KIDRYU is an up-and-coming rapper in the Boston hip-hop scene. His music is heavily influenced by alternative, SoundCloud rap and artists such as Logic and A$AP Rocky. He was born in Japan and raised in Hawaii, both cultures influence his songwriting heavily.
At just thirteen years old, KIDRYU started creating music. He began releasing music through SoundCloud and then switched to using DistroKid to release music on Spotify and Apple Music. His first single “LIFTED WHIP BUMP” was released in 2021 and was followed by his first mixtape CSML. He has since released a handful of singles, “hitmyline!”, “NOISE!”, and “connect!”.
RMR was able to sit down and talk with KIDRYU. In the conversation, he spoke about his past mixtape and singles, his upcoming new mixtape, and performance plans.
Single artwork for “NOISE!” by KIDRYU
RMR’s Interview With KIDRYU
RMR: How did you get into music?
KIDRYU: So, I really started off by listening to a lot of electronic music as a kid. When I was in middle school, and even as an elementary kid I watched EDM videos on YouTube. But I really started getting into music around like 13. I found this album Because the Internet by Childish Gambino. That really got me into hip-hop and other genres of music.
Other than Gambino, who are some of your influences?
Yeah, so Gambino, Drake, JPEG Mafia is up there, Brockhampton, A$AP Rocky, there’s a lot. But in terms of not just sonically influenced, I’ve also been influenced a little bit by groups like Far East Movement or artists like Rich Brian. They haven’t influenced my sound that much, but they’ve inspired me a lot. Because they’re, sort of the first Asian people that I really got to see that made it in music. That was a big deal for me.
What’s your favorite lyric or song you have written?
Yeah, in terms of writing, it’s got to be this song I have on my SoundCloud called “Banana.” If we’re talking about stuff that’s been dropped. It’s definitely some of my best rap to date, I think. I dropped this probably like a year ago. It was one of the first songs I dropped while I was in college. And in terms of a line, I like the line, “Got a baby in every state inventory it’s so tactical,” that’s like one of my favorite lines from that song but I think that that song has a lot of gems, I really worked on that one pretty hard, so I like that one a lot.
Some of your lyrics are very clever. What’s your songwriting process?
The songwriting kind of varies on two things; It’s whether I’m setting out to really put down a message or a feeling, or whether it’s just hearing something that I really mess with. Sometimes, it’s a beat that I really like from a friend or a fellow producer or something like that. So, if it’s the first, if I’m setting out to put down some feelings on paper, I’m really going to start with looking for a beat that really connects with that feeling. Then sort of sitting down, getting my notebook out and just trying to write those feelings out in a way that can really connect with the listener.
But on the latter end, just finding a beat that I like or just hearing something that someone has played for me, I’m really just trying to pen a flow that’s really just going to do the beat justice. It’ll actually take me probably a little bit more time if it’s just a beat that I found because I really want to work on making sure that it’s as good as it can be.
What is the meaning of your album title CSML?
It’s super corny because I was in high school at the time that I dropped that mixtape. So, it stands for Circle Small Money Large. It was just an idea I had at the time, but I think the core of that idea is still pretty close to me. I think it still stands even if the phrase is super lame. Because it’s kind of about keeping focused on who’s around you and what you have and not spreading yourself too thin. Because I think that a big thing for me is when you try to please yourself, or please too many people around you, you end up taking a loss of your own, really. So, that’s a big deal for me.
Do you produce your own music, or do you have help?
I definitely have help. You know, I sort of came into music without really… I kind of learned a little bit about music theory and instruments when I was a kid, I had piano lessons. I was in middle school band, but I sort of forgot all that. So, I don’t really get the opportunity to really play my own backing tracks, but I know a lot of producers.
I try to connect with a lot of guys. I know a couple guys from my high school and a lot of kids that I’ve met at college. It’s actually great for me because I think that every guy, I’ve met has sort of a different sound, so I get to experiment with different sonic aesthetics. But I am teaching myself to produce currently, because I kind of want to be self-sufficient and expand my knowledge.
Can you tell us about your upcoming record?
The new record is called Dopest Alive. It’s been a work in progress for a while, but like I said, I’m really learning a lot since I started going to school. I’ve been working hard on this one and making some significant improvements. But I still think it’s going to be fun, it’s going to have some comedy, because I think that’s kind of integral to my music. But I think it’s also going to be a little bit more polished and mature.
Your previous music is heavily influenced by alternative hip-hop, is your new album similar?
There’s definitely some alternative sound and feel to it. There’s like a general, SoundCloud rap sort of feel to it. That is really rooted in the fact that when I came into and started listening to hip-hop, when it was sort of the peak of Soundcloud rap in general. So, I think that era of rap will always have a say in my music, if that makes sense. It’s always gonna be in the back of my mind. But I think that’s just like any other influence that I’ve got. I think that the new stuff, it won’t have too much SoundCloud sound per se, but it’s still got some feelings or like depth of it for sure. It’s always gonna be able to have a little flavor of that in my upcoming music. I’m hoping to branch out a little bit sonically.
Is there a release date for the new record?
I don’t have a date yet, per se. I think I kind of want to put it out by the fall, just because I think that’s a good time. But yeah, I don’t have a date on it.
