Q. Good day, Loki MK! We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. The first thing we want to know is How did you get into making music?
A. Actually making music is a whole different concept than just loving or listening to it. I always rapped and sang, but I’ve always been a listener first. About a year ago, I got this fire in me to hear my own music on some speakers, so I started learning how to make that happen. I found a good-a** producer—his name’s MGM Measures. Since then, I’ve been putting my best foot forward. That doesn’t take away from my attempt a few years back with another dope producer and engineer in Wilmington, North Carolina. I learned then that I could be a star, but I just didn’t have the same energy I do now.
Q. Who are your musical influences and why?
A. I’ve thought about this for a long time, and I don’t think I have all the answers yet. But I can say this: back in middle school, when Pokémon was popping and it was more of a hustle than a game, I remember it like it was yesterday. 50 Cent dropped Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and if you had it, you had his CD—period. Everyone in school with a CD player had that CD. I knew this one kid who was flexing hard with it, but I had the only holo Charizard or something like that. So I let him look at it while I checked out his cards. The whole time, I was thinking about trading him. I wanted that CD he was flexing so bad. I gave him my book to look at, and while he was distracted, I took all his cards out of his book and laid them down. I handed him back his empty book, took mine, and when he wasn’t paying attention, I went into his bag and stole the coveted special-edition 50 CentCD. I looked him in the face and said, “I’m not interested.” To this day, that man knows I robbed him, and I played that CD every night.
Q. What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
A. To this day, my highlight was performing for the first time in front of anyone. I’m a chef at The Lobby in downtown Riverside—a high-end cocktail bar and kitchen. The owner, bless him, also owns a high-end bottle service club that’s connected. No names, but some very cool people have blessed us with their presence. Either way, if I didn’t work for Rex, I never could’ve made the video for Kitchen Talk. So not only did I get to perform, but I also got to shoot my video there. It meant so much to me that my guy gave me the chance and the mic time.
Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A. Five years, man! I really hope I’m still alive. I come from a different kind of life—I was born into some s***. Making it to 24 was a blessing. I have this wild understanding that people in my family don’t live as long as I have. To this day, I still think about that. Five years from now, if I make it, I can’t see myself doing anything less than the utmost to continue my only goal: to make enough money for my family. I can’t have kids, but for the people in my family who can, I want their kids to say, “Unc Steve-O did that.”
Q. What Is One Message You Have for Your Fans and Supporters.
A. I don’t care for money. I know its value, but I can’t let myself get caught up chasing it. My biggest message is that it’s not too late—it never will be. If you’ve got a breath of air and a dream, you’ve still got time. Don’t let the dreams become nightmares.
