GothBoiClique is rising quickly in the underground scene, but to every great artist, there is a great producer backing them. Lil Peep, HorseHead, and Coldhart are amongst some of the breakthrough artists that production extraordinaire Lederrick has worked with, so we decided to sit down with him and find out what really makes him “clique,” pun intended.
ELEVATOR: Who are you and where are you from?
Lederrick: My name is Sherif. I was born in Egypt, then moved to the US when I was three, which wasn’t easy. I grew up in Pittsburgh. I was homeschooled until middle school, and after high school I lived in Philly, Asheville, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Denver, then back to LA, now here I am!
E: How old are you?
L: I’m 22, I’ll be 23 in August. I’m a Leo.
E: When did you start producing?
L: I started producing 3 years ago, but before that I was always trying to make some sort of music.
E: Is there a specific event or time where you realized that music was your passion?
L: I have a lot of passions, and music is one of them, but I’ve loved music since I was a little kid.
E: What are some of your other passions?
L: I like creating meaningful experiences however I can. Seeing new places, meeting new people, learning about something I didn’t know before. I also like painting, reading, just curating new ideas in general however I can.
E: Who have you worked with and who do you have future plans to work with?
L: I just work with anyone whose music I enjoy listening to. I have future plans on working with more people in the indie/bedroom rock scene than the rap scene, but I’ll still always have my hands into rap somewhat.
E: What is it like working with Goth Boi Clique?
L: It’s just like doing anything else you do with your friends. We all hang out in real life everyday, so it comes pretty natural. They’ve been my closest homies in this shit since 2014.
E: What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
L: I grew up listening to whatever my mom would play. She played alot of Bob Marley, then as I grew older I listened to a lot of indie rock and experimental genres of music. Anything from Phish to Spacemen 3 to Nine Inch Nails. I got into rap in high school.
E: How do you feel about how hip hop is changing with guys like Lil Peep and Yachty breaking all the boundaries that old heads have set on what is acceptable to be as a rapper?
L: I dont think there should be any boundaries in anything. Anyone is free to be whoever they want. You could get hit by a car tomorrow and die, so why not be yourself? I also grew up listening to a lot of Lil B, so that influenced me alot to think in a more positive mindset.
E: What do you do in your spare time?
L: Hang out with my friends, make beats, try to stay positive and enjoy life as much as I can. I also enjoy making money, so I can’t leave that out of there.
E: What goals do you have for 2017?
L: To continue making music I enjoy listening to and helping the people I believe in progress as artists. If that leads to me making a bit of money, I won’t complain, but that would never be the goal. I wanna spread positivity and acceptance of people of all orientation through my music and let people knows it’s OK to be themself.
If you want to hear more of Lederrick’s music, click here!