CUPIDBABY is one of those individuals in life thats not afraid to experiment with fashion. Every time I run across CUPIDBABY her outfits stand out. Whether it’s unique layers/accessory pieces or loud colors, she breaks up the over saturated Rick Owens and Opium wave I constantly see event to event. I sat down with CUPID to talk about music, the current wave of the industry, and her new single HOPSCOTCH, depicting the reality of keeping it pushing in life.
Where are you from CUPIDBABY?
“I'm from Chicago! North Side coolin.”
What's your Chicago Hot-take? Unpopular opinion.
“It’s pretty well known that in Chicago, unfortunately, there’s a lot of gun violence. However, I feel like most times, if you're not fucking around with the wrong crowd you usually don’t have to live in fear about it. It’s a beautiful city. I’ve talked to some people who aren’t from Chicago and when I tell them I’m from here, they immediately get a little intimidated. Just because you come to Chicago doesn’t mean you’re going to get robbed or shot at. Really it’s whatever typa time you be on.”
Describe your style of music?
“It’s kinda difficult to describe my style because it’s always changing. My music may be perceived in different ways by different people. The only thing I ever want my music to be, is real.”
What got you into music?
“Back in high school, I had a homie who had ended up renting a studio. He had invited me one time because he knew I would write poetry and shit usually. We would listen to all kinds of beats, and I’d sit there and start writing to em. Getting creative and networking in the Stu quickly became my happy place.”
What artists growing up inspired you?
“I’d definitely say Chief Keef. He will always be a huge inspiration. Also, He’s a Leo, I’m a Leo. His music is so motivating to me and always will be.”
Where is probably one of your favorite places you travel to?
“Honestly, it's crazy because I feel like I haven't got up out Chicago in a minute. I haven't prioritized traveling as much as I should, but one place I do want to go to next, is Miami or Atlanta. I know a couple over there I wanna work with.”
So what's stopping you?
“The system. Haha nah but I be working a lot. I work with kids at that so they be needing me. Also, Not gon lie, I’m someone who at times will get in my shell when life be lifeing. Taking care of/prioritizing my mental health is something I don’t hesitate to do. I allow myself to just exist sometimes and most times thats where I draw inspiration from. The goal is to do the music shit full time though. New things are brewing for me, I believe that.”
You don't hear a lot of people kind of talk about the roadblocks and daily/mental challenges, You kind of just hear, like the start and the end goal.
“Yeah, like, I ain't got it all figured out. I don't think anyone does. The come up is what makes the journey, and the material raw. No good thing is ever handed to us. I have this old song where I say “if it ain’t come out the struggle it ain’t hard yeah” and that’s still so true to me, you know what I'm saying? you just gotta take that leap of faith and bet on yourself everyday, doing that is a daily decision.”
Tell us about your new single Hopscotch
“Life like a game of hopscotch, gotta keep it moving. I love putting metaphors in my music. HOPSCOTCH is a song explaining what I been on. Getting back to basics, doing me, keeping my peace. Mfs gonna know when they slept on you, tried to shit on you and they gon try to spin back when they see some motion. But it's like, nah, bro keep that same energy. A lot of people don’t know but it took a long time to regain my piece of mind. You gotta treasure your peace. I had to drop a lot of dead weight. This song embodies that message. I'm getting back to what's important.”
So with the uptick in female artists in the industry, how has that empowered you to make more music?
“Honestly, I just feel like seeing a bunch of new baddies making music and going crazy reassures me that all this shit is at my reach fr. It’s also empowering because not too long ago the music industry was heavily saturated with male artists but now they see and hear us... it’s awesome.”
So how do you feel about the current direction of music?
“I feel like a lot of the shit is copy paste. But I also see and respect the artists that’s staying true to them and starting they own wave. I wish people would stop dickriding people for they clout and get back to the art though”
So what's next for you in music or project wise?
“Shit. Honestly, I've kind of been more focused on dropping singles because I want people to actually hear every song I drop. It’s no guarantee where I'm going with music next. The only guarantee is imma keep making it. More singles, an album? I want people to get a real clear idea of who CUPIDBABY is. I feel like an album is a good way to do that. Aside from music, I have a clothing brand called CELESTIAL MORPHOSIS. I just recently directed a shoot for the first drop so definitely keep a lookout for that because it’s crazyyyy and it’s coming.”
I love that! Thank you for your time, where can we find your new single Hopscotch?
“My single HOPSCOTCH is on all platforms, Apple, Spotify, Youtube and the Music video on Youtube. Thanks for having me!”