At this stage in his career, Kalan.Frfr is content, but he’s not satisfied: all he knows is hustle. Last week, the Compton native shared his debut album TwoFr 2 under Roc Nation, his new label home. A praiseworthy feat no doubt, but for Kalan, this is merely the beginning: his story is still being written. “All this means is that they took a chance on me, they see something in me.”

In order to reach new heights in life you have to be willing to gamble with success. With Kalan, he lives by a certain creed, one that personifies what it truly means to take risks and prosper. The risk-reward tradeoff doesn’t just apply to business, it also applies to his day-to-day life, or as Kalan claims, “It’s like slow dice.” Conceivably, slow motion is better than no motion, just don’t crap out when the going gets tough. It’s all about consistency and effort. In Kalan’s case, being consistent is what has brought him this far, on and off the football field.

While attending San Diego State University, Kalan took a brief hiatus from music to focus on his aspirations as an athlete. Naturally, Kalan’s passion for scoring translated from the field to the booth. That chapter in his story played an integral role in breathing life into that inner savage that laid dormant at his core. “I can’t accept no excuses,” he avows in confidence during our conversation.

Kalan’s sound is evolving, melodic riffs and braggadocious claims flirt with the idea of temptation in an effort to offer perspective. From the West Coast with love, Kalan.Frfr is becoming a star in real time right before our very eyes. TwoFr 2 is nostalgic in the sense of alluding to a specific period of time, an inescapable moment of bliss. “It’s like I was in that space again.”

Though he just released a new project, Kalan remains excited about the surplus of music he has stored away in the cut, rumored to be around an estimated 300 songs. “This my first day of the AA meeting: I’m not gon’ talk yet, I’m just letting y’all know I’m here. Then I’ma load y’all up with this hard story.” I guess it’s safe to say that he’s back in that mode, the grind continues.

Read our full conversation below, lightly edited for clarity and context.

Talk to me about the Frfr movement. 

Kalan my real name and the Frfr (Forreal forreal) just come with what we stand behind, just being authentic. The Frfr movement started with a bunch of niggas that 100% confident in being themselves. It don’t matter what kind of nigga you are. We got a crew full of a bunch of niggas, we all cool, everybody has a common interest in something we like. We always gon’ be ourselves. A nigga not gon’ ever try to act like he this or that, or act like he got this when he don’t. A nigga gon’ be a hunnid with himself and a hunnid with his homies. That’s where it all started from. You see a nigga wit that on the end of they name that mean they 100%. 

Would you say it’s more of a brotherhood in that sense? 

Hell yeah. It ain’t even bout music, them my homies regardless. Even if I wasn’t doing music, it would still be Frfr, it would still be us. We got each other no matter what. Before the music started taking off or being anything, my niggas were still 100% in. Anything I wanted to do, the support was there, the title came later. 

Looking back on things, what does Kalan.Frfr. come up look like? 

I just been keeping my head down and grinding. If I can compare it to anything, it’s like slow dice: when you get on dice and you just rockin’ em, don’t wanna bet big or go too crazy, but you’re winning. Just step-by-step, I’m taking my time wit it, it’s all God. If a nigga get a penny everyday, he got more money than a nigga that’s doing nothing. 

We’re approaching 3 years since the release of TwoFr, what’s changed? 

Everything: the music, the maturity, my sound, my life. Then, I ain’t know what ten bands look like in a rubber band. I ain’t know what a AP was then, for sure didn’t a clue, but a nigga know now. Conversations done changed, I’ve lived different, been in different situations, you getting a different side of me right now. With TwoFr 2, it felt good again. It’s like I was in that space again. After I dropped it, it was giving me them vibes, so I’m like fuck it, let’s get back to the basics. That shit changed my life, it’s like touching your heart. With all my music, we wanna make sure it touch your heart: I’m the heart for the world. I’ma make you cry, laugh, I’ma make you feel like a billion dollars, even if you ain’t got nothing in your pocket. You gon’ find your heart in that shit.

Personally, I feel like playing sports is a huge part of character development, but it also fuels your competitive spirit, that hunger for success. With making this transition from the football field to a recording booth, do you feel like your time spent playing football has influenced your drive overall? 

