An Interview With The Rising Rapper KID QUILL On His Forthcoming Album, Favorite Artists and More!

Photo Credit- Brandon Jensen

On August 9th, the Indiana-based rapper Kid Quill released his newest track called “Make A Wish.”

This fall, he’ll be releasing his new album, Sunset Diner, a concept album set somewhere in between the 70s/80s that pulls listeners into the world of a night out at a diner, the ’Sunset Diner’ as imagined by Kid Quill. He acquired a massive following in the college market through touring at big universities  – and is on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream.

He has put out two memorable studio albums, with over 24 million Spotify streams also landing slots on the iTunes Top 10 Hip Hop Chart. Last year he opened up for SoMo and Devvon Terrel on nation wide tour across the US. Kid Quill will embark on his own extensive US tour his fall (dates here).

Connect With Kid Quill Online Here:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | Website

-Link to the new track: https://kidquill.lnk.to/MakeaWish

-Link to the upcoming tour dates: http://www.kidquill.com/

Learn more about Kid Quill in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find you?

Indianapolis, IN. Back home rehearsing for tour!

Now that we are more than half-way through the year, how has 2019 been treating you? What are some goals that you have for yourself this year? How close are you to reaching them?

2019 has been cool so far. I’ve spent the last year and a half working on my album. As far as goals go, I’m not one to set quantifiable goals. Overall I just want to be a better person, friend, and artist. 

Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? Was it an easy or difficult choice to make?

Since I was like 12, I feel like hip hop as a genre has been the soundtrack to my life. Every major life event since then has had a song behind it. I fell in love with it, and I thought, hmmm, I like to write, maybe I should give it a shot. Sure enough I fell in love with the process of making conceptual albums and songs and here we are. It was never a difficult decision. I base most of my decisions off of feel, and I felt good while making music. I NEVER got into this to be famous. I just wanted to make the best music and for people to hear/appreciate it. 

Was there ever a time when you thought about doing something else? If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing? Would you be as fulfilled in life?

Oh yeah. Lots of struggling times where I was trying to make ends meet while putting every dollar and minute I had into music. But the love for it overcame it everytime. I’d probably be working in the industry. I wouldn’t mind learning how to program shows and do live production. As long as I’m being creative I feel like my purpose is fulfilled. 

What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all?

As things have really started to grow, I’ve had to learn how to run a business on top of the creative side. It’s been hard, because I’ve never been a business owner. I was always an artist first. So learning that side has been a challenge. 

What was the inspiration for your newest track, “Make A Wish”? How would you say that it compares to your previous songs?

This song started with me taking a step back and examining pop culture. That’s where the purpose and meaning of the song came from. I want people to listen and figure that out for themselves though. I feel as if this song is just bigger, more grandiose than everything else in my catalogue up to date. 

How does this song prepare listeners for your forthcoming album, “Sunset Diner”? What was it like putting this collection together? How was the process different then the making of your previous two studio albums?

I wanted to make sure this album was still me throughout, but I wanted to take my production to a whole other level. I feel like we created a whole new sound on this album that no one has done before, and this song is just the tip of the iceberg. I handcrafted this album to tell a story from front to back. Each song on the album plays a significant role in doing so. The process of this album was different though, because it started with making a whole new soundscape instead of jumping into the vocal recording side. Once we figured out the sound scape, we dove into the best way to tell this story. 

Where can people see you perform next? Do you plan to tour at all this summer or later in the year? What has been a favorite performance of yours so far?

I’m touring this Fall on my first headline tour. We were very conscious about live performances the whole time we were making this album. We’d always consider “would this go crazy live” when making our artistic decisions. That was a big part of our process. So I’m super excited to perform these songs. 

Photo Credit- Brandon Jensen

How do you think you have grown as a musician since you first started making music? 

The biggest difference is I’ve learned how to articulate myself in the studio. I’ve gotten better at telling musicians and singers that I work with exactly what I want. 

What has it been like keeping up with your social media accounts and all of the different platforms? Is it hard to stay up to date on it all? What would you say is your favorite way to connect with your fans now? What has social media done for your career so far?

To be honest, when I was making my album I wasn’t really paying attention to social media. I’d hop on once or twice a week to check on my homies and friends, and maybe post an update. But I’d say Instagram and Twitter are my fav. IG is cool cause I can respond to a lot of people, and twitter has more of a sense of community. Social media has just been a good platform to get my message across. 

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

Kanye West is probably my fave artist of all time. But I allow myself to draw inspo from all kinds of different places. I’d love to work with Ye in the future. 

What has been the coolest place/TV show/commercial that you have heard a song of yours? Where would you still love to hear a future song of yours played?

At my house with my homies. (Haha) I don’t really care about all that stuff. It’s obviously cool to

Photo Credit- Brandon Jensen

see it spread, but that stuff doesn’t really matter to me. 

At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music? 

I hope they use it as an escape and get lost in it. Especially with this new album. And when they’re done listening, walk away feeling better. 

Would you like to share anything else with our readers about your music?

When this new music continues to roll out, all I ask is that you listen with your imagination.