As the UK hip-hop scene grows at an exceptional rate, London-hailed artist Kasien is making sure his presence is known with his debut single “All I See”. The underground talent asserts himself as a rising star as he goes bar for bar over a fast-tempo hip-hop-infused trap beat. Accompanied by a video directed by Walid Labri, Kasien strips it all the way back and captures our attention with his raw and captivating performance.

The tune, taken from his upcoming debut EP, “I FOUND PARADISE IN HELL”, is about “manifesting the better things in life to become reality” says the artist. “It’s inspired by life. Past, present and future.” Brimming with talent and ready for a takeover, we sat down with the upcoming artist talking the upcoming EP, performing live and what’s next.

Check out the interview below…

Hi Kasien, how has lockdown been for you?
Lockdown has been a crazy mixture of super highs and super lows but I think I’ve found my balance and found another part of myself in the process which is cool I guess.

How have you been staying creative?
I’ve been writing and recording ideas a lot. Rewatching old classic films and documentaries I love to keep myself inspired. Also, been creating concepts and ideas for the next chapter after this EP, sound-wise, image-wise – everything from colour palettes to moods.

What part of London did you grow up in, and how did you find it influenced you sonically? Who did you grow up listening to?
I grew up in south London. I wouldn’t say just south London, but London as a whole definitely influenced me sonically. Channel U growing up was everything to me and I was influenced by so many different MCs and groups from all over. My Dad was a DJ so I would say he was my main influence when it came to music. I used to listen to everything from Dwele, Slum Village, and Biggie to Eminem, 50 Cent, Kanye, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Roadside Gs, Gipset, Nasty Crew. All these genres and vibes have shaped my sonics and stage persona.

How do you feel like your sound has moved on and developed since your 2019 collaborative EP?
I think it’s definitely elevated. I think you will always here elements of K2 sprinkled throughout my music, especially if me and Kelvin KRASH link up. We kind of did that deliberately – we wanted to make a good foundation for people to know our range. I think lyrically I’ve stepped it up as well, and I definitely have more of an understanding of how to structure a song with a strong hook since we created K2.

Congratulations on “Aimin’” – what was it inspired by?
Life. Past, Present and Future.

Your fans are loving the “All I See’ music video” – how did you come up with the concept, and what did you want to get across?
Fans? That sounds weird. But yeah I’m happy people fuck with it. Me and Walid had some elaborate plans but decided to strip everything back and make the focus more on me. After having convos with my friends, especially my good friend Dexter Navy, he told me I should leave the fantasy world that me and KRASH created in the video for “Time” and keep a very raw feel to this one – no VFX. When Walid came up with a similar concept and stripped everything back I was all for it! It’s basically showing people that they should be themselves and not give into industry standards. That’s why I walked off set, took the “styled” clothes off, said fuck the crew and went into my world with my friends. It’s a juxtaposition of what people think I should be compared to who I actually am.

And how did you come up with the name for your debut EP “I FOUND PARADISE IN HELL”? And what ties all the tracks together as a body of work?
I always play with the concept of me being the light in the dark because I love darkness but feel like I know myself to a level where it can never consume me. Hell feels like Earth for me, but somehow I always manage to find peace of mind and balance. It pretty much sums up my whole life all the way up till now. When you hear it you will understand.

What was the most unusual place you took inspiration from for the EP?
In the bottom of Casilerro Del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon bottle.

Do you miss performing live? What is the best live gig/festival you’ve done? And what’s the dream?
Yeah so so so fucking much. Being on stage is the only place I feel 100% myself and free. I don’t care about anything or anyone. No anxiety, no fear of judgment, just me and my music I’ve made. Best show I’ve done is any show the crowd was 100% involved and engaged. The dream is to do a world tour with a festival – I can’t wait for that!

What’s next for you?
Next is “I FOUND PARADISE IN HELL”. It’s about to be a fucking trip and a sick introduction to what I’ve I’m about to give to the game. Every week has been like a crazy movie with all the events going on around the world from the pandemic to Twitter cancel culture – it’s just all mad. So let’s see what else this year has in store for us. Also never forget all Black Lives Matter today, tomorrow and forever.