Community Spotlight: Meet recording artist DiddyK from Los Angeles, California.

Today, we're happy to share with you our conversation with recording artist Diddy K from Los Angeles, California.
We wanted to get to know a little bit more about who he is, how he got into the music industry, and where he's going on his creative journey. Here's how it went:

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us DiddyK! We're excited to have you as our next feature and learn more about you as a musician. Let's start this off with you sharing exactly what it was that initially drew you to your craft, and how has your journey unfolded since then?
DiddyK: I been around music my entire life! Mama's childhood dream was always to become a pianist, so she was always around music. As I got older, I developed my own taste in music and realized that nothing was stopping me from expressing myself through making my own music! Time went on and I honed my skills until I reached a point where I was extremely happy with the music I was making, and it had the same effect on others! Since then, I got serious and ran with it ever since.

DiddyK: I believe the true purpose of a musician (to really say the least), is to be able to articulate their life and experiences in a relatable, real, and catchy way, while being able to have the masses relate to what's being expressed through one's musical skillset and artistry. As a result, inspiration comes from simply living life! Whether it's an interaction I had with someone, or the emotions I was feeling during a specific event, anything and everything can be translated into musical inspiration. My notes app on my IPhone is a clusterfuck, but it's meant to be that way since the app is a direct representation of my mind (yes, my mind is a clusterfuck). From songwriting in my car, to writing a couple measures on the toilet at work, ideas spark spontaneously. I believe it should be this way in order for one's music to always be real and be a reflection of the life that one is living!

DiddyK: I am not currently working on a specific project or album at the moment, but I have been routinely going to the studio to finalize multiple songs. It's an exciting period of time for me because I'm exploring different genres to incorporate into my hip-hop foundation, from R&B to Indie Rock. My goal for this year is to really build my discography to a point where one can explore my Spotify page and understand the types of genres and vibes I create. I'm working on a multitude of different tracks and different vibes at the moment. There's going to be an epic series of drops in the upcoming months, so stay tuned.

DiddyK: The proudest moment would be when I decided to really believe in myself and pursue this wild and unfavorable dream of mine to become a worldwide touring artist. I currently have a Biochemistry degree and once had a dream of becoming a surgeon, but I decided that in life the worst thing I can do for myself is make choices that would result in me regretting them for the rest of my life. I decided to drop medical school and the academic passions that I had to fully pursue my calling and what I believe I was put on this world for, and I've never regretted it ever since.

DiddyK: The music industry in this day and age is an extremely difficult field to navigate. Social media opened the floodgates for anybody to be able to market and grow their brands, and as a result, has diluted the playing field with an unprecedented number of independent music artists who are all committed to achieving the same goal. It gets overwhelming at times and sets an environment where it is very easy to doubt oneself, but I've realized despite all these up-and-coming artists today, there's nobody who can copy who I AM and the ideas that I CREATE. Additionally, independent musicians nowadays need to be multifaceted in order to build a basic foundation for their artistry. Whether it be becoming a videographer to shoot content, or an editor that edits raw footage and finalizes it for content, the requirements of being an artist isn't just writing dope music anymore. Hot take: I don't see this as an obstacle, but instead a method of bottlenecking competition so that only the hardest workers and most committed make their break. Limitations are inspirations to go above and beyond what one has already been doing, always looking to optimize and level up.

DiddyK: This is a tough one, as there is a give and take between staying true to yourself and your artistry while staying on contemporary trends. While there are legends in music who have "fallen off" because of a multitude of reasons, especially due to their lack of accepting the new sonic trends in the industry, there are also legends such as J. Cole who are able to stay relevant thanks to his open mindedness and his willingness to learn from the younger generation. What J. Cole preaches about on this topic stays true to me at all times, and I am always open to collaborating with musicians of different styles, vibes, and experiences so that I can constantly grow and evolve not only myself, but also my art.

DiddyK: I've worked with many musicians who's made an impact on my outlook on music along with the type of music I make, but probably the greatest ones are my dear friends, Michael John and Drizz. Michael John is a rapper from Boston who was born and raised in the Golden Age of Hip-hop. He's a lyrical genius with abilities to hit the most intelligent punchlines supported by the smoothest flows, and definitely somebody I've learned from the most and made the most lasting impact on me. Drizz on the other hand, is new school and is a master at incorporating melodies when delivering his bars and punchlines. Melodies naturally just come to him, and it never feels dragged on or repetitive, and when we dropped our joint project DND, it opened my eyes to the importance of blending rap with singing. I really started incorporating singing into my music ever since then.

DiddyK: All I want people to experience from my music is a touch of genuine emotion evoked by listening, whether it's sadness, motivation, or love. I want my music to be a medium of exploring their own sentiments and a motivational factor for acting on these sentiments. I want a love song of mine to make them finally shoot their shot for the person they're in love with. I want a hype song to make them crank that last rep out when they're at the gym. I want a sad song to make them finally release all the pent-up emotions they've been holding in from that breakup and feel like they are not alone in this arduous game we play called life. I want to make them feel something.

DiddyK: Keep pushing! Nobody will believe in yourself if you don't believe in yourself first. Be your biggest fan! Your music is the unique expression of yourself, so don't compare and don't be discouraged from your competitors because no one and nothing will compare to the great work and unique energy you put out into the universe.

Linktree: _diddyk | Instagram | Linktree
Spotify: DiddyK | Spotify