Today we’d like to introduce you to Malik Taylor.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Petersburg, Virginia. I moved to Decatur Georgia when I was three. We moved a lot when I was young. My mom and dad would fight so much my mom was literally running from state to state. We moved to Downtown ATL for a while before my mom moved us to Richmond, Virginia when I was seven. I started writing music at age 11 my mom couldn’t afford studio time, so I just wrote it and kept it in a book. By age 17, I was developing my own flow and molding myself after rappers before me like 2pac and DMX, the raw emotion in my music that people can feel is my style. I had a lot of anger growing up from watching a lot of domestic violence, my parents splitting up and getting back together over the years just to repeat the same pattern of verbal and physical abuse. I graduated and went to college at age 18. I attended Shaw University for a year until I saw that I would not want to pay all of that money back over my whole life so I dropped out. I went to the army in 2015 served three years and then came back. Over that time, I matured a lot and developed even more anger which I put into my music not knowing how else to get through it. Fast forward a year and I’m now 24 years old, four tapes out and have a pretty large fan base. I make music for people who have a lot to say but can’t, who have anger built up and can’t find a way to use it properly for people who saw their moms and pops fight and it messed them up as much as it did me.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely parents fighting waking up at 3 am and its cops in your house putting handcuffs on your parents. Having to stay with cousins because your parents can’t get along. Mom’s depressed suicide attempts in front of me all those types of things.
Please tell us about your music.
I rap. I tell stories and paint pictures through rhythm and words. I’m an artist. I specialize in emotional rap putting emphasis on words that said in a plain way would just be a word but when you put that emotion into it those words become more powerful, people feel them. I’m most proud of how much I’ve progressed the fans I’ve gained and the name I’ve made for myself chasing a dream and never stopping every day taking a step forward in my career. I’m different from others in a major way a lot of people rap sure you got drill rappers, lyrical rappers, etc. But for me, I was born to rap, I make music that touches people, you don’t just hear my music, you feel it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory as a child was when my little sister was born. Idk, if people realize but you remember a lot from childhood and with all the arguing and fighting my parents did holding my little sister was definitely the best day of my life as a child.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.theofficialleak.com/
- Email: Theofficialleak@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam.leak/
Image Credit:
Alkvisions
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