LBS Kee’vin is here to become one of the greats, and he’s well on his way.
Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, the rising rapper comes equipped with his own distinct voice and sound, having girls rave his signature tag: “SHE FEIGNIN FOR LBS KEE’VIN!”
In describing himself, he states, “I’m an outgoing person around the people I know. I’m probably quiet around people I don’t know, but I’m a pretty fun person.”
With an all-star personality comes his undeniable trap bangers, spitting his truth and telling his story while inspiring the masses that they too can make their wildest dreams come true.
Growing up raised by a single mother in the hood, Kee’vin fondly remembers listening to his Top 3: Boosie, Lil Wayne, and Jeezy — artists he still listens to today. He adds, “I’ll never stop bumping them.”
Racking up over a million streams, the 25-year-old recently signed a deal with Visionary Records/Columbia Records.
Following his previous release with “Shining” featuring 42 Dugg, Kee’vin returned with a slew of bangers including “Hood Dreams” ft. FCB Heem, Fredo Bang-assisted “Soul Burden,” “Run Wit It,” and his latest effort “That’s Life” with OMB Peezy.
AllHipHop: What was it like growing up with a single mother in Pensacola?
LBS Kee’vin: It was pretty much the same thing with any hood, a child growing up in the hood. It’s certain struggles but same ole same ole. Nothing too bad.
AllHipHop: What was a young Kee’vin like then?
LBS Kee’vin: Stayed outside 24/7. We used to play football in the street barefoot, sun up to sun down.
AllHipHop: When did music come into play and what artists made you want to get into it?
LBS Kee’vin: It wasn’t anyone in particular, I just enjoyed the lifestyle. The fast life: the cars, the diamonds, all that type of stuff. I was going to get there one way or another whether it was in the streets or rapping, so I thought “let me try it.” I had a 3 bedroom house at the time so I took one of the rooms and built a studio in there. I started from there.
AllHipHop: At what point did you realize that you could do rap for a living?
LBS Kee’vin: Probably the first few songs I recorded, I thought “damn, I might have something.” When I first started rapping, I had a sense of what people really want to hear. I found a way to put my story into it and create my own lane. I’ve been rapping for 2 years now, I feel like I’m just now perfecting it.
AllHipHop: What makes you feel like you’re perfecting it now?
LBS Kee’vin: You find your sound. Certain songs, they’ll be clean all the way through. It’s just fluent. Once you start doing fluent songs all the way through, 2 verses with the hook — you do that a few times in a row, you’ll know. Okay, I’ve found it.
AllHipHop: Talk about Loyal Bag Suppliers and when you picked that up.
LBS Kee’vin: My friends and I were trying to think of a name. Something that has a street meaning too, but it’s like a double entendre. It doesn’t have to have a street term. If you’re supplying a bag or you’re bringing a bag home, then you can be a Bag Supplier.
AllHipHop: What did “Boston George” do for your career?
LBS Kee’vin: I went on YouTube, I found a beat and I locked in on it. It used to take me a long time to record. It took me about 3 days to record “Boston George” but after I finally finished it, I knew. I thought to myself “Damn, I know this s### gonna catch on”. After I dropped it, my momma put me in a contest on Worldstar. I didn’t even know about it. About two weeks later, I found out that I won. They put me on the front page, I had over a million views on the first day. All types of s###. Crazy.
AllHipHop: What was your mom’s reaction?
LBS Kee’vin: She said she knew it was gonna happen, that’s why she put it there. She’s my #1 fan for sure. She’s done so much. She woke me up out of my sleep yelling, telling me I won the contest. I still didn’t know what exactly was going on. 2 days later, my video was on the front page and that’s when labels started calling.
AllHipHop: How did you find your way to Columbia?
LBS Kee’vin: I got a distribution deal with Columbia. I’m actually signed with Sony/Visionary Records. Out of all my meetings I had with record labels, it felt like they had the family vibe pretty much. It wasn’t like they were looking at me like a dollar sign.
AllHipHop: “Run Wit It” is out now. Bring us back to that recording session, you snapped.
LBS Kee’vin: That s###’s going crazy on YouTube right now. Sometimes, I don’t even check it. Every other 2 days, I remember like “oh I do have a video out right now”. When I check it, it goes up every single time. It hits me like damn, I’m an artist that’ll pull the beat out and whatever the beat pulls out of me, that’s what gonna happen. It’s literally a natural talent for me, I don’t really gotta try too hard.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to get from that record?
