{"id":820135,"date":"2026-08-20T18:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/820135\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T18:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:00:12","slug":"august-2026-hip-hop-up-and-comer-of-the-month-la-reezy-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/820135\/","title":{"rendered":"August 2026 Hip-Hop Up-And-Comer of the Month: La Reezy Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFor La Reezy, the lyrical mutant birthed in New Orleans, where the spirits of Lil Wayne and YoungBoy run laps around the city, he\u2019s slowly embracing his stardom while remembering the person at the center of it all: Khayree.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cMy Zoom name is Khayree, and I didn\u2019t even realize that,\u201d he says days before embarking on a multi-city tour with Chance the Rapper. \u201cI\u2019m still thrifting. I\u2019m still bike-riding. I\u2019m still enjoying myself and allowing the music to be a vessel of what Khayree is thinking about. I get imposter syndrome the most when I\u2019m not being human enough. So it\u2019s still keeping Khayree alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite his superhuman wordplay, La Reezy, you can say, is having his Spider-Man moment. With praise from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Tyler, the Creator, Reezy had the holy trinity of rap co-signs before he was even old enough to legally drink. Mixtapes such as Welcome\u00a0La Reezyana Vol. 1\u00a0showcased his promise and dexterity, while his debut album,\u00a0Skiddle Bandana, prided itself on colorful storytelling, charisma and the unwavering charm of a young Black man growing up in real time.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Kendrick Lamar\u2019s\u00a0Section.80\u00a0in mind, Reezy scribbled down everything he saw from the steps of his mother\u2019s house and gave fans a front-row seat to New Orleans. \u201cMelanate It\u201d is a flavor bomb where Black pride reigns supreme, while \u201cFamily Bizzy\u201d is an ode to his relatives and how they shaped his beginnings.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI know I don\u2019t have it all figured out,\u201d he acknowledges. \u201cI\u2019m not the smartest person in the world. I\u2019m wise, but I still have a lot to learn. If you can see my potential and that I will be great \u2013 and I will continue to be great \u2013 invest in what I\u2019ll become.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBillboard\u00a0chatted with La Reezy about how Section.80 influenced his debut album\u00a0Skiddle Bandana,\u00a0imposter syndrome, family life, touring with Chance the Rapper and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLil Wayne and YoungBoy are considered two of the biggest stars to come out of Louisiana. Who are some of the state\u2019s dark horses that inspired you?<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m gonna say Neno Calvin, Rob 49 and recently Mac Phipps. Those are the main ones I can say right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMacc played a role on your debut album, too, right?<\/p>\n

\n\tYup. Macc is on the title track Skiddle Bandana. The reason I say Macc for context is he\u2019s part of No Limit [Records] and he was like the lyrical conscious rapper in the group. Then, he got arrested over some lyrics and was incarcerated for over 20 years. He\u2019s still a very genuine, positive, forward-thinking, supportive guy. To hear that there was a version of what I do back in the day, but wasn\u2019t able to evolve due to the system \u2013\u00a0 from the pigs \u2013 is [crazy]. Macc\u2019s super supportive and we really resemble each other a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you think storytelling and lyricism still carry the same weight with your generation? Where do you think you fit within that conversation?<\/p>\n

\n\tThe world is an evolution of stories told and the words that stick in time the longest are stories \u2013 the phrases in a story. Think about the bible, the Quran. Christopher Nolan just put out The Odyssey \u2013 that\u2019s a story. Stories are just artistic ways to depict the world and how we see it today. Some people decide to be intentional with their stories and are disciplined in getting their thoughts out. Some people don\u2019t. I play the median. It\u2019s necessary to have it, but, sometimes, it might not be a deep story. It might be a culmination of different words put together and you make this story. For me though, it\u2019s necessary that I just keep forward-thinking substance at the forefront.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWere there any debut albums that you studied or kept in mind while creating Skiddle Bandana?<\/p>\n

\n\tSection.80. That\u2019s it. That year seeing Kendrick Lamar at his highest, I\u2019m always like, \u201cHow did he get here?\u201d So I\u2019m always diving back and paying attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the Kendrick Lamar EP to Section.80, how did the love songs evolve? How did the hype songs evolve? What makes this such a thing? How was this received when it was released? Watching the live streams when the album was released [and] really searching the web to see what was going on around that time. Paying attention to the videos like, \u201cOh. He probably had some bread, but he didn\u2019t have a super-big budget.\u201d I can relate to that. [Making the music], but leaving room to grow and still making it sweet on the ears.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHol\u2019 Up\u201d is an amazing song, and they said they recorded Section.80 on a broken microphone. I\u2019m recording these songs in my mama house. I think that album was the inspiration, but doing it in my own way and being intentional with how it\u2019ll be received down the line.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tYour family plays a major role in your life, especially as you highlight on \u201cFamily Bizzy.\u201d As your career continues to grow, what responsibility do you feel toward them?<\/p>\n

