On-the-rise UK driller K-Trap sat down for an in-depth interview with TRENCH magazine recently, where he broke down his upbringing, his influences and the experiences that have shaped him as a rapper.
Having recently dropped his The Last Whip mixtape, K-Trap is a name on everyone's lips. Chances are you've seen him in at least a few dozen 'Ones To Watch' lists for the coming year, and his videos and freestyles are racking up views in the millions. Below, we've broken down some of the most interesting gems from the interview—for example, he's surprisingly critical of his own work; he's moving away from the drill sound; and he has some choice words for the growing swell of music videos shot on council estates.
Take a peep at the highlights below, and head here for the full interview.
On his now infamous ad-libs: "I don't write them—I've never done that. An ad-lib, to me, is another explanation to what is being said in my music, vouching for the lyrics. I don't do ad-libs thinking it's gonna catch on with listeners, I just do them and see what happens."
On the limitations of UK drill: "I don't really like drill beats anymore because, when I hear drill beats, I can only spit a certain way and that's not the way I wanna spit. So I'm tryna get different beats that are kinda like drill, but I can spit on them in different ways."
On that famous balaclava: "I do like the fact that when I off the mask, I am me. And when I put it on, I am K-Trap. A lot of artists don't really have that luxury."
On the perceived lack of creativity in drill videos: "I feel like a lot of rappers go to an area or block—where they're not even respected—and do their video and leave. "
