The West Coast is experiencing what some would define as a musical renaissance. For the past few years, there’s been a huge emergence of talent hailing from the city of Los Angeles and taking the nation by storm, including Roddy Richh, rap duo BlueBucksClan, 1TakeJay and Blxst just to name a few.
And joining that list is L.A. bred newcomer Kalan.FrFr.
But rap wasn’t always on his radar. After establishing a pretty solid football career at San Diego State University, a then 21-year old Kalan had to unexpectedly end his time on the field and shifted his focus to pursuing music full time.
His biggest song “Never Lose You” has over 5 million views on YouTube and his infectious discography has gained him 628,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
So, it came as no surprise when he caught the eye of Roc Nation and signed on the dotted line officially to be a part of the company founded by Jay-Z. He even made his Made In America Festival debut this year as a Roc Nation artist.
We caught up with the rap star to talk about his new album 222, his appreciation for fashion and his outlook on the music industry as a business.
We get deep and touch on his deep connection with his spirituality and how it’s impacted his career, as well as his dedication to fighting the negative stigmas surrounding special needs – an issue the rapper holds near to his heart.
Last month, the rapper hosted his TwoFr Day annual charity event, where he donates clothes, school supplies and more to his former community and high school in Compton, CA. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Compton Unified School District Special Needs Program.
On a lighter note, he also speaks about his genuine love for his job and making music, and how he’s determined to not let the pressures of life and work stop him from enjoying the fruits of his labor.
“I’m not gonna say I’m not having fun because it’s fun. This is fun, my job is fun. But, it’s still my job at the end of the day. So, I treat it like work. I feel like this next stage I’m at in my life, I’m gonna have a lot more fun with the perks of being a rapper” says Kalan.FrFr.
As for what’s next for Kalan.FrFr?
“The video ‘Light Breeze‘ finna drop. So, just get ready for the video, it’s gonna be fire” he said.
Fire would be an understatement. The new music video for the melodic trap bop off his 222 album follows the rapper around his city of L.A.
Kalan.FrFr may be a rookie in the rap game but he carries his self like a veteran. The lifestyle comes easy to him and it shows.
In the video for “Light Breeze,” released yesterday, he raps “All you can see is a light breeze, Sunroof back, A/C riding through the light, light speed” as he rides past palm trees in foreign cars from sun up to sun down.
Watch out interview with Kalan.FrFr below.