From a youngin’ King Lil G was taught to hustle, as he states in his song “Streeters.” And that still remains relevant today. The unwavering work ethic he possesses substantially shows in his stats and portfolio.
Because of King Lil G’s straightforward yet empowering wordplay and storytelling delivery, he’s amassed over one hundred million Spotify streams. Not to mention, the independent musician has also reached the millions on YouTube. Needless to say, King Lil G surely knows how to make music that does numbers.
Currently, he’s topping the charts with two singles off his tape, 90’s Kid, Vol. 2, “Unemployed” and “Hollowtips,” which hit #11 on YouTube’s “Trending Videos” in mid-December. He’s also gotten a seal of approval from major music magazines and blogs like L. A Weekly, XXL, and Vibe.
‘Till this day, he continues to add onto his high ranking with more than 7 million streams monthly, which includes some of his most streamed songs “Hopeless Boy” (2014), “AK47” (2014), “Ignorance” (2015), and “Grow Up” (2015).
Collaboration wise, he’s linked up with prestigious artists in the game, including the late Nipsey Hu$$le, Too $hort, Bun B, & Tory Lanez.
Outside of music, the West Coast spitter shows utmost respect and pride for Mexico. He is a huge immigration rights advocate as he and his family migrated from Mexico to the West Coast. As a kid, he witnessed the struggles of being an immigrant in America, and this factor ultimately fuels his messages.
To Imprint, he said, “I pour my heart and soul into sharing a piece of me. I know there are other kids that look just like me, growing up in Inglewood, and I know the positive influence my music has on them. I am almost obligated to share my story to remind another young boy he can make it too.”
90’s Kid, Vol. 2 is a follow-up to his breakout project, 90’s Kid, which debuted in 2015. The recent album finds King Lil G speaking on many topics like former struggles, what it was like growing up, encountering fake individuals, and overcoming obstacles. Alongside these themes are warning bars for those who want to put him in harm’s way. Carrying a strong suit of confidence, King Lil G even maps out how one can reach their end-goals. Fans will not only hear his words but feel them too.
Sonically, King Lil G’s latest musical addition is rooted in the West Coast’s staple sound with beat renditions on songs like Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” The Jaggerz “Memoirs Of The Traveler,” and Luniz’s “I Got 5 On It.” The beats, produced by Contraband, King47, and Jereme Jay, also take inspiration from jazz, lo-fi, and hip-hop.
Although the entire album is raved about in the hip-hop community, the two standout tracks that The Feature Presentation will be highlighting are “Unemployed” and “Hallow Tips.”
In the first track titled “Unemployed,” King Lil G responds to false claims made against him. The person talking down on the rapper says that he’s incapable of doing anything or leveling up in life. So King Lil G sets out to prove them wrong. After being pestered to find a job and being turned down by various companies, King Lil G takes matters into his own hands.
He spits,
“She started screaming, yelling, ‘You a fucking bum. Go get an application, are you fucking dumb?’ (What?) Mama, I been trying, but nobody calls me back. I even got jumped on the bus. In fact some gangstas on a bus said, ‘Homie, where you from?’ Then before I knew it, mama, I was getting rushed.”
Even though his ways of making money aren’t ideal to some people, he looks at the bigger picture. Eventually, he tries to break the news to his mother about finding a job, but she casts him off once she discovers where he’s working.
“‘Moms, guess what? I got a job finally.'” She smiled like, who the fuck would hire me. Then she said, “Alex, don’t fucking lie to me. Where you been all day? This ain’t the type of shit I need,” he raps. “She said, ‘What kind of deals?’ I said, ‘It pays the bills.’ She walked into my room and found the drugs and dollar bills. Mama ain’t speaking to me. Now I’m living on my own.”
The instrumental signals off in a lo-fi fashion and is paired with bright piano loops, kick-snares, and bass.
“Hallowtips” sees King Lil G dropping boisterous rhymes about his lifestyle and is followed with open bars about how he’d like to continue being a bachelor. He also speaks a bit about his money-making ways.
“I don’t think you understand. She was just lookin’ for love, I was just lookin’ for friends,” The “Daytons” lyricist delivers. Secondly, he says, “If you got to work, I’m a sell it. Send it to Palm Springs by Coachella.”
As the song continues, King Lil G shows that he can’t be fazed by anything or anyone, stating, “I ain’t really trippin’ on it, I’ma do it how I want it/What’s a mob to a king when you come from the gutter?” Elsewhere, the rapper exposes those showing fake love before telling fugazies ahead of time that if they slander his name, it’ll be handled in the worst way.
“I don’t respond to no diss songs. I just go hard ’til the clip’s gone. You look up to me. I’m a big dog/With a big Glock, you a bitch, dog/I can’t control all that shit that they tellin’ me. That’s why my dawgs, they committin’ these felonies.”
The beat of choice samples Luniz’s hit single “I Got 5 On It,” but slows down its tempo.
