Name: KDvsGOLIATH

Where He’s From: South West London

When He Started: 2018

Genre: UK Rap/Trap

File Next To: House Of Pharaohs, Kish!, UKNWN, Lancey Foux, Master Peace

Sounds Like: “You could call me a poet; I like writing lyrics. I wouldn’t call myself a rapper because I’m not too good at that either!”

First Music That Inspired Him: “Biggie, J. Cole, Eminem and Michael Jackson. If I’m honest, I take inspiration from nearly everything I listen to, even a random song on SoundCloud with 5 likes and 30 plays. It doesn’t matter where my inspiration comes from because there’s beauty in anything that leaves the human mind in the form of art, because art is the expression of emotion and that to me is beautiful.”

Born in Addis Ababa but raised in South West London, KDVSGOLIATH has only been officially making music for the last two years (he’s already snagged a record deal, by the way), but the road to the heights he enjoys today has been a long one. “I came from a background that was really violent,” he explains. When a close friend passed away in his teen years, it made him re-evaluate a lot of things in his life: “That made me really think about what was going to happen to me after I die. It made me wonder where his soul went. This can’t be the end. There’s no way he’s just compost and nothing’s going to happen to him. That made me think about God again and all the things my dad told me when I was younger.”

Fortunately, KD now finds himself on the right path and despite his music’s rowdy, moshpit-worthy exterior, he’s hoping he can use his music as a force for good, to encourage change in those who may be headed down their own dark path. “I’m a servant of God,” he says. “It doesn’t really come across that way in my music, sounds, or the words I use, but even XXXTentacion said at one point, the more upbeat type of crazy songs he used to make were because he wanted to gather the world first before he can change it, and that’s what I’m doing.”

That sort of stark contrast is a recurring theme in KD’s life and music. Gruff lyrical barks are often paired with flute-laden melodies or gentle electronics; and his boisterous energy regularly gives way to moments of reflection as he takes stock of his tumultuous past or looks inward to consider his faith. Without dwelling too much on the negatives, his once tumultuous relationship with his strict Ethiopian father, the violence and chaos of street life and the tragic passing of a close friend have coalesced to give him wisdom far beyond his years. He speaks candidly and eloquently about his faith, the afterlife and his purpose in the world. “I want to be able to gather the people that are from that kind of world,” he says, “and show them something different.”

Armed with a record deal and a strong team behind him, KD’s sights are now on the future — and he’s got big plans. Chief amongst those plans is the imminent rollout of his debut EP, Bipolar. And that’s just the beginning. He’s currently sitting on an extensive bank of material ready to be released, a lot of which was recorded early in his admittedly nascent career. In just a couple of short years, his life has changed immeasurably and the wealth of tracks he’s completed are testament to that. They stretch the full gamut of his tastes, from angry calls to arms to lighter, more optimistic cuts. Sonically, the range is even more extreme; from punchy, 808s-heavy trap to guitar-led indie.

“It’s a bit overwhelming,” KD says of his new-found success. “I’ve been in a meeting with eight people working on my stuff and I’m thinking, ‘What is going on? Am I really in this place?’ I’m so used to being in my room doing my own thing; the last two years I’ve just been in my room with my microphone and computer. I’ve been so comfortable in that. I’ve got to venture out of my comfort zone, I guess. Embrace it rather than shy away from it.”

If he can keep his cool amid this meteoric success and the changes that come with it, the sky’s the limit for KDVSGOLIATH.