Meet PaintBoy KD, born and raised on the north side of Omaha, now rapping out of Lincoln, is making his name known and has been on our spotlight for a few months now. Get to know PaintBoy KD in his full interview below and make sure to follow Jukebox Culture on Instagram.
Where are you from and explain life growing up? I was born in Omaha, Nebraska and spent most of my childhood on the Northside before moving to the Southside where I spent my teenage and early adulthood. Life was the same as anybody that grew up in poverty. I didn’t realize how bad my surroundings were until I got older… up until then life was just life.
How did you get started in music? My two cousins James and Staccs did music when I was younger. This was back when I was using FL Studios to Make Beats, and using computer mics and simple voice recorders to record. Watching them cut up mixtapes made me want to be like them. They used to tell me “When you write something good enough we will let you get on a song” so I wrote everyday until I was good enough and then just kept writing.
How did you get your name PaintboyKD? The term PaintBoy comes from the label owner I’m signed under. He is a master painter and he started the label PaintboyENT. He saw talent in a group of us and took us all off the street, taught us how to paint and kept us out of trouble. We then started painting houses and businesses to make the money to pay for our careers.
Who is your biggest music inspiration? Michael Jackson Is the first artist I can remember that got me interested in music. I remember seeing the Thriller video and just being fascinated by the sound, the dancing, the way they looked. That day he became a God to me.
Most expensive jewelry piece?
My grill. My manager gifted me a $5000 dollar diamond grill for hitting 1M streams on my song Ski Mask.
What has been the most difficult part of being a music artist?The lies. People will lie to you in this game, make you believe that your suffering is over, and will have no intentions on helping you. It’s a dirty game, about as dirty as the streets. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?Rich. Coming from nothing all I think about is the one thing that can put me in a position to change the outcome of my life.
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be and why?Tee Grizzley. I think it’s because we have a similar story. We both know what it’s like to come from absolutely nothing. We both have that strong street mentality with that powerful delivery. I think we will make a platinum hit and a street anthem at the same time.
In your opinion, what is your favorite song you’ve done to date? – new or old.My favorite song from myself is “My Pain”. I love this song because it was the first time I wrote a hit in my mind that was completely out of my element. I dedicated the song to Juice Wrld and I think it’s amazing.
What advice would you give to someone looking to become an artist
Cross every T and dot every I. Don’t ever accept “good enough” and always strive for perfection. Never go to sleep with more gas in the tank and never stop a minute early. Always leave it all out on the court. You do that and you will see the efforts. Manifest, and meditate – It’s better to have lost in life, then to have never lived at all.
