King Fed: Pain, Love & the Struggle

Tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for King Fed?

Well during my earlier years, I wanna say around the time I was in middle school, I wrote a lot of poetry. I was really good at it, so I realized early that I had this talent to write. I loved playing with metaphors and similes and stuff like that. The music thing kind’ve just happened. One day I said I wanted to do it and I did, but it probably would’ve never been a thought in my mind if I wasn’t confident in my writing ability in poetry first.

Now you’re a native of the Bronx, New York, correct? So growing up in the ‘Boogie Down,’ who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

Well, my earlier influences were definitely 50 Cent, Eminem, and Cassidy. I really tried to be all these guys simultaneously *Fed chuckles* 50 Cent just had this thug style where he didn’t give a damn. If you liked him or not, you were gonna respect him, Eminem was always the GOAT to me; from his authenticity to his rapping abilities…and Cassidy was just “bar heavy!” I would watch every freestyle he dropped, and listened to every song he was on. So if anyone compared me to any artist, those were the guys I wanted to be categorized with. I still listen to those guys, but my influences today are people like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Post Malone, Drake and Bryson Tiller…simply because their creativity is rare, and I like rare. I gravitate towards it. I would love to work with any one of ‘em. It’s on my list of goals.

That being said, how do you classify your sound and / or style?

I would say my sound is the perfect definition for Hip Hop and R’n’B, because I can literally do both so well. Whether I’m singing my heart out and spilling feelings on a track, or I’m getting real gritty and grimy with some heavy bars on a track; I can really do either or.

As a lyricist, where do you draw your inspiration from?

I draw inspiration from too many things, but if I had to pin it down to a couple of the main things then one source of inspiration would definitely be my peers. The people I’m on this musical journey with, because I’m just one of the many talented people in my circle. So when they work and I hear something crazy, I feel like I have to keep up! *Chuckles again* I get motivated. I’m also inspired by everyday life. I believe I’ve pretty much mastered the art of transferring real life events into a beautiful song, no matter the mood. I get hurt, I get creative, I get love, I get creative.

Where does your moniker originally derive from?

So my original name is Feddi. When I first moved to Davidson, everyone had a nickname and I thought that was dope. I wanted one, too. I remember being in school and just writing down a bunch of different names until one stuck. Feddi is another word for money, and I was broke at the time but I wanted my name to be associated with money because that’s what I wanted, money. I changed my name to King Fed around 2015 when Fetty Wap blew up. Because everyone started calling me Fetty Wap and had a Fetty Wap joke everyday pretty much, it got annoying after a while so I just added a little twist to my name just to differentiate me.

That said, what do you feel you bring to the music industry that we don’t already have in other performers?

I feel like one thing I bring to the game is authenticity in my music. Not saying that there isn’t any real music out there, but the game is flooded with fabrication. The fake are outnumbering the real by a long shot.

Have you encountered any problems in getting to this point in your career?

Unfortunately I have…so many times. It’s kind of at a point where I don’t even stress certain things anymore. I just move accordingly. I look at it like everything happens for a reason. I just have to take things with a grain of salt, learn from it and move better next time around. This business is funny, so you have to be careful. And it’s okay to listen to others talk, but always trust yourself.

What do you want people to get from your music?

I just want them to get the same thing I get when listening to my favorite artists. There’s been times where I was going through things that I thought no one else was going through, and I turn on a song and the artist is talking about what seems to be my situation but they’re just speaking from their own personal experiences. And I think that’s so dope. It kind of gives you a sense of relief. People need that. I just want to uplift spirits with my sound.

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Wow, that’s actually a really good question, but a really hard one. There’s so many to choose from. But if I had to narrow it down, it’d more than likely be Drake. Every song he makes is a hit. He’s transparent, authentic, and a musical genius; from his creativity to his marketing. I just know that if I got a song with him it would shake the world up.

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

That would definitely be Madison Square Garden. Just because it’s one of the biggest spots in the city, and there ain’t no love like love from your hometown.

One track of yours that you think defines you and why?

The track I think best defines me right now would probably be “Conflicts Of A Man.” That was one of the most realest songs I could’ve ever wrote, and probably an all time fave. I spoke about things I’m sure a lot of men go through in relationships or just with females in general. I’m sure a lot of fellas heard that and instantly related. A lot of females gave me amazing feedback from that song as well. That’s how real it is.

In terms of longevity, what do you feel it is that will continue to sustain you in this grueling industry?

The only thing that can’t be destroyed…energy and authenticity. There’s a lot of music that comes and goes, but real music lives forever. People will always come back to a song they felt a strong connection with. It could be 5 or 10 years from now. I’m all about timeless music. When you go through that heartbreak, you can play some King Fed. When life doesn’t seem to be going as planned, you can play some King Fed. I represent pain, love and the struggle.

Do you have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

Honestly, not really. Music is my entire life. It’s consumed me to a point that everything else that I really like is in relation to music. Like I just started producing. I also plan on buying a guitar and learning how to play that. I want to learn how to play the piano as well. Anything that will help me become a better artist.

To date, what has been your biggest career moment, at least thus far anyway?

My biggest career moment would probably be almost getting Alessia Cara on a song. Not a person a lot of people would expect because of where I come from *More chuckles* but, yeah, it almost happened. I’ve had opportunities to do some ghostwriting for major artists as well, even though nothing extraordinary has come out of that yet.

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself?

I definitely see myself sitting inside of a studio inside of a luxurious mansion that I own and got from putting in the necessary work. I see myself breaking records, topping charts, and spreading worldwide inspiration all through my music.

As for the immediate, what’s next for King Fed?

Well right now, I’m sitting on two unreleased videos and almost 100 unreleased songs. Because I pretty much live at the studio. But the next move is to drop and promote. It’s time the world knew who King Fed is.

Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?

No, you pretty much covered everything.

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

Look out For King Fed, man! I’m coming in the game, and I don’t ever plan on leaving so these artists better tighten up. It’s 5D to Rita and DBF, love y’all, thanks.

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