Interview by Ben Z @WI608

“My school and city have shown so much love thus far, and I think I show a lot of potential.” -Avid

Indeed Avid does show plenty of potential. Just listen to his lyrics and then try to remember that he is only 16! We here at upcominghiphop.net are very glad to have the chance to connect with this budding young artist and we hope you enjoy our Q&A with him.

Start off by telling us who you are & where you’re from.

My name is Avid. I’m from Herndon, VA. I am 16 years old and have been studying hip-hop and writing raps since the age of 10. For the last 5 months, I have been recording for my upcoming mixtape, and building a fan-base by posting singles on SoundCloud.

When did you first discover your passion for hip-hop?

I discovered my passion for hip-hop when I was 10 years old. Hip-hop was the only music I had ever heard that could give me goosebumps, and that I could listen to for hours on end. It struck me as being so expressive, and all I wanted to do was be able to create it myself. When I started writing, the feeling I got from rapping new verses for my friends was unmatchable, and that’s the feeling I still chase today through my music.

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What/who are you biggest influences?

My biggest influence in the very beginning would have to be Eminem. Still to this day his ability to manipulate words baffles me, and it’s what always made me gravitate towards his music. My biggest influences since then would probably be Kanye, J Cole, Kendrick, Logic, and Joey. Being as young as I am has allowed me to be influenced by a lot of new school artists, which I think makes my sound very unique.

If you could have the chance to work with any artist living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Kanye West, because he’s one of the best producers of our time, and it’s a dream of mine to make a song on one of his beats. I’m also really interested to see what he’s like when he’s in the studio.

What do you hope to accomplish through your music/career?

My main goal is to always keep the music fun and spread good vibes to the listener. Music is something that should be there to relax you when you’re stressed, lift you up when you’re feeling down, and something to enjoy with the people you love. My aim is for my career to always be about the music, and I’m content with wherever that takes me.

Connect with Avid
Twitter.com/foreveravid | Avid on YouTube