if in the next 5 years I can double up on the work and shit, I know nothing will be out of reach and all those goals will become reality.
Ha man….. let’s see I am an only child but come from a big family, pops oldest of 10 and moms had 7 siblings, so all them cousins all over the world and in between, know I got an army on call Haha
Ay shoutout Ryan and Hip Hop Hundred! I can’t wait to look back at this interview and moment a few years down the road when we laugh at how far we’ve come, but I’ma appreciate each moment, if you really love rap shit, street shit, and LA? Hit 5YearsInLA.com and tap in wit my project on any streaming platform, we got some hot shit dropping soon, tap in! An follow me @ForeverKofi much love and many thanks to the Z Room Studios, @MixedByCrook all the producers and featured artists.It’s Kofi Baby!
