King Louie CHICAGO NATIVE KING LOUIE CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF KANYE WEST’S FORMER MANAGER JOHN MONOPOLY, WHO WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIS HUSTLE AND YOUTUBE VIDEOS. SINCE LINKING UP WITH INDIE LABEL LAWLESS INC How’d you get started in the rap game? I got kicked out of high school during my last year and I had more time on my hands, so that’s when I started going hard with rap music. A couple years later I bumped into [Kanye West’s former manager] John Monopoly. He introduced me to Larro and [my record label] Lawless Inc. Were you a troublemaker back in the day? Getting kicked out of school? I wouldn’t really call it trouble-making. You know how young men are. The school would probably say I was a troublemaker, but I don’t think so. These days I tend to woo-sah through my lyrics. That’s how I let my aggression out, I smoke something and just chill and write. Common, Kanye, there’s a lot of rappers who have come out of Chicago with substance in their music. Would you say you’re in a similar lane or more on a party vibe? I wouldn’t even put those two guys in the same category. Common is more conscious, and Kanye can get conscious sometimes but he’s more what the younger generation would like to hear while Common is for the grown people. My music is more street. It’s a little more grimy. To me, it’s my personal perception of Chicago. It’s real hood, man.
Are you dropping an album this year? We dropped Dope & Shrimp and we’re probably going to drop that as an album in February. Why do you call yourself King Louie? I feel like I’m a king. I think everyone should look at themselves as a king, you know? And my real name is Louis, so, King Louie. Are you planning to stick it out independently with Lawless Inc. or are you guys looking for a major distributor? I think if you’ve got the right team you can do it independently. When you’re on a major you’ve got to pay the label back and all that, you know, so there will be more money coming in this way. To each his own. I just want a situation where I can be the most successful, anything that’s going to be better for me, my team, and my family. Outside of rap music, are there any other ambitions or goals that you have? I wouldn’t mind being a photographer. I love taking pictures and posting them on Instagram and tweaking them out. That’s what I’ll probably try to get into, or psychology or something like that. // Twitter: @1987RudeBoiKing @LawlessInc Instagram: KingLouie1987
Words by Julia Beverly OZONE MAG // 11