New York based rapper LUCKY! takes listeners on a journey through his complex emotions and feelings portrayed by lyrics, visuals and an intricate mix of musical influences for his new track. The single, ‘Shaquira,’ shows off the relatable messages he touches on through his music. The music video for this track has captivated fans due to its aesthetically pleasing production and editing. In an exclusive interview with CelebMix, LUCKY! opened up about ‘Shaquira,’ rap and more.
How did you first get started with music?
In elementary school, I started playing the trombone. Once I hit middle school, I started to mess around with poetry and rapping. In high school, I learned recording techniques.
Who inspired you as a rapper growing up?
I think artists who inspired me to get into hip-hop/rap music were Nas, Jay-Z, and Dipset. They’re from New York and have super cool style.
Who really inspires me as an artist would have to be Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, and Drake. I wanted to be like Wiz when I was in high school. He seems like a cool dude who just chills, makes music, hands out with girls, and smokes. Drake has the sing-rap thing going on and only makes hit records. I relate to Cudi the most. His lyrics are so honest [and] his songs have huge choruses. He seems to always have an artistic look on hip-hop and his music is on a different vibe.
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What can you tell us about your latest single “Shaquira” and the recording process behind it?
It’s different and I love it. It mixes multiple genres. It tells a “love story” and I think it’s so infectious that everyone will know the words by the second chorus.
Recording “Shaquira” was amazing. It was a part of a huge day of recording and mixing, and “Shaquira” took up the bulk of it. My engineer Mike Snell and my homie Jake Vicious really did a great job helping me stack the chorus and adding harmonies to create the sound. Once we muted the instruments and listened to the chorus alone, I knew we had something special.
What are your goals for the rest of 2019?
EP! EP! EP! I want to release a small project and create more music videos. I’d also like to play some shows outdoors during the summer. I just realized my last few events have all been indoors. That’s crazy.
If you could be the rap feature in a song by any artist, whose song would it be and why?
This may sound like a cop-out, but I’d say Drake, only because he has a track record of collaborating with new/unknown acts. I could learn a lot from him and also get a chance to either rap like crazy, or do my humming-rap pending on what our song sounds like.
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Who would you love to go on tour with in the future?
There’s a few. I’m a huge Elohim fan and I think the contrast in genre would be pretty crazy. Also, Bryson Tiller or Travis Scott would make for an interesting mix. Gashi would be a cool one because he’s starting to blow up, and [I] met him in person once!
What can fans look forward to in the near or distant future?
I have a song coming out on 5/15 (his birthday) called “Zeus.” I’ll also have a show around that time, so make sure y’all follow me on Instagram for updates! Thanks for having me.
Follow LUCKY! on Twitter and Instagram here.
Watch the music video for ‘Shaquira.’