With a hungry and humble mentality, Smokey LoC talks about his abusive home, getting locked up, and finding love & passion. He recently teased new visuals.
Boston Culture: Where did you grow up?
Smokey LoC: I was Born in New Bedford, moved to Brockton Ma, and then moved to Fall River
Boston Culture: How was that like?
Smokey LoC: Where do I start, well all the way from 4 years old, to high school, it was kinda all work no play. I went from singing and playing the piano, to adding on the saxophone, then I started to take on guitar. I wanted to be able to know how to play everything. And my father made sure I did every instrument, including my voice, for an hour a piece everyday. I mean, As a child I loved it, but as I grew older, I started to almost resent it, because I wasn’t able to do what the other kids were doing. My household was home to a lot of physical abuse. As well as a lot of racial problems within my family due to me being bi racial. My mother’s side of the family didn’t care for me, or my father because of our skin color, and my fathers side of the family I was kind of sheltered from. So I didn’t grow up with a lot of family. As I got older the physical abuse got a little extra. To the point my mother wasn’t gonna put up with it no more. So she called the cops on him and he was outta here. That was a major turning point in my life because now I was free. Now I can do whatever I wanted. No more 5 hours of music a day, no more ass whoopings, I could go play outside with the other kids. But that ain’t the only things changed at home. Me and my mother barely spoke after that, she was doin the bare minimum for me. She was taking her aggression against my father out on me. Maybe cuz we looked alike, but for that reason I didn’t like to be home, I was getting love out here in the streets. And I fell in love with it. I started gettin in trouble and went in and out of juvenile for a little, I was in there for stabbing a few rival gang members and my mother left me in there and said I was goin to a foster home. I used to call she’d just hang up until she jus stopped answering. Then I started attempting suicide inside there. I was just a broken kid. I ended up gettin released to my father which I ran away from cuz I just wanted to be back in the hood with all my homies and all my people that loved me.
Boston Culture: Who did you look up to?
Smokey LoC: Growing up it was Michael Jackson, That’s who I idolized. My Pops to, cuz he was always tough, and no one ever gave him any shit. I wanted that. But as I got older I didn’t look up to anyone.
Boston Culture: How old were you when you first explored your talent as an artist?
Smokey LoC: I was 4 years old and I went on vacation with my mother, grandmother, and sister, and my mom overheard me singing some Michael Jackson shit and when we got bacc home to my mom made me sing it to my pops. And he asked me if I could play any instrument what would it be and I said piano and he signed me up for lessons ASAP.
Smoke or Drink: SMOKE
Favorite Studio: SUREFIRE STUDIOS
Favorite Food to cook: I AINT COOKIN SHIT
Favorite Food for take out: Pizza
Favorite Album: victory lap/ trap soul
Any new hobbies: maybe online shopping
PS4 or Xbox: PS4 NBA 2k and madden
Favorite part of quarantine: The amount of time I’ve been able to be with my kids.
Boston Culture: Talk to us about your vision.
Smokey LoC: Next year, this time, I wanna be in the door, with myself established in the industry. I’m workin on a few big features so I see it all laid out ahead of me. Just gotta make it happen.
Boston Culture: Where do you record? Who's on your dream project?
Smokey LoC: I usually record at surefire studios by Lowell but I’ve been tapping in with my man mixed by bam outta Worcester lately. I’ve been doin some music with some ppl out in Chicago. My dream project would have CB, Drake, Nip, Durk, Dave East, Bryson Tiller, Rihanna, Styles P, Roddy Rich, Fab and Snoop
Boston Culture: Talk to us about your last song?
Smokey LoC: My last song I recorded was a song called “Down”. And I wrote that in the Bristol County House of Correction when I was being held for 120 days after being found dangerous. And it was me mixing my emotions talking about my struggles and what I’ve made it into and the comparison of em. I was out there sleeping in my car in the cold with no where to go not to long ago and now I’m here, n everybody wanna reach out. So my mindsets on some idgaf who’s around cuz no one was there when I needed someone. And it’s off my LONER album that’s streaming on Spotify and all platforms.
Boston Culture: Talk to me about your process in creating visuals for your songs?
Smokey LoC: I usually like to tell a story n create the visuals for whatever I’m talking about. Or the emotion, and vibes the song is giving.
Boston Culture: What made you want to create your first song and how old were you?
Smokey LoC: Well I wrote some songs when I was younger but the first one I took somewhat serious was called let it bang. N To tell you the truth I had jus came home from prison and I was tryna change direction. My homie bizzy n bg was already out here making music, my homie Dopeboi Davinci also jus touched down n we was in the county making music together. So it jus felt right, feel me? Musics always been a part of my life no matter where I was at. But my strongest suit was singing, n to keep it a buck I was embarrassed to sing because i jus felt like that ain’t no shit a nigga like me should be doin. So i always rapped. As time progressed and my comfortability with getting out of my comfort zone grew I started incorporating the singing with the rapping together.
And I was aspired by who I always felt I was meant to be. I grew up with the idea of music being my future and nothing else.I used to record in my room on the computer when I used to play around with the rapping, but that let it bang we recorded in a lil bootleg studio.
Boston Culture: What has been an amazing moment you've experienced as an artist?
Smokey LoC: My best moments are my interactions with the fans. There’s so many kids that stop dead in there tracks when they see me and they lose it. To be seen in that type of light to the up and coming generations is dope. That’s all the motivation I could ask for. Doin shows and the crowd singing your songs bacc to you. And the bread of course.
Boston Culture:What do you dislike about the art world/music industry?
Smokey LoC:the fact that not everything’s authentic
Boston Culture: Who are your biggest influences? Smokey LoC: Mj/cb/drake/durk/boogie
First two jus on the music, And the next three, how they do a lil bit of both rap n sing type shit n the impact they had on the industry with it.
And I don’t have any role models
Boston Culture: What inspires you to wake up everyday and stay focused.
Smokey LoC: My kids, my past, my pain. The hunger to want the best for everyone around me and hunger to supply that. And definitely the fans.
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