Lil Mosey Names Meek Mill, Iamsu and Joey Badass as Rap Influences

Seattle rapper Lil Mosey tends to keep to himself. For someone whose popularity has been on the rise over the last year, touting 100 million-plus views between his videos for "Noticed" and "Kamikaze," there's still things about him that his fans don't know. Lil Mosey kicked it with XXL for our Who Am I? series, in which he talks about his Seattle stomping grounds, mom trying to get him to be a lawyer, favorite rappers growing up and much more.

Before the bars, Mosey was an athletically-inclined kid. "I used to play sports, basketball, football," he shares. "Once I got into like 8th grade, I started just fuckin' with basketball." Wanting to get his bread up took over soon after. "Once I got into high school, I stopped playing," Mosey admits. "I was just tryna make money. That's why I started making music."

While the rapper had his own vision for success, Mosey's mother had her sights set high for her son. "My mom wanted me to be like... a doctor, a lawyer," he explains. "I was with it, being like a lawyer or something, because you make hella money and I wasn't tryna be broke." His grades ended up holding him back, but things worked out pretty well. "Popular rapper" isn't a bad job at all.

When it comes to rappers Mosey was into early on, his tastes were quite varied. "The first artists i was ever introduced to was Meek Mill and IAmSu!," he says, excitedly. "Meek Mill, I really only listen to him. But IAmSu! and Joey BadA$$, my brother showed me all them." Three rappers from three different regions meant a lot to Mosey. Hip-hop continues to inspire.

Check out more of Mosey's backstory in the video up top, including his production chops, favorite TV shows and more.

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