Currently calling Toronto home, is the Nigerian-born and raised rap artist, Kdfromthepack. Playing the drums since the early age of 5, music has always had a prominent place in his life. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that he took the plunge to pursue music professionally and leave his own mark on the genre, whilst simultaneously drawing artistic influence from the likes of Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Tame Impala.
To kick off 2022, he released his latest track, “FREE THE RAGE”– a song set to inspire fellow creatives to freely express themselves without worrying about the judgement of others.
Recently I spoke with Kdfromthepack about his path to pursuing music, the creative movement behind his latest track and more.
Kyla Pearson: For those who are unfamiliar with you and your music, can you tell us a bit more about your path to pursuing a career in music? Why rap music specifically?
Kdfromthepack: My path to pursuing a career in music didn’t begin until just a couple of years ago, but looking back now in hindsight it was always inevitable. Years and years before I ever thought about stepping into a recording studio I had already fallen in love with the art of music. Playing the drums was a major part of my early years that started me onto this musical journey. As I got older I developed an interest in descriptive writing and poetry through school. Over time that interest merged with my ear for rhymes and love for good music; me being the overachiever that I am, I decided I would take a shot at writing my own rhymes and songs while continuing to let my favourite artists inspire me subconsciously. As I continued on my musical journey in life, I never abandoned any of the interests I picked up along the way. Instead, I continued to find passion in each and every creative outlet I was discovering and intertwined them to build my creativity into something bigger than I would have imagined at the time. Even to this day I still see myself finding, learning and growing in this never-ending creative process of inspiration. Fast forward to my second year of University studying for my bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, I was on campus one day in between classes when some close friends of mine told me they had access to a home studio on campus and then asked me if I wanted to come along to just playing around on the mic for fun. That day was my first time ever in the studio and ever recording myself on an instrumental, ever since then the rest was history. It was almost as if everything I had been through since I picked up a pair of drum sticks aligned for this one moment years later, another creative outlet for me to add on to the others. I immediately developed a deep passion for it and knew this was the career I wanted to pursue. Because of my musical origin story in recording songs and my unique view on art and creativity, I like to consider myself as a musician, not a rapper, following the wind of creativity and allowing it to take me on a journey I can’t predict, just embrace.
Kdfromthepack: You’re also a part of the TO and surrounding rap/music scene. How would you say being a part of this ever-growing music community has influenced your sound and/or impacted your career?
Toronto has influenced my sound immensely, in the sense that I take my inspiration not just from the early Toronto music that I was exposed to when I came to Canada but also the environment, the people and community, the festivals, the social norms and slang, overall just the way of life.
Kyla Pearson: To kick off 2022, your released your latest track, “FREE THE RAGE”– which was written by you and produced by Kaddyx4. Can you tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind the song, as well as the writing & recording process?
Kdfromthepack: By definition, the word rage means “desire or passion”. The inspiration behind the song came from me wanting to reflect the burning passion that all creatives have inside them whether it is art, music, fashion, architecture or journalism. Saying #FREETHERAGE is more of a movement to push all creatives to let all their passion out into the world without holding back and really allowing the world to feel the raw form of their art no matter what lane they are in. Before this song was recorded, I had first checked my email and listened to the beats that Kaddy had sent me. Once I heard this beat it immediately stood out to me because of the energetic 808s and the soothing flute melodies. Right away the lyrics began to flow into my head and about 10-15 minutes later I had finished writing it, all I needed to do was go to CASA (my main recording studio downtown Toronto) to record and bring it to life. Usually, when I don’t have a specific message or story I want to tell on a beat, I wait until I’m in the studio and freestyle whatever comes to mind at the moment but with this Kaddy beat I knew right away what message I wanted to express.
Kyla Pearson: FREE THE RAGE is more than a song title, it’s a movement you’re pushing that gives artists permission to freely express themselves creatively without the fear of judgement. Why is this important to you? What type of impact do you hope to achieve?
Kdfromthepack: It is very important to me that I spread this message because I wasn’t always so free to express my creativity and I was afraid of what others might think. It wasn’t until I really began to find myself and live out my passions that I started to find purpose in my life and this helped get me out of a mentally dark place. I hope to inspire creatives not just in my city but all over the world and show people that they can achieve anything that their heart desires, all they have to do is free the rage.
Kyla Pearson: You also released the official music video for the song, which was filmed by Marcus Letts. Can you tell us a bit more about your creative vision behind the video? What was it like working on set and bringing the video to life?
Kdfromthepack: Once the song was finished, I knew the perfect location to bring the song to life and emphasize my message was a rage room in Scarborough. A rage room is where people go to smash and break items from small bottles to even a car as a form of therapy or just for entertainment so it worked perfectly with the song. I then hit up my friend Marcus Letts and he was just as excited as I was with the idea. It was really refreshing and fun working on set with him because we both have similar mindsets and visions when it comes to expressing our creativity. He is true creative and always likes to separate himself from the crowd by thinking outside the box, it shows in his work. He was also very professional about everything down to the timing and order of the shoot day which made me a lot more relaxed knowing he was taking this just as seriously as I was.
Kyla Pearson: Moving forward in 2022, what is one goal you hope to achieve by the end of the year?
Moving forward, my goal for 2022 is to stay consistent with releasing music, continue exploring and unlocking new levels in my sound, gain more knowledge in the music business side of things and possibly release another project.
Kyla Pearson: Do you have any upcoming shows that fans can catch and hear you perform “FREE THE RAGE” at?
Kdfromthepack: In July of 2022 I will be headlining a show called “FTP”, put together by a close friend of mine Steevz. There I will be performing “FREE THE RAGE” as well as some unreleased songs.
Kyla Pearson: Lastly, what is one thing fans may not know about you?
Kdfromthepack: One thing fans may not know about me is that all my songs/verses have no curse words, not even one. I plan to keep it that way for all my future releases as well.
Listen to “FREE THE RAGE” now:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6m3ObNWL0meNEMNUPpjt7w?si=0ecf9234577b4bf1
Stay up to Date with Kdfromthepack:
IG: @kdfromthepack
Twitter: @kdfromthepack
YouTube: Kdfromthepack
Spotify: Kdfromthepack
Apple Music: Kdfromthepack
Amazon Music: Kdfromthepack
Works Cited:
Kdfromthepack. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Mar. 22, 2022.
Unknown. “Featured: Nigerian-born and raised rap artist, Kdfromthepack.”. Photo courtesy of Kdfromthepack. Accessed Mar. 22, 2022.
Unknown. “Featured: Official cover art for Kdfromthepack’s latest track, “FREE THE RAGE”.”. Photo courtesy of Kdfromthepack. Accessed Mar. 22, 2022.
