ClarkAirlines has always been the underdog but it looks like his time is coming soon. The Matteson native turned heads with his EP TrillAir and showcased his artistic side with colorful and thoughtful music videos. He followed that up with his next project 11pm in Chicago, displaying growth in his sound.

"I experience life. You know, the older you get, the more you see and I’ve been traveling a lot," he told XXL. "I feel like content in my music is getting better. I’m seeing more things. I lost some things too. I lost both my grandmas in the same year. You just get older, and you’re just seeing more and there’s more for you to talk about. You just get wiser."

For this week edition of The Break, get to know who he is.

Name: ClarkAirlines

Age: 28

Hometown: Matteson, Ill.

I grew up listening to:  I grew up listening to all type of music. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson of course, Lenny Kravitz and Biggie. I listened to the Blues. My father would listen to all the genres of music. Rap was actually the last thing I started to listen to. But the fact that I could express myself; I can’t sing but if I did, I probably would be a singer. But the fact that I can express myself and get my message across through rap is what caught my attention plus other people’s stories. I’m an artist, I went to school for art. That’s why I thought this is where I need to be and gave it my fullest attention.

My style has been compared to: I get a lot of comparison to Kendrick. As far as sound, J. Cole, sometimes Lil Wayne and sometimes Drake. My sound, I can’t even tell you. I can tell you whom my music is for. It’s for the underdogs. The people that always got looked over or told they couldn’t do something. I guess you can say it’s kind of conscious.

Something people don’t know about me:  I played basketball. I played with Derek Rose a little bit. I’m not going to say he remembers me but I played with him a little bit. Also I draw, I’m an artists. A lot of people also don’t know I do edit my own videos, shoot and direct them. I engineer my own music I record myself. Like I don’t have an engineer sitting behind the keyboard. I do my own stuff.

My standout record or moment to date: I got a project out called TrillAir and another project called 11pm in Chicago. There’s a record called “Good Timing." I would say that identifies my sound.

My goal in hip-hop is:  [I want] to be number one and shut shit down. Win some Grammys and get my message across. I want people to hear my story. I’m pretty sure there are people out there that are like me and don’t have anyone speaking for them. So I want to be that voice.

I’m the next: The next Kanye West. He was an underdog who used to make beats. When he was coming up he got looked at as the guy who made beats. I’m not running into that, but some label me as the video guy. But when they hear me rap, it blows them up.

Follow ClarkAirlines on Twitter and SoundCloud.

Standout: "GoodTimingYeah"

11pm In Chicago

TrillAir EP

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