IDK emerged onto the hip-hop scene with the 2017 album, IWasVeryBad, which helped boost his stock as well as shine a light on the DMV. The following year he shared his IDK & Friends project, and he returned in 2019 with his major-label debut, Is He Real?. A stellar 14-track album, it beautifully presented a man accepting life’s unknowns. More than eight months after sharing that album, IDK stopped by Harvard to discuss life before he attained success, his artistry and more.
On top of speaking about being an artist and the importance of originality, as well as how to be a productive up-and-coming artist, IDK also explained why going to jail was the best thing that happened to him.
When I went to jail I had perspective, something that a lot of people don’t have — or multiple perspectives. My perspective was growing up middle class, my parents went to school, you know all of that, and then I also knew how it was in the streets and some of my friends that I hung out with, how they grew up. So when I went to jail, I knew what right from wrong was, so with me the first, I went I was able to transition and turn that into something that made me actually want to succeed in life and go down a positive path… It shaped the way that I saw the world and I saw my future, I need that to have some sort of reality check.
Watch the interview in the video above.
IDK is a Warner Music artist. .
