“Lil King” dominating social media with inspirational hip-hop music

By Davina Ramdass

New musical artiste Orlando Cummings, whose stage name is ‘Lil King’, is presently dominating social media with his songs, which are geared towards raising awareness on social ills.

The 22-year-old singer sat down with Guyana Times on Saturday and explained that he developed a passion for music at just six years old. He recalled drumming and making beats while writing lyrics to accompany them, often defying his teachers’ rules. This often got him into a lot of trouble and resulted in his parents visiting him quite frequently at school.
He admitted that he had not been too attentive to tuition from nursery all the way to primary school, but said he began focusing more on his education after entering secondary school.
An exciting singer, Orlando Cummings was born at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD) but moved to Strathspey, ECD, where he grew up. King said that when he was younger, his friends would pay him to sing, and he sang so that he could raise enough money to buy cricket balls.
“I had my group of guys. We used to enjoy playing cricket a lot, and in my videos you would see me showcasing cricket, because I always loved cricket, as much as I love music; and when I sang, the older kids used to come and pay me to sing, and at the end of the day I was able to purchase a cricket ball or something of the sort, and we’d enjoy our game,” the musician recalled.
Although he tried his best to focus on his studies during his time in secondary school, King explained, he would often perform at school concerts, which would have the crowd quite hyped. Today, the humble young man said, he intends to make a difference with his music. In fact, realising that domestic violence is a major issue in Guyana, he said, he is currently working on a song to raise awareness of this issue.
He advocated his conviction as follows: “Women are someone we are supposed to look up to. Sometimes they would say harsh things, yes; but you can walk away, you have a choice…they do something wrong (and) we don’t like it or can’t take it, leave”.
Lil King is hoping that his messages can reach persons living across the globe. “A kid might wake up and he might say, ‘Man, I don’t know if anything is going to ever happen for me. What’s life gonna be like for me? Everything is going so tough’; but I am basically showing them that, ‘Hey, you can still do this; you don’t have to pick up a gun to earn something, you don’t have to pick up a knife and go and rob someone. You can put your head to it and say “I’m going to work hard”,’” the musician encouraged.
As a matter of fact, these very thoughts have inspired the young man’s first release, ‘Be What You Wanna Be’. The single, along with a video, was released in August 2017 and has grasped the attention of many young people.
Although he has since released other singles, the young musician did not hesitate to declare that he enjoyed working on that song the most. In the video, King is seen playing cricket with his friends in his community while sending his message of positivity.

The spotlight
Being in the spotlight has its advantages, King noted. But even more so, it exposes musicians to a lot of negativity. Being a young singer/songwriter, he said, he always has to ensure that he keeps his guard up, and not allow the negative comments to cloud his mind.
Very frequently, he said, young people would message him and send him encouragement, while others would attempt to distract him from doing what he loves best.
“Some people would tell you some really hurtful things, but you have to be strong; cause if you’re not, you’d want to quit, and if you solely love something, I don’t see why you should quit…let the bad comments slide”, he told the aspiring musicians.

Support
Lil King is grateful for his parents’ support, although he is still too shy to perform for them. The singer said his mother and father have been two of his biggest fans and motivators.
Meanwhile, although he provokes his two elder sisters, he pointed out, they have played major roles in motivating and encouraging him as well.
King mentioned his fans, without whom he said he would be nothing. His music videos can be viewed on his Facebook page @ Lil King.
More importantly, the young musician thanked Brutal Tracks Recording for work with him and giving him guidance along the way.