Kid Ali: The Interview
6 new tracks from the Los Angeles rapper make up his debut project. Nearly entirely produced by his right-hand man CONNIE, Ten Toes Down already sounds like one of the best rap EPs of 2020.
Kid Ali’s an Egyptian kid from the East Coast who is out in Los Angeles getting ready to release his first musical project. We covered a lot of ground in this interview. I have a soft spot for artists of African or Middle Eastern or South Asian heritage. Despite his family having a negative stance on music, calling it haram, he’s kept his name as Kid Ali…. kind of like Mohammed Ali. He drops words like Wallah and Inshallah throughout the interview. His project Ten Toes Down will hit streaming Friday, March 27, 2020. I got a chance to listen to the project early and I can say that in just 6 tracks, Kid Ali proved that he has ears for production that match his energetic, clear cadence.
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What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of music was 7th grade when I started listening to music, American music, that is. My parents always played Egyptian music at home. We weren’t allowed to listen to English music because of how strict they were. Growing up Muslim, they didn’t allow it. I remember being on the middle school bus. These kids were rappers back in the day, spitting freestyles and writing on the bus. I asked them what they were doing and they explained to me. They gave me their headphones that day, the very first song I heard was by J. Cole off one of his very first mixtapes. Then, they played Nas and Drake and Kendrick. I got hooked. That’s when I started getting into music. With the way their words hit my ears on those beats and how easy it was to spit along with, I grew an instant connection. I was relating to what they were talking about. I started freestyling with them. We used to hang out a lot. They would teach me how to write. They recorded their own stuff, too.
How musical is your family?
My family is not musical at all. I actually remember when I first started wanting to be a rapper and artist during those middle school days. I told my mom about it. She shut it all down immediately. She said that music was haram. That kind of killed the dream.
How did you decide on the genre you make today?
The genre was easy. Hip-hop was the most prominent thing I listened to since the start. I delved into every genre for a bit but when it came to rap and hip hop, that was the main music I listened to in high school. I was on the Young Money wave and Jeezy and Juelz Santana and T-Pain and of course Kanye. That’s what I was bumping in my little mp3 player that my boy would upload all his new Limewire music on. He downloaded music every week. He was on it. I didn’t have access to any computers so he hooked me up every week. He would update my shit so I had every new mixtape and album that dropped. Shout out to my nigga, Juan. He was real for that!
What do you remember about the very first song you ever wrote and recorded?
I’m very recently new to being able to record and fully chase this crazy ass dream I had as a kid. It was last year. I don’t write shit. All my music is off the top. All the structure and everything. Right on the spot, shit’s just natural for me. I was crazy when it came to the freestyle cyphers with my guys. We were smoking, going off the dome in a circle one after another, spitting one take until you couldn't anymore. I miss those cyphers. They were my favorite thing with those goons.
How collaborative is music for you right now?
To be honest, I’m not looking to collaborate with any other artists right now unless they’re about to help my career. When it comes to producers, I’m locked in with my guy Connie. That’s the only dude I’m going to work with until we both got plaques on the wall. That’s my guy right there. You’re about to be hearing about him everywhere. He’s most definitely on that Pierre and Metro level. My nigga really works his ass off for this shit. He’s up all night cooking up and working on his craft.
How did the concept for Ten Toes Down come about?
The concept for Ten Toes Down came from my whole life journey. The struggle and all the bullshit I went through to get to where I am right now in LA looking out onto the Hollywood Hills. I still can’t believe I’m here right now. Shit feels unreal but I manifested it all. Every little thing. The title comes from staying down until you come up. I haven’t come up yet. I'm just getting warmed up. I know when this EP drops, it’s going to change my life for good. This shit is too real for people to sleep on. I take music very seriously. The concept of the cover art is a representation of me trying to get to where I want to be. The only thing that helped guide me is my faith and Allah. All praise due to the most high. The EP is meant to motivate and help you get through the tough times you’re dealing with. Never give up on whatever you’re trying to achieve. Fuck what everybody says. Do you. They’re going to hate regardless. A lot of people are evil and full of shit that they don’t want to see you win because they don’t believe in their own selves.
How difficult or easy was it to whittle or limit the project to just 6 songs?
