The Journey of a Mid-City Los Angeles Hip-Hop Artist

Artist Name: F.Y.I.
Hometown: Mid-City Los Angeles

Can you tell us about your background? Where did you grow up, and how has that
influenced your music?

“I grew up in Southern California mainly in San Bernardino County, specifically Rialto. It influenced my music tremendously because growing up in the Inland Empire (I.E.) there was the leisure of not being in the city proper, Los Angeles, because that area is about an hour out of the city. So as far as hip hop was concerned there was a push to form identity. What I mean by identity is, the I.E. at that time, wanted to have its own scene/sound but also wanted to have the respect of the city. At the same time, my relatives are from Carson, Long Beach and Compton so visiting my grandparents or aunts/uncles and kicking it with my cousins I was informed about what was going on in the city. There was always that push and pull going on between having the city edge but being true to your side of town sort of thing. My circle at that time were trailblazers in the I.E. scene in some respects but the goal was still about getting heard in the city, ultimately. In 2025, this is not the case so much but while I was coming up as a youngin’, that was the case. Yeah, all that shaped and informed my hip hop taste. My circle was always about being progressive, thinking outside the norms of what was being fed on tv or magazines and finding the newest and latest to pull from artistically. There’s more layers to the story as far as how I grew up, family dynamics and all that, but that’s for another day and space. It’s definitely sprinkled throughout my music. As for today though, I represent Mid-City Los Angeles and have been a part of this community for a minute so all the sights and sounds of my section coupled with my life lessons growing up in the I.E. gives me that best of both worlds perspective when I approach the art and what I want to express.“

What was your early introduction to music and hip-hop? Do you have any specific
artists or experiences that inspired you?

“I grew up in a working class black family so hip-hop has always been around me since I can remember. Musically though, I was raised listening to the staples – Anita Baker, Maze, Commodores, James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rick James, and on and on. Anything and everything, from soul, funk, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop was in my household growing up. I was exposed to all these things from family gatherings, house parties, and so forth. It’s too many experiences to name one to be honest, my life and the people that have been around me have always reminded me or inspired me somehow to want to express myself through this medium called music. In many ways, this is one of the spaces that informs the world, especially America, that black folks are exceptional and I wanted to play my part in showcasing and propping up that exceptionalism of how we express ourselves and culturally what makes us a rich and profoundly deep people.”

When did you start making music, and what was your first project?

“Been making music for a minute to say the least, my first solo project, Yo! The Places You’ll Go, came out in 2014.”

How would you describe your style and sound? What sets you apart from other
artists?

“I’ve coined my style of rap, Life Music and more recently – Spirit Hop.  My life shapes my music.  I share my perspective of how I view the world through stories and my personal experiences to inspire others and empathize with others through the art of music.  There’s a skill to it but more importantly, there’s a feel to it.  Get me?”

Do you write your own lyrics? If so, what themes or messages do you often explore
in your music?

“Not mad at the question, but I think it’s more telling of the time we are living in where you have to really ask a rapper, not a singer, but a rapper if they write their own lyrics (lol). To be fair, there were always rappers that we all know didn’t write their lyrics but no one really considered them rappers but rather businessmen or entertainers, etc. For me though, I take pride in the fact of penning my own music and couldn’t see the point of rapping or making high level hip-hop if someone else was writing my life to beats (lol) just seems weird to me, but that’s me. As far as messages in my music, I’d recommend huemans checking out these songs to see the types of themes I cover in my music. Some songs to check out are: Not Too Late Not Too Soon, Rah Rah, Scape Bro, These The Times, hEYE Vibrationz, UUUknow, and Spears 2.0 (The Prelude) to name a few. Did I name too many? (lol).”

Are there any upcoming events, shows, or releases you’d like to share with our
readers?

“My latest song is called, “UUUknow” featuring Jadakiss. They should check that out.”

How can people support you and your music as an independent artist?

“The best way to support me is buying music or merch available on my website, http://www.fyipsalms.com . Anyone who buys music or merchandise will get an exclusive free short film inspired by the music that is not released on any platforms. This is one of my ways to thank all the huemans that support me. If you’re curious to know what I sound like then by all means stream a song, but if you like it and want to support then buying the art is important. Most people don’t understand (or care in some cases) that streaming services are really for promotional purposes because the cost of a stream is a fraction of a penny to the artist. The best way people can show that they rock with an artist is purchase something that they are selling, whether its physical copies of the music or some other sort of merchandise.”

Socials:
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(X)Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fyipsalms
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fyipsalms
Website: http://www.fyipsalms.com