Likwuid

THEHIPHOPDIVA.COM spoke with Underground DIVA of the Week Likwuid Stylez.  Here’s what she had to say.

HHD: I know you’ve been grinding  and you’ve caught the attention of allhiphop.com and TheSource.com.  For those who have never heard of you or your music, introduce yourself to them.

LIKWUID: Well, I’m Likwuid, a real chick from the south.  I strive to make music that’s enjoyable.  My purpose is to kick open the door for more women to come in after me.

HHD: Many feel that the name Likwuid Stylez fits you perfectly as an artist.  Tell us about how you got that name.

LIKWUID: I’m pretty laid back.  When you think about water when it heats up it evaporates.  When it gets cold it freezes.  At room tempratue it just flows.  I’m the same way with music.  Water is one of the softest substances but the only thing that can chip away at stone.  It’s a force that naturally erodes the earth.  

HHD: You mentioned earlier that you’ve been rhyming since you were eight.  I know you attended college where you went on to earn your master’s degree.  When did you actually begin pursuing emceeing as a career? 

LIKWUID: I started in 2003 with my first album “Likwuidation”.  Pretty much out of high school I linked up with some guys who were with a label.  They helped me see that all of the stuff I did at talent shows in high school I could put on an album.  I had a choice to go to Atlanta or New york.  At the time, Atlanta was shifting sounds from the Oranized Noize sound to the T.I. and the crunk/snap music sounds.  I didn’t feel like that was where I was going as an artist so I went to New York.

HHD: I believe it’s intentional that you don’t incorporate curse words in your lyrics.  Why is that so?

LIKWUID: I listen to my old stuff and I used to swear a lot.  Now I’m like L is for love and I want to spread love across the globe.  You can’t fight fire with fire.  Me being mad, cursing,and being an angry black woman wasn’t going to solve anything.

HHD: Your style of music offers us something different from what we receive in the mainstream.  Are you hoping that your style makes its way into the mainstream or are you content with being on the underground circuit?

LIKWUID: The more that I learn about the music industry, the more that I’m seeing it’s okay to be underground.  I’m gonna keep making the  kind of music that I make and it’s picked up on the independent circuit.

HHD: Describe for us the ideal fan or person you think would fall in love with your music?

LIKWUID: My ideal fan is probably a forward thinking person that doesn’t mind trying something different, trying something new.  My listener’s gonna be a risk taker.  My listener’s gonna be the cat that wears miss match socks to school because they feel like doing it.  My listeners are women ready to put on our crowns and do what queens do.  We’re not downplaying the role of our male counterparts but we’re definitely showing them that we’re independent and we’re holding our own.  The hip hop head that just enjoys music.  It’ll be relatable to anyone thats open.  If you look through the crowd at a Likwuid show you’ll definitely see someone that you’ll recognize and can relate to.  It’s for the people that are for the people.

HHD: When people are listening to your music what do you want them to experience?

LIKWUID: Ear sex.

HHD: When it’s all said and done what do you want to be most remembered for?

LIKWUID: I want to be remembered for being real, being honest.  I want little girls to see me and say “I can do that.  I can do that better than Likwuid.”  I aspire to inspire people.  I want people to leave with more than they came with when they met me. 

HHD: Your debut album, “Gummy Bears & Champagne”, will be released on June 26th.  You will also have a party to celebrate.  Tell us about the album, its style, what we can expect from it, and why we should go out and support it.

LIKWUID: “Gummy Bears & Champagne” is life. I talk about love.  I talk about lust.  I talk about peace.  I talk about social status and social relationships.  I talk about life and its different struggles and overcoming life’s struggles.

HHD: What is your definition of a hip hop diva?

LIKWUID: A hip hop diva is somebody that can represent on stage and the boardroom.

Read Likwuid’s feature article here.

Check Likwuid out at iamlikwuid.com