Rising rapper Swagg, from the small town of Ridgeland, South Carolina is determined to beat the odds and make his mark in Hip Hop. I had the opportunity to sit down with the artist while vibing in the studio. Check out our convo below:
LMCC - Who is Swagg? How would people close to you describe you?
Swagg - Cool, Collective, Calm.. Just a laid back person..
LMCC - What was it like growing up in the city your from?
Swagg - Rough, Hard, Like it's just a small town. A whole lot of hatred and envy.
LMCC - Tough? Family wise or street wise?
Swagg - Both
LMCC - Who were your musical influences growing up?
Swagg - T.I. , Webbie, Boosie, Jeezy
LMCC - Your name on Instagram is "LongLiveDaGuys", Did you lose a lot of people in your lifetime?
Swagg - A whole lot from being young to now.. I've done lost a lot. Close friends, childhood friends.
LMCC - How does that make you feel?
Swagg - Losing people, it's just like it could have been me. I feel like I was put here for a purpose.
LMCC - Recently, there was a list going around where people were referencing top rappers of all time. Who's your top 5 rappers?
Swagg- That's hard but I really f*ck with Kevin Gates, hard as a b*tch. I f*ck with Young Boy... A lot of hard rappers don't get a lot of airtime too.. I don't really have a favorite rapper but I f*ck with the music. I'm my favorite rapper.
LMCC - What made you want to start rapping?
Swagg - Growing up, my brothers use to do it and I watched them a lot. It inspired me but going through a lot of shit. A lot of people be rapping about things they don't go through, things they never really seen.
LMCC - What do you think sets you aside from other rappers since you're your favorite rapper?
Swagg - The music speaks for itself. The music I make, you may be like I've been through something similar. I f*ck with dog. That's what makes me different. You'll never hear me saying I'll pull up in a Lambo, I never been in one. I might say I pull up in a Honda on E cause I done did that. It's a whole lot of watered down sh*t going on right now, I ain't that.
LMCC - What artist would you like to work with in the future?
Swagg - It's a lot.. Rod Wave, Kodak Black. I'm willing to work with anybody though.
LMCC - You recently released a project, 3 Letter Steppa... What was the inspiration behind that?
Swagg - I claim EBE.. that stands for Every Body Eats.. Where I'm from they think it's a gang but it's a family. EBE is 3 letters so behind them 3 letters, I'm stepping.
LMCC - What was the creative process like?
Swagg - To be honest, it's a 10 track mixtape but I made it, in like a week and a half. Everyday after work I was in the studio. I just recorded songs and my peoples was like you should just put out a mixtape.
LMCC - What type of feedback have you been getting from the project?
Swagg - A lot, it done caused beef.... Hatred, Envy.. There's some people who even said I stole my concept from them. I take all the criticism that comes with it. A lot of people f*ck with it though, from the streets to the internet. Even the kids...My son is two years old but as soon as song comes on, he knows what's going on.
LMCC - If you have to choose between true love and your career being exactly where you wanted it to be, what would you choose?
Swagg - Damn, that's a hard question but I think I'd choose the music. Why? Because I've been doing it for a minute and it's something I been wanted to do. Somebody could love you but that doesn't mean it's going to work. Once you make it to exactly where you want to be in life, that's more important than love.
LMCC - If you could sit down and have an hour long conversation with anyone, who would it be?
Swagg - Donald Trump. I want to tell him off. 9/10 he wouldn't even want to here what I had to say. He'd probably tell me the same stuff he's been saying because he just don't give a f*ck.
LMCC - Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Swagg - Still doing music, taking care of the family. I have music and visuals in the stash. I'm coming.
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