Frylock is an emerging independent songwriter, rapper, and producer who made his solo professional recording debut in 2022 with the single “Black Lagoon”. That track introduced a talented emcee from Louisiana with a quick wit and a taste for experimental lo-fi beats. His music is inspired by his own experiences as a young American man making his way in the world while juggling mental health and substance abuse issues.
In just over a year since dropping his debut, the prolific producer has released five singles and two full-length albums. He has connected with fans around the world thanks to popular tracks like “Ipanema” and “Cycle of Hatred”. His sound is a wildly creative mix of hip-hop, indie, lo-fi, and electronic music, with a healthy dose of Latin vibes for good measure.
Fry’s Hi-Fi C-Sides is the brand new album from Frylock, released worldwide via all major streaming services on July 26, 2023. The record is a showcase for the diverse tastes and talents of this fearlessly creative young recording artist. It’s a chilled stoner set with esoteric titles like “Ill Intents in Times Eight Sphere” and “EgoDeathIsOnlyTemporal”, that deal with heavy subjects of addiction and self-worth.
From the slow jam soliloquy “Bathin in My Aether” to the hard glitch-hop of “INeedMeATwitchThot”, Frylock weaves social commentary, absurdist comedy, and sci-fi philosophy into a coherent and cool lo-fi hip-hop LP. Throughout the record he drops smart, funny, and introspective freestyles. He lays his staccato rhymes over quirky Ween-style lounge grooves (“New Shrek Crocs”), mellow bossa nova beats (“Drowning in this Sinking Ship”), and bluesy Laurel Canyon folk/pop vibes (“Sunset Soliloquy”).
Check out Fry’s Hi-Fi C-Sides in its entirety below, or listen on your favorite streaming service. You can also hear the track “B.I.G (Ion Wannabe)” on the Deep Dive : Hip-hop and R&B playlist. We had the chance to chat with Frylock about the new album. Check out his answers to our 8 questions below. Follow the links at the end of this article to connect with the artist.
8 Questions with Frylock
Where are you from?
I’m from the burbs of Louisiana, the heart of the swamp land, if you will. Though I spent most of my childhood inside on the internet, I did pick up a few things that helped make me who I am. We take pride in our food (which my gas tree buds do detest because I’m weird) , hospitality, and overall rawness and honesty. And maybe even a little southern drawl but I can’t really tell 😅
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music since I was a little kid, with Minecraft parodies and edgy songs inspired by South Park. 😂 I wanted to make funk/jazz music when I picked up a bass in middle school, which was short lived due to my being ASPD, and a lack of meeting musicians in school as I got kicked out a few times. It was kind of a hostile environment for me till I got out and met some cool people.
Who are the musicians involved in your project?
I started making music in 2018 under Lil Virgins and made meme rap with the likes of YungFrenchFry, Mc Virgins, and Vintage before I had the bright idea to make frylock which is what I always kinda wanted to pursue.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
My biggest musical influences are Vulfpeck a jazz/funk fusion group, Rav/Kill Bill who are lofi indie rappers who I’ve followed for a long time, A Tribe Called Quest and the Pharcyde who I stumbled upon at a record store downtown where I’m from and that really opened a lot up to me creatively.
What is your greatest non-musical influence?
Non musical would be Neo from the Matrix series. Outside of music I’m a trainer and web/game developer. Ever since I was a kid I’ve known life is just a big RPG basically, and who wouldn’t want their stats to be maxxed out? Bros just a GOAT. Also Trevor Moore from WKUK and the members of Sleepycabin including OneyNG and Zach Hadel have inspired me to do a lot in life.
What inspired you to create this project?
Fry’s HiFi CSides is inspired by what I’ve been living. It is about the past, and just growing into myself and figuring out who I am. I was contemplating scrapping most of what’s on it for the past year or two. The tracks range from years-old to one I made a week before it dropped. But I decided to release the album after my friend LVCY told me to. LOL
What are your plans for the future (musically)?
I’m working on improving my quality in all aspects. I had hit a wall of writer’s block at the time I started on it so I kinda just wrote without a real overarching purpose. But some themes I’ve found are overcoming ego and the struggles that come with realizing it’s actually impossible.
And just letting go of a lot of stuff I’ve had trapped in my mind in general, so I can get it all out of my system, for what’s coming. Expect a big change in the overall mood of frylock from some whiny kid who’s almost preaching about vices and how to live life to the fullest to someone who’s started living it and the experiences that have come from it.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Aside from that, in general expect more of the same vibes, but with a bit more of me in them. Frylock is meant to have a little bit of a more lighthearted tone, but sometimes I have to snap to get a point across!