As many local fans are aware, Florida has one of the most overlooked Hip Hop circuits, not only in the region, but the entire country. While it can be tough for local creatives to break out from the scene, Citrus Rap makes strides to continue to uplift the Floridians who are on their way up. Said creatives, seen all over CitrusRap, can be found making moves statewide— some even venturing out of state. Still there are several unanswered questions for these rising stars, so we went ahead and formulated a questionnaire to clear the air. This is a new interview series we call “Florida’s Natural,” so that fans can gain insight on the individuals who we believe have the juice.
List your current Alias:
Ledwan. But some people who only know me on Twitter call me LedwanUGLY. I’m cool with that too.
Where do you reside; what’s your hometown?
I hardcore rep the 813 forever, but I’m still in high school so at the moment, I’m living in New Port Richey with my pops finishing my senior year.
Why do you rap/make music?
Because it makes me happy…Duh.
How old are you now and how old were you when you first released your music on the internet?
I’m 17 den a muthafucka right now, but I first started putting out music when I was a little shorty; probably like 12 or 13. It was all garbage and it still haunts me to this day. I would say I dropped my first legitimate song, “4 YA,” around this time least year.
What 3 albums of 3 different genres shaped you as an artist?
Michael Jackson’s Bad, Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain, and Kanye West’s College Dropout. There’s probably way more but those are the first three that comes to mind.
What do you bring to the live stage setting that captivates crowds?
I’m just really comfortable with my groove. The way I move on stage is a representation of my personality. Those awkward funky dance moves I do on stage aren’t just awkward funky dance moves. That shit is me. People fuck with that.
How do you portray your personality in your music?
I’m really honest with myself about myself and I wear that on my sleeve a lot, especially in my music. If you don’t know me personally, you could learn a lot about me just from the shit I reference and rap about.
Do you care about social media?
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I think it’s amazing that we have this whole world wide web that lets us network our crafts to all these different audiences, but I feel like it’s abused. We have this universal gateway to information and ideas, and kids just wanna act like lame-os on their social media stunt. Like these dweebs really fake flexing like their life is more important than everyone else’s because they own a fucking Supreme cap.
Is it ever difficult to express yourself?
Sometimes it’s difficult just because I don’t sound like a lot of these other artist, and I don’t mean that in an annoying way. It’s just a struggle trying to separate my sound while trying to be included in the scene at the same time. I know a lot of artist who struggle with the same thing. It causes identity crisis and that’s really what I’m trying to avoid. I love the scene. I love the artists, I love the sound, but I’m trying to go a different direction with my shit. I’m trying to build my own audience, because I’m doing some really cool stuff with my music. You just have to readjust your perception of a Florida rapper.
What song describes your current mood?
Everyday people by Sly and the Family Stone.
What is your next big release and when can we expect it?
I’m actually working on a project called Love This Boy. I don’t want to give out too much info on the concepts or the release because I’m trying to orchestrate this project very precisely. What I will say though is that it’s heavily influenced by love and Star Wars, so let your imagination run wild.
Anything else to add?
Big thanks to CITRUSRAP for all the work they put into putting on the sunshine state, and I’ll see you on the beach (hint hint).
