Kick 5000 on Finding Melody, Building Independently and the Story Behind His Name

Kick 5000’s story begins in Carol City, where a childhood nickname grew into an identity he would carry into music. Through personal loss, years of studying rap and the support of The Goons, he developed an approach that brings punchlines and melody together while keeping his own experience at its center.

We caught up with Kick 5000 to talk about finding his voice, building independently through Goonsville Entertainment and the confidence behind “Spray.” From his first attempts at writing to the records that taught him how a song works, the conversation follows an artist determined to turn what he has lived through into something listeners can feel.

EV: The name "Kick 5000" came from the older guys in your neighborhood — it was given to you, not chosen by you. What does it mean to carry that name into a music career, and what do you feel it represents now that you've built something with it?

Kick 5000: It means that I can take misfortune and turn it into a blessing. I got the name kick as a kid when I moved to Carol city. I met some friends in elementary and I would hang out with them after school. We would play sports to stay active and one day we were asked what we wanted to play and I said kick ball. I was like 8 btw. That nick name stuck with me and my family members even use it to this day. I added the 5000 when I reached 5k followers on MySpace.com. I thought it would be impactful on a flyer when you see my name.

EV: You lost your father at three, your brother got a life sentence when you were thirteen, and your mother passed when you were fifteen. At some point music became the thing you held onto. When did that shift actually happen — when did it stop being background noise and start being something you needed?

Kick 5000: Children and family believe I should go to therapy to cope with the loss of my mother. I felt that I would become weak if I spoke about that with a therapist. I already dealt with loss and I knew how to channel it into my art. Her death spawned me picking up the pen to write rhymes like a journal.

EV: The story goes that rapping started as a joke — mocking a friend's lyrics until he dared you to write your own. That's a specific moment. What did that first verse actually sound like, and do you remember what you wrote about?

Kick 5000: It was trash! I was heavy on canibus at the time. I mean the rapper not the drug. I was blown away at the whole process of writing verses. It was about destroying things and people. I didn’t know anything about picking beats, how to start a verse, how to deliver it. I was very bad.

EV: An A&R gave you advice early on to elevate your pen game. That kind of feedback can go two ways — it can crush someone or sharpen them. How did you take it, and what did you actually do differently after?

Kick 5000: I submitted songs and one of the feedback told me I had no melody. Which was true for that song but melody is something that I find natural. I had so many styles when I started I cancelled them out to spit punchlines. I live in the south, so I rapped on mixtape beats for 5 years before I understood how to do it for myself on my own beats I picked. This gave me the capability to mix my two powers punchlines and melodies and that’s how he changed my songs.

EV: The Goons was described as a brotherhood as much as a rap group. What did that collective give you that going solo couldn't have, especially at that point in your life when you didn't have much family structure around you?

Kick 5000: 3 other minds who can paint the same picture as me in different ways. It allowed me to count on them for support. They had drive and ambition to be something in the music industry. We all developed with light speed. They gave me a life lesson on how to approach songs and connect a story and emotions to it.

Kick 5000: My immediate family yes I do. I have plenty of aunties and uncles, 50 to be exact. I have numerous cousins. Life made sure I am a part of many family structures. Outside of my blood I have a lot of people I met along the way that are like my family.

EV: "Spray" is framed as a pregame record — energy, release, a night ahead of you. But when you come from where you come from, that kind of pure fun can mean something different. What does a song like this represent for you personally, beyond what it does on the dancefloor?

Kick 5000: It represents me wanting and getting things I shouldn’t have. It’s essence of persuasion. It’s your aura being at an all time high. Being able to manifest what you want out of life.

EV: You describe yourself as self-taught — countless hours studying catalogs, mastering melodies and lyrical skills on your own without formal training. What were you actually listening to, and what did you learn from it that you couldn't have learned in a classroom?

Kick 5000: I was walking to school American senior high 8th grade and heard Hard knock life by Jay-z. My mind couldn’t get that sample out of my head. I searched for that song until I found it. That is the trigger that went off musically. Miami Mega had a catalog of cds. In a group home. Music is an escape from reality. He gave me music that made my addition grow. I was listening to Busta rhymes,Wu tang clar,The Rza, The lox, Canibus, Biggie, Nas,Jay-z, OutKast, big l, boot camp clique.

EV: Carol City, Miami has produced some serious artists. Growing up in that environment — what did the city give you musically, and what did it cost you?

Kick 5000: Gave me an environment that I could see and turn into a visual from my perspective. I grew up with artist that made it in the industry. I worked with local labels. I got my source material from living there. I met producers that help the goons gain local fame.

EV: You've been building this independently through Goonsville Entertainment for years now. What does independence mean to you in practical terms — not the philosophy of it, but the day-to-day reality of doing this without a major label behind you?

Kick 5000: I’m locked in I don’t smell the roses. It terrific to go from unknown to a possible musical artist. I thrive off the fact that I am trying to do it without a label. I accomplished some nice things without a label that I am grateful. I felt destined to share my story. I want to be an example for people without parents to become whatever their heart desires.

EV: By the end of 2026, what does the Kick 5000 story look like — and what do you want people who haven't heard you yet to understand about where you've been and where you're going?

Kick 5000: It will be great. I will give you some new music. None of my albums sound the same. I like to experiment with sound. This next album will be chicken soup for your soul. It will have a lot of fun records. I am creating an audio Disney world.

What stays with you is Kick 5000’s willingness to keep learning without letting go of where he came from. The same artist who describes an awkward first verse now talks about melody, independence and creating an “audio Disney world.” His ambition reaches beyond the next record: to make something of his experiences and show others they can do the same.