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By Dominique Smith | Staff Writer
Rapping for a good cause (Jarred Jackson / Staff Photographer)
By Dominique Smith | Staff Writer
Robert Larremore, an Riverside City College student, is a dj who has turned into a rapper and he will be throwing a world AIDS day charity event on Dec. 1 at RCC.
The event will be held at in front of the Martin Luther King Teaching and Learning Center starting at 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free but Larrenmore will be accepting donations to help benefit the charity.
Larrenmore is also known as “Impact Kidd,” which is his rapper name, recently sat down and did an interview with Viewpoints.
Viewpoints: How did you come up with the name Impact Kidd?
Impact Kidd: Back in the day I was a big Jason Kidd fan. I used to rock the jerseys all the time (and) people would recognize me wearing the jersey. Impact came from two friends joining the military; they said I impacted their lives.
Viewpoints: What does “swag” mean to you?
Impact Kidd: Swag is something that’s you. That’s your style (and) you don’t care what anyone thinks. You just be you.
Viewpoints: Do you think you have a lot of support from the Riverside community behind you?
Impact Kidd:
I believe so. I started the music as a dj and I was doing mixes for friends and family. After awhile I just got popular and I have been doing it for four years. I’ve been rapping since last December: doing shows, opened up for major artist and I got three sponsors. (My sponsors are) Crave Clothing, Dunk Boys up in Florida and Craze Apparel up in Hawaii.
Viewpoints: Being a dj–you put out beats for everybody and mixtapes for people, who do you think are the up and coming artist here in the Riverside community that you see blossoming?
Impact Kidd: I’m not going to lie, I haven’t gotten in touch with a lot of people but one that I see with my own eyes is Bizzerk, and Audio kid.
Viewpoints: What do you want people to get out of listening to your music?
Impact Kidd: Just something they can listen to. I’m at the point now when I make music where it’s like ‘you listen something motivational or make you feel better.’ Something impacts people the way music impacted me when I was listening to Wu tang, or Tupac’s ‘Keep Your Head Up.’ Anything that makes you think or enjoy the music yourself.
Viewpoints: Where do you see yourself making music?
Impact Kidd: Well the dj thing I know that’s not going to happen but making beats and rapping I’ve been doing this since high school. In December I made my first track for fun and I put it out for free download and two days later I got asked by Victor Valley to do a paid show. Now I’m doing shows and people are asking for demos. People think I’m joking when I say I just started doing this but I think I can get signed. I think I’m marketable.
Viewpoints: You got all these things coming at you from left to right, how do you stay focused on school?
Impact Kidd: I wouldn’t stop going to school even if I have to do online classes, because you never know I might say ‘I don’t want to do music anymore; I want to do fashion.’ You just never know.
Viewpoints: What’s once place you see yourself performing?
Impact Kidd: I actually got hit up to perform at the house of blues and the Roxy. They might schedule me for a booking but I’d love to perform on Jimmy Kimmel because with that you’re performing for an audience but its watched by millions of people.
Viewpoints: What are your influences?
Impact Kidd: It’s funny that I got into hip hop because I grew up listening to soul and rock, and my parents didn’t let me listen to rap. I grew up listening to the Beastie Boys and even my sponsors have compared them to me.
Viewpoints: Would you ever rap with other people?
Impact Kidd: I’m willing to collaborate with real people. I’ve tried to do music with people I thought had potential and they thought they were too good for anyone.