LBS Kee’vin: That I’m versatile. They’re used to me harmonizing and singing. On that record, I’m straight going in. They can expect different types of beats this time around. I want the people to know that I can get on any type of beat and handle myself, that’s what I want people to get from it.
AllHipHop: Mix the Gucci with Dior, talk about your drip and your love for fashion.
LBS Kee’vin: I’m really in love with fashion. When I first started rapping, I was into the designers really heavy. Now I’m tryna slow down, start putting some Nikes on sometimes. That s### does get expensive too though. I’ll buy me a Nike jumpsuit every now and again, white 1’s.
AllHipHop: How did you and Fredo Bang collab on “Soul Burden”?
LBS Kee’vin: I was so excited, he’s a really easy dude to work with. His music is hard, I been f###### with hi for a while now. The label reached out to him. They asked me if I wanted him on the song, I said “yeah, he’d be a perfect fit.” He was f###### with it so he got on it and it went crazy.
AllHipHop: Was that in the studio?
LBS Kee’vin: No it wasn’t in the studio. I had that song for 2 months before I got it to him. We sent it over and he sent his verse back. I was excited as hell, he went off.
AllHipHop: How was the video shoot?
LBS Kee’vin: Shout out No More Heroes, they picked the song up. They mentioned that they felt like it was a really good song and wanted to shoot it for me. They actually pick people they want to shoot, not just anyone can go and get a video from them.
AllHipHop: What are your “Hood Dreams”?
LBS Kee’vin: To make it out the hood. I pretty much made it out, I don’t live in my hood no more. I moved to Atlanta but I travel back and forth from time to time. That’s the message I spread through my music: tryna make it out. Tryna get out of poverty, tryna get rich. Get a mansion, fast cars, that type of s###.
AllHipHop: How does it feel to be living out your dreams now?
LBS Kee’vin: It feels good, I still got a lot of work to do though. I’m not satisfied by a long shot, but I’ve came a long way too so I can’t complain. I have a lot more work to do. I wouldn’t say I’m living out my dreams yet, not just yet.
AllHipHop: Talk about going viral remixing Coi Leray’s “No More Parties”.
LBS Kee’vin: Like I said, whatever the beat brings outta me. That beat is fire. It’s a vibe, I uploaded it and went crazy. It only took me an hour to make the whole song and it went crazy. Shout out Coi Leray too.
AllHipHop: What’s one thing you want fans to get from Belair Baby 2?
LBS Kee’vin: I want to show my improvement between my first tape and the second tape. If I dropped a tape right now, it would show my potential for even more growth. I don’t feel like the first two tapes are my full potential. They were hard either way, but I got a lot of crazy s### coming up.
AllHipHop: What you got coming up?
LBS Kee’vin: I got a lot of great songs to drop. Whether it’s features or me putting two verses on a song, I’ve got a lot of songs that go crazy. We’re dropping all year consistently. It’s gonna take off real soon to where I want it to be.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
LBS Kee’vin: Ya know, I’ve never been a big studio type of guy. I don’t like going to big studios. I have a studio in my house, so I walk downstairs and record. There aren’t any necessities that I need honesty. I go down there and go record all night.
AllHipHop: Do you freestyle?
LBS Kee’vin: Yeah I don’t write anything. Everything is off the top of my head.
AllHipHop: How was it recording with 42 Dugg?
LBS Kee’vin: That s### was an amazing experience. The song went crazy too, got a couple million on Apple Music right now. Shout out 42 Dugg, that s###’s hard.
AllHipHop: How does it feel to collaborate with all these hot artists this early in your career?
LBS Kee’vin: It feels good. It lets me know that I’m headed in the right direction. Like I said before, there’s a lot more work I need to do.
AllHipHop: You say 2 words saved your life: “reup” and “profit.” Can you elaborate?
LBS Kee’vin: I was struggling trying to find a way, until I got into what I got into. Not promoting it but it is what it was. Some people have their own way of thinking, but that was my way of making it or getting by. That’s why I say it saved my life. If I didn’t start that, I’d still be out here bumming it and trying to find a way.
AllHipHop: What’re you most excited for when the world opens back up?
LBS Kee’vin: This year, I’m excited to honestly just get outside more. I don’t go out enough. I need to be out, I need to travel and see more things. Go to different cities, that’s what I’m excited about.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
LBS Kee’vin: Look forward to new music this year, that’s it. I’m going crazy the whole year!
