Lil Rekk’s sense of individuality is a tried and true, proven way to reach people with his message. The Philadelphia rapper’s latest effort – 1ONE – is 12 tracks of emotion-charged, introspective mentions. “PTSD” recalls past trauma, paying homage to the pain that helped shape Rekk into who he is today. “Time” reiterates his lyrical dexterity flexed throughout the project, accompanied by melodic riffs that finesse their way into hidden pockets within each beat.

“People know me for several flows,” Rekk explains. “I can get in any pocket, it just comes from how I feel,” he continues. A good portion of 1ONE feels like therapy, divulging into a troubled past that gives nuance to his withdrawn behavior. And yet, a closer examination reveals that the 23-year-old rapper isn’t naturally introverted, rather, he’s guarded: protecting his vulnerability. “I love easy,” Rekk admits, revealing a more affectionate side of him that’s often kept under wraps.

Before signing to Highbridge, Lil Rekk always knew that he was destined for greatness, stretching beyond the hustle and bustle of everyday life in North Philly. A career in rap wasn’t ideal at first, but that didn’t stop Rekk from using his natural talent as a means to make it out – giving rise to why his city gave him the nickname 1ONE (pronounced: one of one).

The story of Lil Rekk finding himself is still in the works. And though he’s still fine-tuning his flow, Rekk is on his way to becoming a standout amongst his rap contemporaries. Dirty Glove Bastard caught up with the young boul on his birthday weekend to talk about life after signing with Highbridge The Label, being vulnerable in music, making it out his city and more.

How was your birthday? 

Where I’m from, it’s crazy to make it to see 23. A lot of my friends ain’t get to see 18, experience the clubs together and really go out. When I go out and party now, I’m partying for all of us. I had a good birthday this year. 

Did you get any special gifts this year? Rapper friends tend to give out the best gifts from what I can see. 

I got a check from EMPIRE on my birthday (laughs). You know, racks came in, so I’m cool. 

Talk to me about your upbringing, part of your life was spent living between Virginia and Philadelphia. 

It was crazy because I’ve been bad my whole life, since I was a little kid – that’s the reason why I even moved to Virginia. I never thought that the things that I would do and the people that I hung out with would do what we did. Now that I think about it, there’s some things I still do but I gotta do that because of who I am. I would’ve never thought that the shit I’m doing now would ever happen. Growing up, doing the things I do, to even the girls that I messed with, and now, it’s like damn. Even with my music, I never lied in one song, ‘cause it’s all coming from in my head, from the heart. My upbringing was nasty though, I ain’t gon’ lie. 

Did rapping come easy for you?

My man that I grew up with (Nix), he taught me everything. He damn near taught me how to tie my shoes the right way. He locked up right now – free bro, but it was just crazy ‘cause he was the music nigga: I was never into music, forreal. I’m the type to get in a car and listen to the wheels. I always liked music but never went crazy about it until he got locked up. It was on some shit like, I ain’t never had a real career picked out for myself. You know how people ask you, “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” 

You didn’t have hoop dreams or anything like that? 

I used to play ball, but I was small for a long time. I was like 5’4 in the 12th grade. I ain’t like playing football because I get mad too easily – quick as somebody hit me, I wanna fight now. And I was always a street kid, a lot of street shit captured my attention easier. I learned the basics of a lot of things in the streets before I even thought about playing sports. My cousin, he was the sports boul, I ain’t never grow up on that type shit. 

With being the only boy in your family, what has that experience taught you about yourself? 

I ain’t gon’ lie, I probably got 16 sisters. My dad is off the wire, he still having kids (laughs). My sisters really taught me everything about women, forreal. I got sisters my age, from both sides of the family. They taught me the game, especially how to deal with certain people. I got sisters that’s about they business, I got sisters that’s hood – they’ll go to war with grown men, then I got sisters that’s pretty girls, models, and then I got sisters that finesse niggas for a living. Then I got little sisters, and Ion want them to catch their wave, so it’s crazy that I made it happen how I made it happen. My mom’s daughters and my father’s daughters are way different from each other. I love easy, but I got that from my sisters because they babied me when I was little. If something was to happen to me, I could go to my sisters, any one of ‘em. They all got the same traits but it’s a different story. It’s like I’m still talking to the same person, but it’s a different way that they gon’ deliver the message.

Are there any aspects of your upbringing that influence your sound?