Definitely. It’s like that’s the thing that keeps me going: I can’t accept no excuses. I can never understand why we can’t get something done. As an artist, I took that from football into this artist shit. If this is what you set out to do, this is what you need to accomplish to get it done. With playing football, with them coaches, you don’t get no excuses. I’m not playing football no more, now I’m playing with my life. That discipline, that focus – a lot of niggas don’t like to do interviews and shit like that, I’m like fuck that, you gotta work. Niggas don’t like to shoot videos, fuck that, you gotta work man: do what you gotta do to get what you want. You can’t complain if you not going to put in the work at all. 

In retrospect, what has been the toughest part about your journey thus far? 

Staying down and staying focused is the hardest thing. Personally, I’m a hustler first: I don’t sit down all day, I get out of bed at 8 o’clock in the morning, I’m active. With music, music is slow. Especially being an upcoming artist and trying to get somewhere, it might be like six weeks where you do no shows, no features, and you not doing a billion streams so you not getting no fatass streaming check. So, really just staying focused and remembering the end goal. It’s easy to go hop back in the streets and fuck all this shit off, that’s the easiest thing to do. That’s with anything though: a nigga might feel like he’s working his job and not doing enough, but a nigga know if he get right here and do this, I know I can make it – but the risks with that come with losing everything. Now you behind square one when you just had something going. That was the hardest thing for me, just staying focused when the shit got tough, but it’s all panning out. 

What does signing with Roc Nation mean to you? 

Signing with Roc Nation is definitely a warm feeling. We just getting started. I got so much more I wanna do. All this means is that they took a chance on me, they see something in me. Just cuz they see it don’t make it true, you gotta make that shit true. Everybody sees shit in a lot of people, that’s like getting in a relationship: yeah, I thought she was cool, but maybe she wasn’t the one. It doesn’t take away from how you felt in the beginning. They could think I’m finna be a huge star, and God willing I am, but can’t nobody predict the future. If you got someone willing to take a chance on you, that’s the best feeling. Muhfucka believe in you enough to take a chance on you, that’s what I fuck with. Nobody ain’t ever did shit for me in my life. I can’t count on my fingers how many niggas I can’t count on. 

What’s the ‘why’ behind your tireless grind, what motivates you to keep moving forward and pursue your dreams?

It’s bigger than me, this shit not about me. Right now, I’m showing my homies that they can do whatever. Anyone watching me, you can do whatever you want. Anything I set out to do in my life I’ve accomplished. A nigga said he was going to go to college, I went to college and I played football. That ended cuz I went to jail and shit, but after that I said I would put my head down and I’ma be a rapper, I’ma make this shit work, and it manifested, it happened. I’m believing in the process. If you want something, you gotta be willing to do everything that comes with it and work through it. No matter how long it takes or how hard it is, if that’s what you want you gotta go get it. The why though is hope. When you can look at a nigga doing that, seeing that, and it’s right next to you, it’s just like you can do so much more for the people around you. You can make the people around you want way more. Not even on no shit where it’s like I’ma sign all my homies as rappers. Some of my homies can’t rap. If I can help my nigga start a business, he might be the best garbage man out, it don’t matter what a nigga doing. 

That’s a selfless way of thinking.

I didn’t do this by myself. I didn’t play them songs over and over again. It wasn’t just me going to them clubs, paying for tables so that we can perform. It’s bigger than me. 

At this stage in your life, is it fair to say that you’re happy? 

Yeah. I can honestly say that I’m happy because I don’t have to be here. I’m not content and I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy. I wouldn’t want to do anything other than this. What is it to not be happy about, ya feel me. Everybody got real life shit going on and that shit ain’t gon’ never stop. Outside of me being an artist, I got a whole life. At the end of the day, I can look up and say that I’ve accomplished something. It ain’t a reason for me to not be happy. Happiness is a choice: once you choose to be happy, you gon’ be alright, you gotta choose to be bitter. 

What’s next for Kaylan.Frfr.? 

I’m definitely gon’ drop again, soon. Deluxe and something else, I got a lot of shit in the cut. I got like 300 songs just sitting. It was 26 songs on the list for this one (TwoFr 2). It was only supposed to be six, nigga I had to cry and beg, that’s why it took so long (laughs). They talkin’ bout send the sessions for the masters, but it’s like nah, we ain’t decided on thirteen yet. I got so much music bro. This project was just to be like, “Hi, I’m Kaylan, I’m here.” This my first day of the AA meeting: I’m not gon’ talk yet, I’m just letting y’all know I’m here. Then I’ma load y’all up with this hard story.