Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to HyDro Tha Xlushie K.i.D. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi HyDro , thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Well, to be honest I’m only just recently running into one of the most unexpected issues I’ve ever faced in my music career. As the members of my 9Familia know, I recently signed a distribution deal for a single release with KMG, a Sony Music affiliate. This is relevant info because up until this point in my career, I never had to dive SO deep into the world of sample clearing and making sure the business side of my music was handled correctly.

Currently, I am gearing up for my new release, “HUMBLE”, produced by my brother ChopSShop. It was a catchy and upbeat track with a ‘road quest’ feel that you can bounce your head and sing along too. I say ‘was’ because just as I was getting ready to start my rollout, we discovered that the original beat contains a sample from a video game soundtrack that is nearly impossible to actually get cleared. So much so that Wiz Khalifa also sampled this same game and he still hasn’t gotten it cleared to this day. Shout out to my people that know what song I’m talking about, you know ball for real. Long part of tha story short though, I couldn’t use the beat as it was.

I had already begun making content for my song, performance videos, Tik Toks, music video clips, and set a drop date for March, just to find out that everything I had done needed to be altered because I had to change the sample within the instrumental. Talk about unexpected. Fortunately, after months of tweaking the beat with ChopSShop, we were able to create a new product from the old one that still feels complete. If you are an artist of any lane then you can understand what I mean by that. The song went from feeling like a ‘road quest’ and ‘journey’, to now feeling light and dreamy, yet still catchy. For tha 9Familia as well as my outside listeners, you will listen to the track and wont know to even miss the old beat, but for me I’ll always know the story and headache behind those recorded 3 minutes of rhymes.

So in conclusion, artists always make sure you do your research on the EXACT sample that your are using. The problem I ran into is a rare one, but also could’ve been handled a lot more smoothly if I had researched my own beat before moving forward so intently.

None the less, “HUMBLE” is now finished and will be releasing later this year! I’m also planning on releasing a limited size run of super sick artist merch, unlike what Rap fans are used to, that would also give those lucky few patrons access to the original version of “HUMBLE”, before the beat switch. I also have an app coming soon that will serve as an artist hub and home for everything ‘HyDro tha Xlushie K.i.D’.

The details behind that are still in the works, but make sure to follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok, FB, and X at @ImHyDroBro if you are interested in keeping up with everything coming from tha 9. XLUSHIE!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Well my name is ‘HyDro tha Xlushie K.i.D’ and I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina. I’ve kind of always been around music since a baby, so I feel like it only made sense that I gravitated to becoming an artist. I originally found my love for music through dancing, which was the first talent I discovered I had at the age of 3. I would sit in front of the TV and wait for 106 & Park to come on so I could dance along to either Michael Jackson’s “Rock My World” or Usher’s “You Remind Me” music video, practicing for the part of the video where Usher holds a handstand for like 5 seconds. It was through watching 106 & Park though, that I started to learn what verses were and soon I was able to rap entire songs from memory still as a young toddler. Soon after that period I discovered I could draw too. I see it as funny now because as a kindergartener I was already learning and practicing 3 of the 4 elements of Hip Hop. (Sidebar: I also feel like if you don’t know the 4 elements of Hip Hop, you’re not really a FAN of Hip Hop, so go study.)

Anyway, I carried this love of creating all the way into adulthood and eventually learned and developed skills in Videography so I was able too bring other’s internal visions to life, as well as mine. Any music video of mine that you have watched has been directed, produced, shot, and edited all by myself, with help from a few friends that served as cameramen for me through the years. I even graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a concentration in Mass Media Production from North Carolina A&T State University. Aggie Pride!

I’ve overcome so many hardships in life, some that I’m still dealing with now, and I just want people to know my story because I know I can inspire someone else to push through. From a car accident that should’ve taken my life, homelessness, and losing it all…to graduating college, establishing an LLC, and signing a distribution deal. I just want people younger and even older to know, you can do it just keep pushing. Only you can stop you and that’s what my music is about. It’s more than just bragging, it’s owning where you are and who you are in life and striving for wherever you’re wanting to end up.

If you are interested, however, in booking my services for a Music Video, Event Recording, Short Film, Editing, etc. you can inbox my production company on Facebook or Instagram at @HyDronicProductions

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me as an artist is just being in the conversation. I don’t need or necessarily even want to be the biggest artist in the world. As long as that random music lover out there like me resonates with one of my songs so much that its something they actually listen to, make memories to, work out to. Liking my merch so much that they actually wear it out and about. Someone coming to me to bring a vision to life and collaborating on a masterpiece that tha viewers feel the same way about. Someone watching me dance in public and telling me how I evoked feelings in them as I danced. I’m really just happy enough that someone rocks with me and my art, for real.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Honestly, no. I feel like the majority of people who hear my story tend to gravitate to my character because everyone knows someone with my story. The difference in my story only comes when I speak about the perseverance it took for me to get here, and I’m STILL not where I want to be. I feel like I provide an outlet for my fans and followers [9Familia] to grow with me on my journey. It’s like Ice Cube said about his movie ‘Friday’:

“Everyone loves ‘Friday’, because everyone has lived a thousand ‘Friday’s”.

I feel like the human embodiment of that statement.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/imhydrobro/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ImHyDroBro
• Twitter: https://x.com/ImHyDroBro
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ImHyDroBro

Image Credits

HyDronic Productions
The Vibe Provider
NowFRVR
Tha DogHouse
BoomSound Radio