\n\tStill being myself. Still being the young kid that would just dance and have fun. Truthfully, everybody has their own life. I could have $100,000 and give it to a family member, but you might get more joy out of finding your passion. I think I\u2019m just supposed to be myself and be me. It ain\u2019t really no pressured role because it wasn\u2019t a pressured role at eight years old. <\/p>\n

\n\tMy mom told me, \u201cYou make me very proud.\u201d If you make your mom proud then that should be enough. If you make her proud, then you\u2019re doing it because what more would you need to do if you\u2019re a product of love? You\u2019re doing something. That\u2019s all you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNormal Struggles\u201d speaks to the everyday battles people deal with. What\u2019s one struggle that success or newfound attention hasn\u2019t necessarily made easier for you?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tImposter Syndrome. It can get bad. You just really be in your own mind and sometimes, you\u2019ll be in your own way. I think music and creation is my way of knowing where I\u2019m at in life. Sometimes, you don\u2019t have that. So it\u2019s still having an existence outside of La Reezy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re on tour with Chance the Rapper. What are you hoping to show new audiences about La Reezy, and what are you hoping to learn from Chance as a performer?<\/p>\n

\n\tI wanna learn how Chance manages to keep the vocals warm. That\u2019s a huge thing that I\u2019m learning right now and then I don\u2019t know what I wanna learn. I just wanna learn. I don\u2019t wanna have an expectation. I just wanna watch and study. <\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the fans, [I wanna show them that] hip-hop is still alive. That notion is curated from people that don\u2019t understand the artform and it\u2019s paid campaigns when people say that. I just wanna show them that it\u2019s real music and I\u2019m here. I want them to invest in the potential. <\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve gotten co-signs from Cole, Kendrick and Tyler. Which one caught you most off guard, and why has that moment stayed with you?<\/p>\n

\n\tKendrick Lamar. To be at the BET Awards and I didn\u2019t know that he\u2019d be there and then I just got the balls to go and say what\u2019s up. I did it with the intent that in 10 years I\u2019ll meet him and hopefully tell him that I met him. For him to know me around that time while I was putting out my mixtapes like Welcome to La Reezyana Vol. 1 and stuff like that [was crazy]. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I met him, I was making Skiddle Bandana and studying Section.80. That was the ultimate confirmation. All of it\u2019s been lit. Tyler, The Creator inspired me to hone in on the skill more and dial in on the craft. Care about my art. Anything from the people, I\u2019m just grateful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are already a lot of heavyweight names attached to your story. What do you think people still misunderstand about La Reezy as an artist?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat I grew up listening to \u201990s music \u2014\u00a0and I didn\u2019t. I think that\u2019s something. Honestly, it\u2019s weird, bro. It\u2019s almost like if you saying something with thought, it just gets boxed into \u201cconscious.\u201d Everybody\u2019s conscious. We\u2019re all conscious of our thoughts. I don\u2019t know even know how to explain it. Because I\u2019m conscious of the words I\u2019m saying on a record, it goes into the left side of conscious, but it almost feels degrading. This could be my 21-year-old thoughts and I\u2019m gonna learn from it, but why the labels? <\/p>\n

\n\tI get it, though. That\u2019s how you contextualize stuff. I think it just comes with. I just love people hearing the music. It\u2019s a blessing. You can label it a funk album. I\u2019m just glad you heard the album. [Laughs.] Label it what you need to. As long as you like it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIf Skiddle Bandana were placed in a time capsule and discovered 100 years from now, what would you want people to understand about who you were and the world you came from when you made it?<\/p>\n

\n\tImagine you were a dog, right? And you didn\u2019t realize you were a dog until you were 21 years old, because for 21 years you were dyed in pink fur and you were not in dog nature. You were jumping through hula hoops and walking like a human, but you\u2019re a dog and you ain\u2019t realize you were a dog until 21 years old [laughs]. That\u2019s Skiddle Bandana. I didn\u2019t understand the value of being Black until a year ago. That\u2019s the comparison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s a bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m good for it.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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