Julius King

"I went over to Livewire to shoot and film an up and coming local rapper, Julius King. The crowd waited somewhat patiently for the main act, Lil Durk, who didn’t appear on stage until almost midnight. Thankfully, the local artists provided energetic sets. It was Julius King’s first live performance and he gave all that he has. Not only are his songs catchy, but his lyrics spoke truth about our generation and some of the struggles we face in our daily lives."

-Rachael Smith of MonkeyGoose Magazine - Rachael Smith

Episode #11 of Radio From Neptune. Julius King is hanging out with us this week. Hosted by the Terrorist Angel Babies From Neptune. Dee Jay eM is bringing you another dope playlist of underground hip hop and also some local hip hop from Phoenix, Arizona. Airs LIVE every Sunday at 8PM (AZ) on KQCX 99.1 FM and online at www.kqcx.com! - Terrorist Angel Babies From Neptune

No Limit’s A&R J-Tweezy stated, “Theres’ a lot of talent in Arizona. The energy here reminds me of the same energy that was in the south before so many artists out there blew up.” The label as a whole was impressed by most of the music they heard and are currently talking to half a dozen artists that they’d like to potentially sign. Some of those artist’s include: One Kahleo from Seattle, Mighty from Portland, .10 year old, Mariah Sanaa from Oakland, Julius King from Phoenix and Tommy Willz from Tucson. - Respect the Underground

Julius King’s clever, thought-provoking music combined with his high energy stage shows to turn several heads in 2017. Which means he's set up to have a stellar 2018. His newest song, “Sumn,” is a brilliant piece of work that puts King in the running as one of the strongest songwriters in the city. Expect him to step up to the plate throughout the year. -Jaron Ikner - Phoenix New Times

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julius King.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Arizona at a young age. My mother is an immigrant from Mexico and my dad is from Detroit. I have a very mixed cultural background that reflects through my music. I have always loved writing music but didn’t start to perform and pursue it seriously until I was about 18 years old. I began starting to write songs and join other collectives that shared the same interest. I then began playing shows, my first one being an opening show for Lil Durk, a popular up and coming artist. From there I linked up with different promoters and began performing at all kinds of venues and events around town.

This lead allowed me to gain a following and notoriety around the city. After a couple years of work, I was able to accomplish performing at some of the top local/national festivals including The A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, the AZ Hip Hop Festival and the Full Moon Festival. I’ve also gained radio play on every major hip hop radio station in Arizona such as Power 98.3, 101.1 The Beat, and a feature on 104.7 Kiss FM/iHeartRadio. The Phoenix New Times even wrote about me as the one of the “Hip Hop Artists to Watch in 2018”. I have been able to accomplish a lot and I plan on accomplishing more, it’s been a wild ride.

Please tell us about your art.
My art is as mixed and cultured as I am. I come from a family filled with people who vary in ideas, culture, style, attitude, and I like to incorporate these different styles into my art. I create music and build my lyrics based off how I feel rather than sticking to a certain genre. I don’t spend my time feeling only one emotion so I don’t believe I should be bound to one genre. When I write music, I like to think about the whole performance, the performance aspect is very important to me.

I like connecting with the audience and making them feel like they are a part of the show with me, rather than them just sitting and watching me. I build out a whole show that’s coordinated with my lyrics and catered to the audience I’m performing for. I do this because I like to feel connected with the people viewing me. I always felt the beautiful thing about being an artist isn’t that you’re more special than someone, it’s that you’re tapping into your human nature and articulating something that everyone feels but can’t explain. If I can connect with my audience on that human level and have a whole experience with them then I know I did what I’m supposed to do.

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
My idea of success is being able to live my life boundlessly without worrying about money issues, having to have my family or friends struggle. I want to be able to do what I love and have the people around me comfortable as well. What I love is to connect with people through music, so if I can do that while providing for myself and those, I love then I’m a success in my eyes.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have many shows locally, I mainly post on my Instagram @juliusking. I also have my music on SoundCloud as well as my new singles that can be found on all major streaming platforms.

Contact Info:

Website: http://www.juliusking.com
Email: juliusthink@gmail.com
Instagram: juliusking
Facebook: juliusthink
Twitter: juliusthink - Voyage Phoenix

Freestyle video. - Power 98.3 FM

The name “Brutus” has come to signify betrayal in the same way “Judas” has thanks to Shakespeare (and Roman history). Julius King plays upon that association for his own introspective exploration of betrayal on his new single, “Brutus”. But, the old theme gets a fresh style with King’s swaggering delivery and dynamic instrumental end. No surprise that Julius King was recognized by the Phoenix New Times for being one of the up-and-coming names in the local hip hop scene. If you haven’t already, you should definitely take Julius King and his new single “Brutus” for a spin… - YabYum Music+Arts