SS21 | Curren$y | Viper Magazine [Digital Issue]

Back at it again with the Summer issue of Viper!

This one’s super special to me as it has some of my favourite artists showing face, including some fresh faces you may not be too familiar with. Case in point is C3 Boogie who had me LOLing through our interview as he explained his frustration at older women asking how old he is and ruining his chances. He’s only 18 and definitely one to watch in the UK rap scene. Ms Banks has been a major name round here for several years - read our interview to get deeper into her sound. 

A huge personal moment came this issue when after 11 years of being a fan, I finally interviewed Curren$y! Before we spoke, I searched his name on my blog and saw that I’ve posted his music 1,620 times. It was one of my favourite interviews of all time, as we covered all bases from rap to weed to cars. The best bit was dis- cussing the Stegosaurus song he found while chilling with his son, which by the way is a fucking BANGER! Google it, trust me. Davido also got into the family spirit with his daughter making an appearance at the VIPER photoshoot in Atlanta. I’m still so hype that we have Unknown T on the cover! I was so excited to work with him as I’ve been a fan since I heard ‘Homerton B’ - I love his double entendres. 

Hands down, the best shoot of the issue was with Kida Kudz, who brought his three year old son to hang out with us! Kida’s energy is infectious and he’s truly one of my favourite artists hailing from Lagos. BXKS really impressed me with her rap skills when I first heard her on ‘Work Like!’ and I’ve been a fan ever since. Pronounced “Becks,” she’s an artist you need on your radar. Boasting lyrical skills that are rare in rap today, she’s established herself as a solid MC coming through with banger after banger. Another buzzing name in the UK rap scene is wewantwraiths, who’s auto-tuned vocals have quickly made him a future star the scene. He was out of the country so he sent us some wild photos of him hanging out with a tiger. Standard.

Several PS Hitsquad tracks have dominated my playlists this year so it was only right to get him in the issue. I love his energy and really enjoyed interviewing him for the issue. I’m a proper music geek so I also loved the chat I had with iLL BLU as the production duo reflected on their early days as DJs, as well as explaining how they merged their talents as producers to create all the magic on ‘The BLUPRiNT’ project. Likewise with TSB, I really loved hearing the story of creating Loski’s ‘Blinded’ track, both funny and fascinating.

Hailing from Chicago, Melo Makes Music makes an appearance in this issue to talk about his music career and merging elements of Rap with Punk and Grunge sounds. Donae’O has been a staple in the British music scene for well over a decade so it was an honour to feature him in our segment, The Questions, with a set of questions sure to make you giggle! Meek and Frost gave great insight into their rise as directors and how they crafted iconic visuals for Pa Salieu, a must read for anyone looking to follow in their footsteps.

Love,

Lily Mercer

Founder