Check Out K.Freshh’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to K.Freshh

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Yeah, for sure.  My story goes back to that little kid who used to sit in church and just wonder what was it that would make these people scream, dance, shout, run, hop, bear emotion for all to see, and even bow to their knees. How were these people connecting to a higher entity? What was the bridge that got them to a place of worship and surrender?  I quickly realized that music was the “magic carpet.”  It had the ability to transport, transmute, and induce triumph.  Music was more than carnal expression over energic rhythms. It was a spiritual gateway to a place of peace, revelation, and connection to God.  As a little kid, I wanted to harness that power – make it my sword, so to speak.  I just knew when I walked up to the piano I would be able to play it – you know, access that power.  I realized it took more than just will and a good idea to be great.  It was at that moment I unknowingly became a disciple.

My whole life and musical journey is a testament to discipleship – a mixture of discipline and spiritual growth.  From learning how to play the piano at five, writing poetry in middle school, ripping beats on YouTube and recording straight into my laptop, making a rap group in high school with my childhood friend, freestyling during band class, or even majoring in music in college – I’m learning that each experience from the five-year-old version of myself up until now has been a journey of discipleship and surrender.  With each song and lyric, God asks me how much will you surrender? How much will you give?  Will you put value over virality?  Will you put transformation over trends?  Will you put impact over influence?  I think those questions have helped shape where I am now in my career.  I want to give greatly.  I want to speak fluently, and I want to encourage people to think. By focusing on excellence, I’ve ended up on consistent launching pads. I’m never walking; I’m always leaping.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no – I mean, I think the biggest obstacle I’ve faced has been internal discouragement.  It’s not even something I voice to those close to me, but I’ve thought about quitting numerous times.  It would just be easier to live with no friction.  But that’s not why I was created.  I wasn’t created for the easy life or for the ordinary.  I’ve realized that living that way would be so incredibly selfish and disrespectful to my purpose.  Though I’ve been blessed to do a lot – work with the GRAMMYs, work with Paramount, write, produce, record, engineer, direct, and mastermind several projects over the last 15 years – sometimes you just wonder when exactly the floodgates will open, you know?  It’s something I don’t have control over.  And when you don’t have control, you fall victim to anxiety. And when you’re anxious, you’re really just fearful. It takes a lot of maturity not to get lost “in the middle.”  When you have so much vision, all you want is for that vision to come to pass.  And yet, at the same time, I realize how much work is left to be done.  I have so much further to go, and that’s inspiring.  I feel like a veteran and a rookie all at the same time.  How crazy is that.  It takes a mixture of trust and faith and keeping your own word to commit.  You can’t ever lie to yourself. Ever. No one great ever gave up.

In fact, everyone who is great has learned the power of submission.  Submission to the path, submission to the course, and submission to the work.  Discouragement is meant to place distance between you and the courage you need to succeed.  But it’s in that distance that you get to define meaning.  When point A and point B seem so far away, it’s in that moment you get to decide your “why.”  And if your “why” isn’t strong enough, you give up.  But, when your “why” is tethered to the lives of others, there’s no way you could stop.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Yeah, love all of these questions. Let’s get into it. I wear a lot of hats, and I love each one of them. They all speak to different parts of myself and how I express. At its core, I am an independent Hip-Hop artist and have been for the last 15 years. I’m from Tarboro, North Carolina (252) but now reside in Los Angeles. I am a songwriter, producer, musician, engineer, performer, director, creative visionary and powerhouse. Anyone who seriously makes music is an inventor.  A scientist. I’m an architect of the airwaves and an engineer of the Earth. I’m known for a sound that blends mass accessibility with extraordinary delivery. And, I’m also known for never following the standard of what culture has to say about creativity. All my homies know I hate the status quo. I hate creative safety – especially when it’s tied to decadence. I stand firm on my individuality and refusal to conform to whatever’s cool. I’m someone who put in a lot of reps to get this reputation.

Even in my personal life, sometimes I pull on my “producer hat” or my “engineer hat.” And, it takes discernment to know when certain people or situations need to be produced, coached, prodded, or just given space. I’m a big listener, and I absorb experiences. Most will never understand the ability to create out of nothing and make people feel something. So, I’m most proud of my “follow-through.” The fact that I never show up empty-handed, empty-hearted, or empty-minded is a success for me. I stay consistently obsessed with turning conversations with myself and others into tangible goods and services. And ultimately, what sets me apart from others is that I have someone to answer to at the end of the day. And for me, that’s God. Once you understand and master the flow chart for success, you do everything possible to live to that standard.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I always say that God never stops teaching; we just decide to stop learning.

To that point, I have inundated, drowned, insulated, submerged, engulfed, suffocated, and overwhelmed myself into learning all I can and THEN executing upon it. I draft together masterclasses for myself – areas where I’m weak or curious, and I make that time to develop. I do more than understand or assimilate to the truth. I execute on that learning and that truth. That is the manifestation of true wisdom. The characteristic that deserves credit for my success is wisdom. It’s a mixture of thoughtfulness and excellence. I consume, and I create, but I create more than I consume, and that’s my key to creative balance.

I have feverishly fought off the identity that grips so many of us: that “I’ll do it soon” mentality. The “I’ll do it eventually” mentality is an assassin to creatives! You have to fight that by any means necessary!

I also just do my best to do things God’s way. I don’t always succeed. Shamefully, I admit that sometimes I position myself to shine more than God. Surrendering to God’s path for your creativity doesn’t mean giving up joy. The way to shine is to serve. The way to shine is by using your God-given gifts not for selfish or vain ambition but to point a compass towards God.

It’s the realization that doing things God’s way (the discipline of surrender) may potentially mean less fun or less flashiness, but it always provides more freedom.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfreshh_/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kfreshh_

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Matthew Clanton (Pics 1,2,5,7) & Gabe Salvador (Pics 3, 4, 6)

https://www.instagram.com/musicalmatthew/
https://www.instagram.com/gbesalvador/