KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak has its fair share of talented musicians, but when it comes to the genre of hip hop and rap, the list of performers runs rather short. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. In fact, one local rap artist released his first full-length album on Friday. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more on Kodiak’s budding young rapper.
At 17-years-old, Eli Fields is still navigating his last year of high school, let alone the complex, competitive music industry. He was raised in Kodiak, and said he first heard rap music when his brothers would play it. The genre quickly drew him in and he began to write small poems, but said it wasn’t until middle school that he considered pairing his lyrics with a beat. The musical experimentation ultimately led to a full-length song, which he decided to film a music video for and post online. The video, featuring his song “Born and Raised,” was what Fields calls a surprising success.
— (Eli Fields 1 :18 “It was the first YouTube video I made, kind of … month or so.”)
That success inspired even more songs, which led to a compilation, or mix tape, of songs that he released last year. Fields said the success of that collection helped motivate him to create “Paper and Crayons,” his first full-length album, which was released on Friday. After more than half a decade of writing music, he said song ideas still come to him in multiple ways.
— (Eli Fields 2 :35 “Primarily though, I’ll just be … that I can write to that.”)
Fields said he’s also artistically influenced by his surroundings, especially the place where he and his family spend their summers.
— (Eli Fields 3 :31 “Ever since I was born I’ve never spent a … we were fishing.”)
Fields said he realizes rap music isn’t the most prominent audible entertainment in Kodiak, but that doesn’t bother him.
— (Eli Fields 4 :30 “Yeah, I’m kind of in a niche market … what I love to do.”)
Fields said he will graduate from Kodiak High School this spring and hopes to attend school in Southern California and continue making music. He said his album, “Paper and Crayons” will be available online in the coming weeks, but anyone interested in a hard copy of his CD can contact him through Facebook at Facebook dot com slash Eli Fields music.
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