CORRECTION: In the Aug. 26 issue of The Daily Reveille, in an article titled, “University student to perform at Back to School concert,” we incorrectly reported that the concert was sponsored by Jive Flamingo. The concert is sponsored by LSU Campus Life. We regret the error.
Becoming the best at one’s craft requires confidence, dedication and skill.
Rapper and University chemical engineering senior Kareem Awad believes he has all of these traits. Tonight, he will showcase them as he performs at this year’s Back-to-School concert sponsored by LSU Campus Life.
Kareem Awad, performing under his first name Kareem, will open for Kansas-based rapper XV in front of a crowd of his friends and fellow students. He sees the sea of peers that will stand before him as another step the “beginning of his journey.”
Kareem was born and raised in Baton Rouge by Egyptian parents. Growing up, he was influenced by the city’s prominent music scene. While at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, he wrote a song for a service organization of which he was a member. Although the song was poorly engineered and recorded through Awad’s phone, it was still well-received.
As he entered college, Kareem began freestyling for fun, playing instrumentals on his laptop and recording the songs through his phone. But it wasn’t until spring 2013 that Awad began writing songs and pursuing a musical project. He stepped into a studio in July of the same year and acquired his first taste of the professional recording process. Although he recorded last summer, Kareem waited to release his first song via Soundcloud in March.
“I haven’t come up with a rap moniker yet, but I’ve always been called Krispy Kareem,” Awad said. “Krispy might stick one day.”
With only five songs on his page and no mixtapes or EPs, Awad has found himself booked three notable times within a three-week span. At Late Night LSU last Thursday, he performed one song for the crowd to preview his set tonight, and Kareem will open for Houston rapper Lil’ Flip on Saturday at DJ’s Club Elite.
“I went from dreaming about rapping to actually doing it in front of people. It’s happening so fast,” Awad said.
Kareem refuses to place himself into any subgenre of rap. He calls his music “honest” and “incomparable.” Awad sees his background as a key contributor to his individuality. While inspired by Baton Rouge artists, Kareem believes he sounds nothing like them. Although he disagrees, Kareem has been told that his music reminds people of rapper Drake because of how much of himself he places into his songs.
Last year, Awad served as a Resident Advisor in Acadian Hall. During a program held there, he played one of his songs and, out of curiosity, asked a resident who she thought was the artist playing through the speakers. She responded with “Drake,” and when Kareem told her it was him, he said she brushed him off in disbelief.
“People are legitimately shocked when hearing my music,” Awad said. “Their reactions inspire me to work harder and harder.”
The rapid rise in Awad’s musical career and his increasing skill have lead him to believe he is the best rapper on the University’s campus. In hip-hop, competition is seen as healthy, but Kareem sees no competition from other student artists. He welcomes the challenge of other rappers to “come with their best” but claims he would make a rebuttal song that would be “much better” than his challenger’s. Awad said he doesn’t mean to be arrogant, but he fails to see anyone else working as hard as he currently is.
“I worked five jobs this summer to pay for studio time and production,” Awad said. “I don’t see another LSU student as dedicated to their art.”
To break outside the box of being labeled a University rapper, Kareem tries to collaborate with Baton Rouge artists. He believes being big on campus is important, but that there is more to his career. Awad wants to work with artists and become known on a city-wide level. He said if Baton Rouge knows who he is, then so will those on campus.
Awad will be releasing his debut mixtape this fall assuring that every song will be good. Confident in his skill, Awad said the mixtape will be “one of the best debut mixtapes to come from this state.” Using music to document his emotions, Kareem expects his songs to inspire listeners and have longevity that other artist’s songs don’t.
Kareem Awad will spread himself thin this year between his classes, working at the Honors College, tutoring and fulfilling his duties as a member of the Iota Tau chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. He said he will find the time to continue making music and completing his responsibilities because he wants to be successful.
“There comes a point when no one believes in you, and that’s the part that I block out,” Awad said. “I know I’m talented at this.”
The Back to School Concert will be held for free tonight at 8 p.m. on the Parade Ground.