For sure. I used to listen to R&B a lot when I was a young boul. I’m talmbout Tyrese — niggas don’t even know about Ty, they think he a movie star. I still listen to shit like that. These songs bring back my childhood, with my mother in the kitchen cooking food type shit. That’s the good moments. When I get on a song, I’m releasing pain but also remembering the joy, too. That comes with a lot, to be able to talk about that type of shit on the regular.

Is it hard to get vulnerable with your work? 

It depends on how I feel. We’re all human at the end of the day: one day I might wake up and be the happiest man, the next day I could wake up sad. Something could’ve happened right before I fell asleep or I could’ve woken up to some bad news. When I do that, I just make sure that my delivery is on point. If I’m sad, that’s the type of music I’ma make that day, we gon’ make pain, melodic type music. If I just made twenty-thousand, I’m going in there talking about diamonds, clothes and money, ‘cause that’s where the money bout to go if it ain’t going to my mother. 

Your sense of individuality is a tried-and-true, proven way to reach people with your message. What does that unlock in you?

Musically, it just makes me want to go further. Once I listen to my music and I listen to other people’s music, Ion want no similarities. Once you get to a certain point in music, if you get comfortable with your sound, in a way, that becomes your flow. People know me for several flows. I can get in any pocket, it just comes from how I feel.

Do you feel like you’ve mastered your flow? 

I’m open to whatever. Right now, I’m listening to Pink Sweatpants heavy. Nobody I hang around with gon’ listen to that, but that’s the shit I’m gon’ listen to because it opens up my brain more. It opens up my brain more if I reach out of my genre and listen to people talk about something totally different. It makes me wanna go to the studio and get in a totally different bag.

What has signing with Highbridge allowed you to do with your work that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to accomplish?

I ain’t gon’ lie, I was just on the block. It’s crazy, I had a blue check before I was signed. I was in trenches doing my ones and twos with a blue check. I had a manager, he was in the NBA and he helped me get started up, but I only dropped one song. It got me live in the hood. When I got with them (Highbridge), I went from running up and down the block all day, to getting on a PJ that cost thirty-thousand dollars just for a couple of hours. They opened a lot of doors for me, just on the regular life tip. Music wise, I see so many doors opening up they probably think I’m a fly or something (laughs). 

Do you feel like you’ve made it yet, or has the feeling evolved beyond that?

I been felt like I made it, but not made it, made it. There’s a difference between selling out every night and getting a couple of shows every month. I was with Dugg one time and we were in New York, he had five shows in one day – six bookings, six walk-throughs’. That’s success right there, when you doing shit everyday. Even though it might be stressful and allat, you got it lined up. Right now, I made it because it’s not nobody from my block that’s where I’m at. I used to watch some of my friends that’s dumb lit, and I used to be like, “Yo, I gotta get some recognition one day.” And they used to say shit like, “Bro, Ion know why they ain’t fucking with you.” Now, we just taking shit to a whole nother level. 

Talk to me about your friendship with 42 Dugg. You two must be close, considering how he’s the only feature on your new project. 

It’s a lot of rap niggas that’s cool, but Dugg a real nigga. The problem is people think that I’m some pretty-boy ass, singing nigga. Niggas don’t know me in real life until you get around me, that’s why I fuck with who I fuck with. Me and Dugg, we wasn’t even on some music shit when I first met him. I pulled up on bro and fucked with niggas. We knew each other before I was signed, when I was in the trenches type shit. Ion even gotta say too much, but the streets know. 

Has the pandemic impacted your ability to break ground as a new artist? 

Kinda, but not really. I feel like if the pandemic wasn’t around, I would’ve been able to go crazier outside. Everybody can be in the crib and I’m still gon’ go crazy. I’ma find a way for people to see me. I’ma always find a way to make something happen, that’s the type of guy I am: I’ll never sit around and wait for something to happen. 

Your new mixtape (1ONE) is a healthy mix of lifestyle and self-reflection. What were you looking for in those sessions? I feel like this is a statement project for you. 

That’s me, that’s what everybody in the hood calls me. The true meaning behind it is that I’m the only one to make it out the hood. Everything I do is one of one type shit. It’s like an army name. 

Is there any pressure that comes with being in this position, though? Almost like you’re endowed with a certain responsibility to pay it forward and make a way for someone else from your section. 

I got niggas from the hood that got nothing to do with me. We into with each other, but they not a part of the camp. Ion never try to downplay niggas, I was just standing on the block everyday. But now, I only take care of who there for me. The niggas with me putting they life on the line, genuinely. I go all the way about people that go hard for me.