Sikai has the kind of story that tells itself.
The 24-year old rapper from Connecticut was severely injured in two different car accidents. Both times he became addicted to painkillers.
But Sikai doesn’t really want to talk about it all that much on the phone with The Shadow League, nor does he want to let it define his life.
“The story sounds tragic, car accidents, painkiller addiction, but I’m a person, man, I still have fun," he said. "I’m 24 years-old, I’m still going out, partying, chilling with my guys, chillin with the girls. So it’s like, I’m still livin’ and having fun with it.”
He named his group Painkilling Music, and he’s got more that a few drug references in his tracks and tapes. Though it’s a major source of motivation, he doesn’t want it to define his music, either.
“Music seems to help get that across, like when I’m having fun, I can have fun with the music and put that out there. When I’m down, I can put it into music and feel better about everything. It's kinda like therapy, man.”
He had a special therapy session with Joe Budden, a rapper he’s often compared to. Budden had some words of encouragement and support for a kid who looked up to him growing up and remembers buying his first album with Def Jam as a 12-year old. French Montana, DJ Whoo Kidd and DJ Ill Will have all shown love, and it fuels Sikai’s dream of an organic rise as his focus, passion and ability grows, along with a fan base he loves connecting with.
The fans mean everything to Sikai. He gets to know his fans and they’ve encouraged him to write about issues he’s going though, like speaking with his father for the first time. But it’s also because they’re the ones who validate his deep connection with music, on full display in his art.
“It’s just, music was the one thing I could always count on, so it meant more to me than anything. and i was always willing to put that above everything. I could never put my relationship with music on the back burner for anyone, and that’s just because music was always there for me. And when that person is gone, music will still be there.”
His love for music has him in full grind mode, touring all over the country and working on a new tape, possibly arriving in February. The hefty load took a toll on him, leaving him on bedrest for a month. He’s not sweating it though. It’s just gives him more time to focus on his next project. After that, it’s back on the road.
“We’ll perform anywhere with a stage, man, I don’t care. We’ll come to the moon, or perform on Mars, man. We’ll be there to rock out.”
