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Born and raised in Crumlin, Co. Dublin, Abdu Huss, known as KhakiKid, has been gaining a lot of attention recently within the media and has been creeping his way onto our radio stations over the last few months.
Songs like Date Nite have seen him go viral on TikTok, he’s performed on The Late Late Show and he’s set to take to the stage at Electric Picnic later this year.
The rapper is certainly one to watch as he flies the flag for Ireland internationally.
VIP Magazine caught up with him to take a look at his playlist…
@khakikid Thank you to everyone who took a second out of your day to listen to Date Nite, you all got us on the @The Late Late Show and made my ma proud!!! 💚 got new music out now so if ye liked date nite, give pylonz a listen #ireland #fyp ♬ Date Nite – KhakiKid & Saint Demarcus
Hi Abdu! You’ve been working tirelessly in music since leaving school. But you’ve really exploded recently, especially on TikTok. Tell us what it’s like when your songs go viral?
It’s pretty reassuring, you know, I feel like with music, every day is just up in the air. For me anyway everything feels like it’s up in the air. So then, when something lands, it’s reassuring and then you just hope that more of your work lands. It’s kind of a little telltale that you’re on the right track.
We’re sure when you’re writing your songs you’re not thinking about viral clips. But does social media ever come into your mind in the recording studio?
It’s very funny because with Date Nite the one that’s doing well, the part that I thought would be the part that would take off on social media was the hook, I didn’t know why I was like that for some reason that would be maybe be catchier than the raps. I find it very funny that the rap has taken off. It’s happened a little bit before with my other songs, Who’s That Girl. I’m always in disbelief when my raps catch on because sometimes I don’t feel like my raps are catchy. We make a great hook and then I’ll do my part around it. But it’s just good to know that people resonate with rap music.
Why do you think people connect with your music? Do you think it’s something to do with your Irish accent?
I think so, yeah, 100 per cent. When I started making music I wasn’t entirely raping with my accent because I wanted to sound like my favourite artist. I wanted to be like Mac Miller or Andre 3000, but I’ve come to realise that everyone is unique in their own way. Musically, I have great lyrics, and I’m great at writing songs. I enjoy writing songs a lot. I think I have a bit of an ear for it, but I feel like one of my unique points is having my accent; it’s just a shame to deprive myself of one of my unique selling points. Also in the last maybe five years, I’ve really become proud of my Irishness. I’ve always been proud of my Irishness, but before tha,t I felt like my music and my Irish pride were like separate parts of my life. Now it’s become more.
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Why did you keep them separate? Did you think being Irish and rapping was a bit cringe?
I understand that sentiment, but I’ll never tolerate that kind of discussion. I almost feel like that’s some post-colonisation mentality. I don’t think it’s just like a rap thing where you’re like, “Why are Irish people rapping?” I feel like just in general, Irish people, including myself, have a weird, self-deprecating nature. Then that kind of also leads to like lack of confidence. I love how self-deprecating Irish people are, but sometimes I feel like that kind of sentiment stops us from doing things. And being creative or looking at our actions or our history and stuff like that. I feel like it’s quite common, not just in like post-colonised countries, but like also just kind of impoverished places as well. It’s kind of like a sort of weird shame that shouldn’t be there.
Talk to us about putting an EP together and releasing it into the world.
It’s quite fun to be honest. It’s fun to share a small collection of music. It’s a taste of what’s going to be like to put out my first album. And I feel any body of work, should it be small or big, it’s a timestamp in history for myself. Even if it’s not for other people, when I listen to those songs, I’m like, “I made this journey, this period of my life”, and it brings me back.
You’ve also appeared on The Late Late Show. Rap stars aren’t the usual acts on the show. Could you have imagined it happening?
I definitely could have imagined it. It was imaginable but it felt a little intangible. And then this year we did it. Patrick Kielty is so sound. I didn’t realise how sound he’d be, He was very nice and talked to us for way longer than he should have.
@khakikid When did we stop high fiving 😞 #fyp ♬ Date Nite – KhakiKid & Saint Demarcus
Tell us where you get your inspiration for writing music from?
From things I’ve seen in my life. I have a list on my phone of song names and words that I just love to put into songs. I also just have things that I’ve seen in life or hear people say or things that I say. If I’m in the middle of a conversation with somebody and they say something very interesting I’ll take it down. It might not be those words that I use in a song but the sentiment or the idea, I’ll expand on what they said. So really anything in my life can be an influence.
Did you always plan to be a musician?
I always hoped for it, loosely hoped for it. When I finished secondary school, I was like I actually have to do this. It was kind of like a vague hope and dream type thing. Then I was like, “Oh no, I actually have to do this”.
How did your parents feel about you going into music?
