Meet Fivio Foreign, the Rising New York Rapper Behind the Hit “Big Drip”
New York has pushed its way into the hip-hop spotlight once again and this time, Brooklyn is on the map. Brooklyn Drill music has been heating up for the last year or so, with names like Pop Smoke and Sheff G and surging into popularity off the high-paced and menacing sound of the city. Utilizing beats and styles from U.K. Drill, yet reimagined with East Coast flair, there's a lot of room to be unique in your own right. In comes Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign, who's been gaining traction since last August with his infectious song "Big Drip."
The difference between "Big Drip" and the rest of the field is the focus on fun. This subgenre of rap contains plenty of street tales, but Fivio's personality shines through; you can tell he's enjoying himself on the track. The general public is catching on too, as his "Big Drip" video has over 12 million YouTube views and his video for the Rich The Kid-assisted "Richer Than Ever" has nearly 5 million views in a month. He's on a hot streak, so it only makes sense for him to come to XXL for the latest episode of Who Am I?
Fivio is currently known as a new, rising raper out of Brooklyn, but as a kid, he had an interest outside of the booth. When asked what his dream job was as a child, he shares his interest in nature. "I really wanted, when i was a little, little kid, i wanted to collect rocks," he says. "I don't know why. I didn't know nothin' about them. I just liked to pick them up and keep em." It becomes clear that he had the early interest of a future geologist. Everything worked out; plus, he can still end up becoming a lit geologist one day.
As for music, when he recorded the song "Big Drip," Fivio didn't foresee the track making the noise it did. "It started going viral," he recalls of the song, which has more than 7 million Spotify streams and counting. "I started seeing mad IG videos, everyone was putting it in they stories." He also thought another one of his songs would take off from his four-song 2019 EP Pain and Love. "I thought my other song was better than that song, 'Pop Out.' That's on my EP," he explains. "But when I put the songs out together, they liked the 'Big Drip' more."
With how quickly he's been getting popular, Fivio loves his fans, but doesn't plan on sticking around too long. "Even when I be telling people like I'm only dropping one album, they be like, 'Nah, bro, you gotta keep going,'" Fivio says. He then elaborates more: "One album, one and done, I'm outta here. I ain't tryna be rappin' for mad long. Shit's mad work." He still leaves the door open for making more music if he really wants to keep rhyming. Time will tell.
Watch the rest of Fivio Foreign's Who Am I? interview below, in which he talks about growing up in Brooklyn, his favorite TV show, the biggest misconception about him and more.
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