Anonymous rapper Valhalla Kid shifts his focus into riling up as much anger and hunger as possible. One of four members of the Lowlives Collective, a rap group consisting of individuals with weird artistic interests, explicitly loud progressive politics, and a shared goal to deliver the best music around, Valhalla Kid aims to express radical beliefs in solidarity through anti-capitalism.
His latest EP, 'Music for a Lost Future,' which is a collaborative dream come true with production architect Orange Bloom, delves into the British influences that built Valhalla Kid as an artist, from the rapping of Frisco and Ghetts to the theory of Mark Fisher. It's sharply aware of the dire conditions of the world while offering its listeners something to bop along to.
The second record on the EP is titled "DIRT" and features PDRO. Honing in on the very essence of Valhalla Kid as an expressive artist of the genre of Hip-hop, the smooth and laid back ambiance that the instrumentation tackles with fresh samples and an enticing drum loop pump the speakers up with vitality. Valhalla Kid has a deep presence in the tonal distinction in his vocals that drip with passion in the lyricism that he exudes.
Taking on elements of old school Hip-hop as he stands on the line of the modern new wave flow, we can hear his desire to succeed and make it in this industry. Sharing a spotlight with producer mastermind Orange Bloom and featured artist PDRO on this record, all talent displayed has a style that balances one another out as they bring out the best in each other's artistic capabilities.
"DIRT" hits key factors in the realm of what contributes to a hit song while paying homage to the ones that were there for these artists when they were down, the love and life that music has bestowed upon them, and the ongoing drive to fulfill their dreams, "DIRT," has us watching the flame within these creatives grow bigger and brighter through each word penned.
Congratulations on the release of “DIRT,” off of your EP “Music For a Lost Future,” and welcome to BuzzMusic. We love the dynamism that you and PDRO bring forth to the table. How did you two connect and what was it like working with one another?
Thank you! It's a pleasure to be in this virtual space. PDRO and I work well (I hope!) because I've known the dude longer than anyone else I've worked with musically. He's been a good friend for a long time and having seen his vision over the years I knew it would be a solid choice to collab with him. Working with him was seamless, the guy's mega-talented and reliable. He has a single out with Doctor Gosso & the Samplers called 'Lost & Found' that's really worth checking out.
Now, you worked one on one with Orange Bloom for the best possible outcome in top-notch quality! Could you please tell us about what collaborating with Orange Bloom was like in terms of workflow and overall vibes?
Orange Bloom is a man who thrives off the hype. He was introduced to me by our Lowlives co-founder, LumbeRoss, and when he sent us some disgustingly good beats we got inspired and rapped back at them, so he got more inspired and made even more beats. For this EP we just got on a call and riffed for 2/3 hours until we suddenly had 4 incredible tracks, it was really that straightforward.
What exact moment inspired the storyline behind this record?
We wanted the EP to be colorful in terms of themes, and we had just finished our angry/hype song and wanted something smoother and happier. OB remembered his colleagues made a song he had wanted to sample ages ago and out of nowhere we had something that sounded like a really smooth west-coast hip hop instrumental. The beat itself fed my lyrics pretty well, it just SOUNDS like a song about hard work and being passionate.
How does music contribute to your life on a day to day basis? How would you like your music to contribute to your listeners?
It's generic to say but music has always been a massive part of my life. Everything about it tells a different kind of story, the poetry of the lyricism, the composition of its instrumentality, the way it structures itself, etc. Beyond being able to inspire people or hold a serious message it's just really beautiful art, and I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't wanna be capable of making something they think sounds good in their own head (unless you're like a soulless corporate CEO lol).
What has been keeping you inspired to create music in 2020?
We're in an economic crisis where billionaires are seeing profits skyrocket while most people are fighting for their lives. America just got rid of a warmongering rapist only to elect a 'nicer' warmongering rapist. The digital labor economy continues to omit regulations and crush workers' rights. The current superpowers are running their own concentration camps and paying off manufactured consent media to gaslight people about coups and other imperialist side projects. We're pretty angry over at Lowlives and when we're not donating to funds or protesting we're trying to express that anger in our music.
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