K-Dawg : How to Stay True to Yourself as an Artist?

One of the artists I have been working with the longest is K-Dawg, a Long Island native, born and raised in Suffolk County, New York. Growing up in Long Island, K-Dawg had a rich and diverse musical palette and he wasn't afraid to explore new sounds and experiment with his music. K-Dawg's music selection mirrors his willingness to push boundaries and venture into uncharted territory, creating the boom-bap style of art in a community where this is not the commonplace genre of music. I met up with K-Dawg one night after he finished up in the studio and spoke to him about remaining true to himself in his craft as an artist. Check out the Q&A below and take a listen to his latest project “RARE BREED”!

Introduce yourself to the world for the people who don't know you

It’s KD, K-Dawg. 

Tell me a little bit about how you got into making music and rapping?

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I got into making music probably in 2018, I want to say. I was writing in my notebook. That's when I really started making my own stuff, but music has been a part of my life forever. 

I know you're making a very old school boom-bap type of sound. What inspired you to make that sound when you first started making music? I know that can be a very complicated genre to get into. A lot of artists nowadays just choose drill or some pop-type of rap because it's just simpler to make. 

I mean, it was very natural for me, but I think most people that want to create the sound that I make have to be put to a certain degree of life to want to put out that type of sound.

So you would just say that the reason why you're making this sound is because of the experiences, trials and tribulations that you have gone through in your life? You feel as if this is more of an authentic art form to express that rather than you putting your experiences in a driller pop type of rap?

Definitely. I think also with a lot of artists nowadays, they just – like you said – they're not authentic. A lot of stuff is made up and their songs, they talk about a lot of stuff that either they don't do or made up. There is nothing you will find in my music that is false.

Let's talk a little bit more about the authenticity of your music. Many people, because they want to get views and they want to get the most listens, they often talk about things they've never done. How do you cancel all that stuff out and stay true to who you are as a person and really get that to come through your art?

It's staying true to myself and I want to say sticking to the script, there's a reason that I got into this business. There's a reason I get up every day and I go chase something that I want. I've been through a lot in the last 22 years. 

So I listened to your latest project “Rare Breed” and I can tell that it is a lot of your life story and that is a lot of you staying true to yourself. So how do you choose what to speak about in your project and really capture the full scope of everything that you have been through?

I think in this project, “Rare Breed” is very much of who I am as an artist, as ambition, and I'm hungry. I'm ready to see what else is up here for me. I'm ready to take on the world for real off this “Rare Breed” EP. And that's what I think is most crazy about it. There are only little snippets here and there, but mostly you can see the big picture and that's what I'm working on right now. I'm working on that bigger picture.

What is some advice that you can give to a fellow underground artist trying to come up? Maybe somebody who might be struggling to stay true to themselves and true to who they are as a person and really tell those intimate stories that you have been telling with your projects. 

For one, I'm going to say if you're struggling with staying true to yourself, you got to come to the realization with yourself. That's a very hard conflicting matter. Trying to go against yourself, I got to say, because that's a hard thing for a lot of artists in general is fighting against yourself, but to stay true to yourself, I say you just gotta keep on the strong head, stay focused, have a plan, have a routine. You have to definitely stay focused. A lot of distractions that's going to be in a way, so I stay true, stay strong, have a plan, and a routine. 

I have one last question for you. So how do you stay true to yourself? I know you're one who's very busy right now, busy in a stew, busy working, busy, trying to make the next project busy performing for all of us. How do you stay true cooking up the next stuff and the next pieces of your master plan, and how do you stay locked in?

I honestly think the reason why I stay so locked in, because I'm here with all my people who I'm trying to put on, put on for. I want to say, because again, like I said, there's a reason why I'm doing all this at the end of the day, and I work with these people day to day, and I just really want to push a big agenda for where we come from. 

Thank you, man. I appreciate it. I appreciate the time you've taken out of your day, man. Wish you all the best of luck, man. Looking forward to seeing your next project, man. 

You know the vibes, KD, K-Dawg.