It was easy to make it 6 songs because these songs stood out the most to me from all the others. They fit the concept of the EP. They all relate to each other in a way. A lot of the other songs had different vibes. I picked these six instead. At first, I wanted 7 but 6 seemed about right. Not too much, not too little.
How many songs would you say are in the vault?
I have a decent amount in the vault right now. I think I’m going to drop a few more singles then drop another EP on a different vibe. It’s going to be me experimenting with sounds and showing more of my versatility.
What are your thoughts on the state of music right now?
My thoughts on the state of music is that there are a few head honchos leading the way for the younger generation. They’re going to be here for a while. The rest of the trash needs to go. I think we’re in a change right now though. I believe this year is the year of good music. All the goofies are going to disappear slowly. I have a feeling the weirdos are going to be out of the game soon. There’s too many of them. They’re all being shelved by their labels right now anyway. I believe we’re going to go through a shift back into good music. Uzi and A Boogie are on the forefront of it with their new albums. I’m also rocking with Rod Wave and Roddy Rich heavy. Their latest albums are amazing. It’s a shame we lost Pop Smoke. May he be granted paradise. He was a legend in the making. Lil Tjay’s also on some good shit. I think music’s in a real good place right now especially with me pulling up into the game. They better be ready.
What was the first song made for Ten Toes Down?
“Ballin”.
What was the last song made for Ten Toes Down?
“For This”.
Will we see music videos from the project?
Yes.
What inspired the project?
The inspiration for the project came from a lot of the crazy things I've been through in the past 4 years. It's been one crazy ride but yeah all that shit that got me to LA is what inspired this EP. My real life that I live.
What’s next for you?
I plan on making as much music as possible when this album drops it will blow up and I know I will have a lot of people knocking on my door trying to be apart of what i'm creating and I'm going to need some help because recording all this music and getting all these music videos done isn’t free. I come from nothing. I still don’t have bread like that at all. I’m going to do as much as I can at my own pace until they start wanting to help build this dream. What’s next is more music and music videos and I’m going to push this shit until I can't anymore while honing my craft.
How did you get the name Kid Ali?
I actually want my artist name to be just Ali but I feel right now I’m nobody so there's too many people using that name. It would be hard to pop off. I chose Kid Ali because it was catchy. It would be a good start. Once I blow up, I really wanna just go by Ali but when the time comes I’m going to make the change. For now, it’s Kid Ali.
What is your age?
222.
Where are you from?
I’m from New Jersey and New York. I’m an east coast kid. I was born in NYC and lived for a bit in Queens then we moved to Jersey for the remainder of my childhood. Now, Ii'm in LA and my family is still in Jersey.
How collaborative are you when it comes to music?
I’m not big on collaborating with other people on music because I don’t fuck with that many people. There’s a lot of weirdos out there. I’m not with that shit at all. I have to truly fuck with you to collab on a track with you.
Is there a genre of music you wouldn’t touch?
For now, my genre is hip hop/rap. I don't think I’m going to venture far away from this genre but, shit, who knows? I'm open to expanding my sounds.
When did you realize Ten Toes Down was complete and ready for release?
I had planned on dropping an EP. I was just trying to make sure it was perfect to my liking and a well rounded finished product.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
My favorite artists right now are A Boogie, Lil Tjay, Pop Smoke, JI The Prince, Lil Uzi Vert, Rod wave, Roddy Rich, Lil Zay Osama, Lil Baby, Young Thug, NAV, Rema, Gunna, Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West.
What is your label and management situation industry wise?
I am an unsigned artist as of right now and I have no management. This is a one man army.
What is your favorite aspect of the musical community in Los Angeles?
I have no idea about the musical community out here. I’m in my own world, my g. I’m not worried about anybody else. The few friends I have out here are doing amazing so far with their music and I am very proud of them. They all moved out here as well and are on their grind but I have been to a few events and things like that from what I've seen there's a lot of fake shit out here in LA… A motherfucker like me from the east coast? I'm coming with a whole different energy, my guy. This energy’s genuine. I see the phony shit right away so the few people I met and I'm rocking with them on that same wave and we're all going up this year. Wallah! Inshallah people start rocking with the kid and may Allah keep blessing me on this path. Ameen! Ten Toes Down the EP drops March 27, 2020, this Friday! I hope y'all enjoy it.