1. Introduce yourself(tell about yourself & who you are)

Hey ! My name is Axel aka LiL AXEL and I’m an upcoming rapper born in Southern California living in Tempe, Arizona. I’ve been rapping since I was 10 years old, all through middle school and high school. I think I’m about to be one of the hottest artists in Arizona. And maybe even the world if I play it right. I go to Arizona State University. Forks up.

2. What was that big motivation that pushed you to become a music artist? 

I knew I’ve wanted to be a rapper as long as I could remember tbh. When I was like 10 or 11, I was already bumping and studying all the greats.. I grew up on Wu Tang Clan, Eminem, Biggie Smalls, OutKast, 50 cent, Lil Wayne, OutKast,  MF DOOM, Atmosphere, etc. There was also this girl I was in love with since I was like 12, that I met freshman year of High school. She had just moved to California from NY and was obsessed with LilWayne and I wanted to impress her, so I started rapping and recording myself in my bedroom. She had a big influence on me I can’t deny even though we’re not cool anymore. And that’s kind of where I got my name too.

3. What has your experience been like as an artist and who have you met along the way?

 It’s been crazy! At some times it’s hard and so difficult to be an upcoming artist, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world! I’ve done this for over 10 years and I still feel like I just started and I’m JUST STARTING to master my style and make the music I wanted to make. It took a lot of time for me to get good. I remember staying up all night in high school burning CDs of my first mixtape, writing the title with sharpie and giving them out in high school. Rap battling kids in high school. Doing my first show. The shows are always my favorite part of being a rapper. Since I was 14 or 15, I would hunt down shows to do or and bring my friends and we’d go do them. Bars in Hollywood, warehouses in LA, Open mics, venues in Long Beach, you name it!  I’ve met Schoolboy Q, Trippie Redd, Soulja Boy, Desto Dubb, Brotha Lynch Hung, Adam22, Smokeasac, Sadababy, and Bone Thugs N Harmony along the way to name a few! So many more incredible artists I’ve met I look up to!

4. What was your reason for leaving from LA to Phoenix? 

This question has a lot of right answers ! I guess I needed a fresh start or a new outlet. New people. I was just feeling kind of depressed in my hometown Thousand Oaks, which is the suburbs by Malibu and calabasas like 30 miles outside LA. The people that grow up with you kind of want to keep you in the same place; I just felt like no one around me saw my vision or that I was going to glow up. Or they just didn’t want me to. It’s like those people you don’t talk to and you know they’re talking shit but they keep watching your instagram stories everyday. I just felt like that’s what’s my whole town was doing to me. I had to get out of that and go somewhere and learn a new environment; I had always dreamed of living in Phoenix and going to ASU too!. COVID had a play in it as well because No one was outside so it was like a ghosttown all the time. I got tired of not being able to do anything in California or meet new people. Also, it’s just like LA has too many rappers that claim it. Phoenix needs someone big and I’m him 🐺 I love the valley. It’s where I truly feel at home now.

5. How did it feel when you linked up with Trippie Redd ? 

It was hella cool, man. Trip so cool. I was on Melrose Ave at my boy Desto Dubb’s pop up for That’s A Awful Lot of Cough Syrup and Trip came through with a gang of security and people. When trip came in, him and I said wassup to each other and he went and linked with my boy Desto to go do some insta promo for the pop up. Later on we were outside the store smoking woods and I was asking him how he was living and shit like that on some real shit. A whole crowd of fans and security and trippie’s people circled around us. I was with my homegirl Hallie and her cousin and they took some pics of us smoking. Cool ass kid, gave me some great advice by telling me “fuck a deal do it yourself” shout out Trip! And shout out Trippies best friend Chris King ! 1400 Snotty!!

6. What are some struggles you went through in life to get where you are now and how did you overcome it? 

Having a friend group that was a horrible influence on me pretty much my whole teenage life. Toxic exes And getting my heart broken three times, really bad. All the lost friends and the heartache still takes a toll on me today after all the years, but after moving to Arizona a year ago, I’m finding myself to be healing and being the happiest I’ve ever been! Another challenge was just people always doubting me or trying to keep me complacent with them. People you grew up with do not want to see you doing better than them or on adifferent platform. I had to prove myself to my audience that I really live and breathe this. I had to take so much shit talk. I had to get beat up acouple times. I had to take the rumors people would make up. I had to lose so many people close to me to get where I’m at and not even close to being where I wanna be yet.

7. What can we expect from you next such as albums, singles in the music industry?

Lil AXEL single called Fendi dropping soon 😈 lots of music on the way. follow me on instagram and stay tuned ! @lilaxell_