Bronx-born, East London-raised rapper and songwriter Outlaw The Artist is having a moment. He's a rapper of New York's fierce grit and lyrical aptitude, who masterfully infuses the heart of the UK's immensely popular Grime scene, along with the soul of his Caribbean heritage into his music. Amongst many notable accomplishments, Outlaw is credited for several chart-topping albums by KPop groups Exo and NCT 127.
Furthermore, he had work featured on HBO's Power Book II: Ghost as well as a catchy commercial for NBA 2K Mobile. Outlaw is very much the definition of a one-man shop when it comes to artists. In a recent chat, we spoke with Outlaw The Artist about, staying in London, his dream music group, and what it's like to finally put out his recent project Villians Never Die. Check out the exclusive interview below.
What was the reason for you migrating to London?
My family is from a tiny island in the Caribbean called Montserrat, it’s a BOT (British Overseas Territory) and also a volcanic island. The volcano has erupted a few times and because of that even though it's a small island with a current population of around 5-6k (some maps literally show Montserrat as a dot) we’re all over the place, I have family all across the globe. When I was around 8 years old, my mum got some bad news about my grandad (Rest in Power) who lived in the UK and decided to move us closer to him so she could be there for him.
How'd you become inspired to create music? Who were some of your influences then and now?
I grew up in an ultra-maximum-Christianity lol; my mum: Pentecostal, aunt: 7-day Adventist, grandma: Jehovah's witness, the list goes on... either way... because of that I wasn't allowed to listen to ‘Secular’ music, so my earliest memories of music were in church and I was in love with it from the jump. I played the drums in the church “I was mega trash though till later when I started playing in a school band.” I went to public school so naturally I eventually became exposed to more and more music, all I remember was falling in love every time I heard a new kind of sound, all the stuff my friends had already heard was all new to me.
I started off writing poetry. I always had a knack for making words rhyme, shout out to my mum I definitely get that from her. By like 13 when I was in secondary school coming up in Newham, East London, my obsession with music had grown to a point where I never took my headphones out. I would fall asleep with them in. Everyone would be in the playground in little huddles spitting Grime bars and tryna be lil MC’s haha, good times, and one of my classmates was just like “spit some barsss famm!” so I jotted something down, got my first wheel up & immediately fell in love with making music.
My influences are infinite, anything that sounds good to me inspires me. I would say my influences go something like: Andre 3stacks, Winans Phase II, Wretch 32, Busta Rhymes, Ghetts, Missy Elliot, Craig David (Do you see how this question is hard for me?) I could go on for ages.
What was it like being featured across television platforms and streaming services amongst other things?
It's a special feeling man, I remember the first time one of my songs got on TV. I was in New york at my cousin's house in the Bronx and that was the first time I felt like my family saw me like how I saw me: “a real artist.” Other than that... stuff like writing songs for K-pop bands have been some highlights for me cause I got to travel so far to do what I love. Even though I was blessed to move and see different parts of the world growing up, the fact remains that I grew up in the hood in the US and a similar setting in the UK. All these events just add together to be the reason why music saved my life/allowed me to see and do stuff I never imagined. I’m super grateful.
Villains Never Die, what's the symbolic meaning behind the project's title?
The hero lives long enough to become the villain. The villain lives long enough to see himself become a good guy. It has so many meanings, its yin & yang, duality, realizing that there is a little good in the bad and a little bad in the good. It's a continuation of the topic I started to explore at the start of the villains’ trilogy on “Anti-Villain” but a little more fleshed out. At the same time, it’s taking ownership of what feels like the narrative that's forced upon me anyway. I think back when I did Anti-Villain the energy was: I know the world sees me as a villain because I’m Black but hey look I’m not all bad. Now 2 years later the energy is: Oh, you still see me as a villain solely based on the color of my skin? Cool, well... Black is infinite, Black is God level and I’m gonna enjoy the power in that rather than feel guilty or try to hide or mask it in any way.
What were some memorable moments you had while creating the project?
Realizing at some point that I got better. I have this thing where I'm always in fierce competition with myself and every now and then I hit a checkpoint where I'm clearly better at something than I was before and that’s one of the best feelings to me. Other than that if we're talking literal moments there are so many: I did the outro with Kaelin in New Mexico at a songwriting camp after we finished writing other songs and that moment when I recorded the verse was so magical, everyone in the studio kinda just looked at each other lol. Or when Saara sent me the vocals back for the intro song and it sounded like a James bond movie intro joint... I got chills.
If fans were to take away one thing from this project, what would you want that to be?
Be yourself fam. Whoever you are whatever color, creed, religion. Live your truth, there's power in that. We’re all hypocrites in some shape or form, everyone is a villain in someone’s story, so don't worry about trying to be perfect, just be you.
Picture this scenario: you're asked to form a music group with one other rapper and a singer, dead or alive. Who do you pick and why?
This is the hardest question, why would you do this to me!? I wish I could do it KPop band style and have like 12 members haha. Ok ok, so we already have me, I’d bring Aaliyah back because Aaliyah and I think Flo Milli would be a dope contrast from me as a rapper.