On May 8^th the last Friday of Canadian Music Week I was not struggling to find things to fill my time with. That day I was going from venue to venue trying to catch as many great shows as I could. Before the festival I had stumbled onto Kweku Collins’s music, I remember listening to his song “Lonely Lullabies” and not saying a word till it finished. It’s something totally different than any hip hop you have heard before. This was the Chicago native’s first time in Toronto and he seemed ecstatic to be playing in the six. He brings a unique sound to the hip hop power house that is Chicago, Illinois. Before we had met he just released a track called “Your Song”. I wanted to know what fans can expect coming out next from Kweku Collins. 

“I have an EP coming in the summer, maybe some visuals coming to. And then I start working on the full length album with the label I’m on Closed Sessions in the fall.”

How long have you been signed to the label Closed Sessions?

“I’ve been signed for like 2 months.”

What is it like to be on a label now from being independent?

“It’s ridiculous! Like this happened because somebody hit me up randomly, but now I’m with them and they have all these other doors they can open. I’m like in a whole other building you know? Metaphorically it’s really cool.”

He brings a fresh sound to hip hop adding to the great genre. His sound is bouncy, fun and has this kind of a psychedelic vibe to it.

How would you describe your sound?

“It’s very hip hop but I feel like and I know when I say it, it’s going to sound a little bit like cocky. But it’s like bigger than hip hop, it kind of transcends the genre a little bit.”

Kweku Collins is right his sound is so much bigger than just hip hop it’s something different but just as amazing. His sound has been influenced by Jimi Hendrix which you can hear in his music but he was also very much inspired by his Father who is a musician. His family is very musical; it was even his sister who first helped get him into hip hop well her and Kanye.

“I remember my sister use to show me music and she would turn on the radio in the car. The main song I remember is Jesus Walks by Kanye West. That was the best introduction I could have ever gotten into hip hop.”

Remember Kweku Collins’s name he is going to be huge and change the sound of hip hop as we know it. While up on stage at Studio Bar you can tell he was having the time of his life performing. He brings this energy to his songs and performances that make you become an instant fan once you hear him. Kweku just wants everyone to enjoy life and be nicer to each other.

“I want people to take away that being genuine with people, being honest and being who you are in my opinion is the most beautiful thing you can do as a human being. Being genuine with people and being out going with how you interact with people is one of the best things you can do. If you see somebody, like I saw this cat on the street with nice shoes. So I tapped him on the shoulder I said “I love your shoes dog” and he said “Thank you man!” I like making people feel good and I think if we as human beings did that than our world would be so much happier.”