I got into college and I deferred my course. But I lied to my mam for like two months about going to college, I was like “I’m going, yeah I’m going, all my courses start later, lots of it’s online, blah blah blah”. Eventually I told her the worst thing you could tell your mam, instead of going to college I was going to be a rapper. I felt so bad for her! if my son told me that, I’d be like, “Absolutely not”, I’d be pulling the ear off him. Then the music was also quite bad at that time, I felt for her. She didn’t give me too much of a hard time to be honest. I gave myself a hard time in a weird way because I was lying and there was some guilt and bad for her.
You mentioned Mac Miller and Andre 3000 earlier. Who did you listen to growing up??
I’m not allowed to say, but Kanye, he wasn’t how he is now when I was like 14 or 13. Mac Miller, OutKast, a tiny bit of Natasha Beddingfield. I would listen to, If I Were A Boy, by Beyoncé, no other Beyoncé song, Johnny Cash, I could just name the songs I listened to, I listened to a few rappers, and then a couple of songs. My granddad used to love Bob Marley, and so he played Bob Marley all the time. I loved Dominic Fike, but that’s kind of towards my later teen years.
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Who do you think is your biggest musical inspiration?
Mac Miller and Kanye. Both of those lads taught me that there’s more to rap than what I thought rap was. When I was super young it was all gangster rap music and I love gangster rap music! But that’s what I thought rap was, because for such a long time, that was what was prominent in rap music. Listening to Mac Miller, Kanye and OutKast, and really early rap stuff changed my idea of rap. I thought I had to talk like the gangster rap music that I was listening to. Listening to those aratist I learned that I can rap in my own life and it can be interesting. And I don’t have to emulate these other people’s existence.
What was the first gig you’ve ever been to?
In my head the first one was this drill group called Section Boyz (now Section Boys) from the UK. But I remember being like I think 10 years old and going to a Jason Derulo CD signing with my sister, and I think he played a few songs at that!
What was the best gig you’ve ever been too?
Dominic Fike. In London like two years ago. Previously, when I went to gigs and I’d see people crying at like Taylor Swift and doing all of this, I used to be like, “Come on now. Like, relax a bit.” And then I went to Dominic Fike’s gig and I’d been a fan for so long and and the venue was on like a slope, I could just look directly at him on stage. He was playing one of my favourite songs and I felt like I was elevated, I felt like I was floating. Just an unbelievable experience. And the whole show I was taken away. I don’t think I had ever gotten to see any artist who I’d been a huge fan of yet. He is someone I’m a massive fan of, and I think it makes more sense to me now because there aren’t many artists I’m like holy s**t. It lived up to exactly what I expected.
Do you have a song that you could listen to on repeat and never get sick of?
I actually have a load of them! There’s a song called Play Pretend by dexter in the newsagent, he’s incredible. Doc Whiler by Alex Sampson, again, unbelievable. Then there is FAMJAM4000 by Jordan Ward. PIRATE RADIO* by Jean Dawson. Açai Bowl by Dominic Fike, or Hi Grace by Dominic Fike, very good songs.
@khakikid Replying to @ctrl.game while we’re here I got new music coming 😌 @SOFY #fyp #ireland ♬ Pylonz – KhakiKid
You have been compared to Mac Miller a lot over your career. He’s a big inspiration for you. It must be high praise to see that.
It’s the highest compliment you can get. That means the world. I don’t see it in a weird way. But I get it a little bit because it’s alternative rap music. And sometimes it’s a bit fun or something like that. I guess like Mac Miller had like an incredible talent for capturing bittersweet things. I’m not the biggest fan of whining music or whinging about stuff. But he would just make something like a breakup bittersweet. It’s almost like a stronger feeling than sadness or depression or happiness.
What is your biggest achievement so far?
Date Nite was quite the achievement for me, just because it was something I made with friends. Saint Demarcus was on that. I found him during quite early days of TikTok. He’s going to be doing really big things. I’ve become really good friends with him. The first time I went to London, he let me stay in his gaff. I’d never met him before. It’s really fun to see his career elevate a little bit. And just being able to do the smallest things, even though he would never need my help at all. It was just cool to play a little part in his career elevating a little bit and getting him a bit of shine. I supported Denzel Curry in the National Stadium recently. Before I made music, I went to a Denzel Curry gig with my girlfriend. And I remember being a dumb kid and wanting to jump on the stage and then crowd surf. I got my girl to distract the bouncer, and I jumped on stage. He was like super nice, we jumped up together for a few seconds and then like threw me in the crowd. That was quite a fun, memorable moment. And to support him and have him shout me out on stage and meet him. It was like a really cool full-circle moment.
What’s on your bucket list?
Olympia Theatre. I want to sell that out and then an album. I want to make more music and cool videos. There are a lot of people that I want to work with. Ahh bucket list. Dominic Fike feature. I want to feature on a song!
KhakiKid was speaking to VIP Magazine as part of the official global launch of TikTok for Artists, a new all-in-one music insights platform, designed specifically for artists.
KhakiKid will perform at Electric Picnic in September.
