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Lil Fiji is a up and coming underground artist out of New Jersey, specifically repping the 973 area. We decided to catch up with Fiji after his new mixtape dropped (with two features from SSWG member Dock Hellish), which you can hear all about in our interview with him below. His contributions to the underground scene range back to collaborations with some of New Jersey's top talent. His gritty, lo-fi style has evolved into the wavey trap Lil Fiji sound you hear from him now. His latest tape has shit I could imagine on the radio. Stay on the look out for Fiji, because he's clearly got more plans.
"just being your self is all that matters" - Lil Fiji
Q: Let people know about yourself. Who are you and what do you represent as an artist?
A: My rap name is Lil Fiji, real name Joshua Pollard. I’m just a kid tryna make something outta nothing. I represent Jersey all the way, I want to put Jersey on the map even more from the music I put out and want to show everyone you can put your mind to anything you please to do.
Q: What inspired you to start making music and where can we find you first work? How did that all come about?
A: What really made me inspired to make music listening to Chicago music. I listened to a lot of gherbo, lil Bibby, cdot honcho, and I can also say Grimm Doza inspired me to rap, as well my first song was with Lil Percocet on a Grimm Doza beat. I don’t know if it’s still on Doza’s page, but my first song by my self is on my SoundCloud, it’s called "Early".
Q: How did you get your name?
A: My name came from Lil Percocet he made that name for me, I also drink a lot of Fiji water.
Q: Has your upbringing/lifestyle/where your grew up affected your music style and if so in what ways?
A: My lifestyle affected my music a lil not a lot tho, but I know all about the struggle. I live thru the struggle right now living check by check all that, but my lifestyle doesn’t affect my music too much I usually just listen to the beat think of something then make bars.
Q: What has been your experience as a new artist coming up, things like struggles, what you like and dislike, the NJ underground scene, that stuff.
A: I’ve experienced people hitting me up saying I wanna be on a track but haven’t talked to me in years and shit which I find pretty corny if you ask me, but what I do like is random people I don’t even know hit me up or see me in public be like “yo Fiji I fucks with your music” or “oh shit your Lil Fiji” it’s nice to see that people actually listen to your music, I haven’t experienced a lot of fake love but hopefully I don’t have to experience that a lot.
Q: Your new tape is super clean, fye as fuck honestly. I'm interested in hearing more about it. Where it got its name and why, and what you’re trying to get across on the tape? Your experience making the tape? How long has it been in the works? Who did the cover art? Is it coming to streaming platforms?
A: I got the name from a friend who is actually on my tape “Hop on the Wave the mixtape”, he made that name because I feel like people will start to hop on the 973 wave and will appreciate everyone repping Jersey as artists, and I just wanna put on for Jersey and my squad and shit. And flex on all the people that didn't believe in me and my music. I don’t think I will put the whole tape on platforms, but I am working on putting some music on Apple Music and other platforms.
My high school friend made my cover art for me and usually makes all my cover art and it took me a good couple of months to make this tape, I wanna say at least 3-4 months. While making this tape I learned my sound of music and what type of beats I like to rap on instead of just rapping on any type of beat.
Q: Are there anybody particularly you like to work with, why, and have any noteworthy connections been made?
A: I would shout out a kid named Tyler Braddock, because he’s a really cool kid and helped me on recording better and putting more energy in my voice when rapping.
Q: As a music/apparel collective, we gotta hear your opinion on fashion and aesthetics and how it connects to hip hop? What is a typical Fiji fit?
A: My type of fashion is to literally wear whatever I want. I like to mismatch my socks, I like a whole bunch of colors, usually whatever I see and whatever I feel like wearing that day I put on and it works out for me. Skinny jeans and mismatch socks is a must for me. Fashion connects to today’s hip hop I feel like because most of these rappers do what they want, they wear whatever they want, and just being your self is all that matters.
Q: What direction do you see yourself heading in as an artist/life in general?
A: I see myself getting my name out there a lil more, (by the way I grind at night) and making sure my music sounds good. I would love to see myself buy my family a house and support all my friends family that believed in me.
Q: What is a day in the life of Fiji like right now?
A: A day in the life of lil Fiji right now is going to the gym, showing up late to work, playing some 2k, smoking my juul, gettin drunks w my niggas and finding more and more beats to rap on.
Q: Who are some artists you want to work with?
A: I would love to work with Bigbabygucci, Awto, Booshido and HVNZO. I want to work more with Grimm Doza, Dock Hellish, Lil Percocet, kay&mel and Wavii Jay. Some bigger rappers I would like to work with is Lil uzi, Lil herb, Lil Bibby, cdot huncho and Nav.
Q: Thanks for taking time to answer some questions man! Last one. What can we be looking forward to from you? Future projects?
A: What people can look forward to is music videos remix’s to big rappers songs and just a lot more work whether it’s singles, features, or music videos.
Follow Lil Fiji on Twitter: @joshuapollard24
Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/splashbrofiji