Two years ago, when we first sat down with The Kid LAROI in Sydney, the 15-year-old told us he was hoping to get to a place where he could afford the shoes he and friends wanted at Footlocker: “We might even try the shoe on or something, and then put it back on the shelf. We don’t got no money to pay for that!” Fast forward to his 16th birthday, Laroi was celebrating in Greece with his new friend and mentor, Juice WRLD. As a present, Juice laid down a verse for his protégé, laughing “That’s a $200,000 dollar gift, lil bro!”
The collaboration with his musical hero wasn’t the only dream of Laroi’s that had come true since dropping his 14 With A Dream EP in 2018. In March last year, after experiencing months of homelessness with his mother, the rapper was able to pay for more permanent housing for his family. Around the same time, Lil Bibby and G-Money signed Laroi to their Grade A Productions management team. Laroi relocated to Los Angeles, and things really started to pick up speed.
With his major label mixtape debut Fuck Love now out in the world, chances are we’re going to see a few more of Laroi’s dreams coming true this year. Before his career really blows, we’re taking a look back at the best tracks from the Sydney rapper’s early days.
Check the list below and stream The Kid LAROI’s debut mixtape here.