Meet The Inspiring Eerf Evil
Eerf Evil is an emerging artist you need to keep your eye on. Hailing from Croydon, the rising talent first got involved with hip hop at a young age – using it as a creative outlet. Over the years, his love for music continued to grow, leading up to him adopting the name Eerf Evil and releasing tracks on SoundCloud. Creating material that touches on his struggles and dreams, his unique sound will have a lasting effect on hip hop fans everywhere. With his new single, ‘See Us Live’ and music video featuring Srigala making the rounds, Eerf Evil is showing no signs of slowing down.
We got to chat with him about everything from his favourite artists growing up, the origin of his name, working as a social worker, and more…
Let’s take it back to the beginning. Who were some of your favorite artists growing up?
It was artists from the UK scene which impacted me most like Page from cream cartel, Joe Black, Giggs, Dubz, Young Meth, and most important my big brother Kwakz. Rappers like Kwakz and Page showed the streets for what they really were and didn’t glamorise the message.
When did you know that you wanted to pursue music?
I remember rapping my first lyrics at 16 and getting a mad reception from the people around me and feeling mad proud. I didn’t really take it serious until a few years back when I linked up with Srigala. The music we started created just had that perfect sound and allowed me to convey my messages in ways I hadn’t been able to before.
How did you arrive on the name ‘Eerf Evil’?
In my music, I’m always breaking down different concepts. I had names before, before nothing really stuck, or they were related to a past life. “Eerf Evil” is “Live Free” backwards. I wanted a name to challenge people’s perceptions. I feel like those who understand the name can really understand what I’m trying to do with the music.
Besides being a rapper, you also have a career as a youth worker. Do you find that either of these roles influence how you handle the other?
When I got into youth work, I didn’t really know what to expect, all I knew is that I wanted to affect people’s lives for the better. This work has allowed me to see how the times have evolved since I was a teenager. The scenarios I’ve been through as a teen shape the messages in my music as well as the messages I give to the young people that I mentor. The two worlds go hand in hand and are constantly influencing each other in a positive way; from the people, I’m meeting and to relating with young people in general.
What was the process like in creating your newest single, ‘See Us Live’?
We wanted to convey a meaningful message but make it jumpy and give it a vibe. When people think about positive music, they always think someone’s going to be preaching at them. We wanted to step away from preaching and provide a rationale. The whole idea is that the ‘system’ doesn’t want to see us live, strive, progress as people! All we can do is take risks and dream bigger but constantly think more rationally about how we intend to do so and what the consequences are if you go about it the wrong way.
Is it important to you for your music to contain a message?
100%, Stand for something or fall for anything. I feel like I wouldn’t be interested in music if It didn’t give me an outlet to voice my opinions. With our music, the message is so clear, and it’s a whole vibe! I just want more people to be able to access this and think more about life as a whole.
Who is your dream artist–living or dead–to collaborate with on a track?
I would love to collab with J.Cole, and I hope he sees this because one day, this is going to be something I’m going to have to refer back to and to say I said it!
What do you hope that fans take away from your music?
I want fans to live free… I’ve been in a place where I wasn’t able to see opportunities and always thought of myself as less than I was. I want people to dig deep and find their inner superhero and bring that to life, because we all have one… We just have to tap in!
Make sure to check out Eerf Evil video for his track ‘See Us Live’ with Srigala below…
