Five Fits With: Rapper AKTHESAVIOR, Who’s Still Rocking Up-and-Coming Brands

When I ask AKTHESAVIOR about his musical background, he goes into such vibrant detail that his passion for the journey is immediately apparent. Like my mom, his parents are from Trinidad and Tobago, and he grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where my grandma also lived for all of my childhood. AK and I have a shared appreciation for the diversity of Brooklyn, and more specifically Flatbush.

“My best friends were Haitian. Walk down a block, Guyanese. Walk down that block, Jamaicans. All types of cultures. So you get to learn about different people from different places,” he tells me. “My father loved R&B. Obviously, being from Trinidad, they liked soca and reggae, so that was heavy in my house, but also the slow jams, and soul, and R&B.

“My father also loved Tupac, who first inspired me to connect with hip-hop,” he continues. But it was his older brother Chad’s taste in newer rap artists like Dipset and Lil Wayne that helped him evolve musically. “I later dove into Lupe Fiasco and Nas,” a point he directly correlates to his interest in rapping.

Below, AKTHESAVIOR and I discuss his beginnings, his newest album and the process of making it, finding style inspiration through his mother, and plenty more.

Fit One

Vintage vest and shirt by Fear of God; pants by Louis Vuitton; shoes by John Elliott; hat by Ant/Anti; jewelry by Fluorescent Treasures.

How did you start rapping?

I’ve been rapping since I was eight. My first rap was terrible, but I kept it going. In high school, I met some friends that had a little studio—well, not really a studio, just their computer and a microphone and a program. We would just remix beats and do our own thing on it, and that made me develop the love for it even more. After high school, I continued to pursue it, and uploaded my music on SoundCloud. When I was sixteen or seventeen, I started a group called the Underachievers. Originally, it was me and my homie Molefi. I would go to his crib to record music. He had Fruity Loops, so he was the producer and I was the artist. He was a super genius. He went to Brooklyn Tech, and then he got a scholarship to go to Harvard and he wanted to pursue becoming a lawyer. At the time, I was like, “Damn, bro, you about to dip? I got this Underachievers shit.” He’s like, “Yo, I believe in you. You’re going to make it. Just continue.” So I did.

Later on, I met my friend Marlon, and I also met other members of the Flatbush Zombies. We were just kids at the time. Juice [of the Flatbush Zombies] and I had the connection, and we would call each other every day and spit bars to each other. They developed their group and shot a music video for “Thug Waffle.” Once that went viral and they started leaving the hood and doing shows, I was like, “Fuck, I need to get lit.” Issa [Gold] was like, “Yo, I think I can help you with the music. Maybe I do choruses and the marketing,” so we joined forces. One of our first singles was a song called “So Devlish.” Then we did “Gold Soul Theory” and “Herb Shuttles.” Once “Herb Shuttles” hit, it was a fucking wrap. We shot a music video for it. It went up instantly—viral. That was when you could drop some shit and if it’s fire, it just goes up. Now you got to drop Reels every single day. People started really giving us the attention, the emails, the agents hitting us up like, “Yo, you should tour.” Flying Lotus hit us up like, “Yo, come to L.A. I want to see you perform,” and we stayed at his house, performed, he signed us, and then that was the beginning of everything.

Fit Two

Clothing by Akings; shoes by Louis Vuitton.

How did your new collaborative album with Sagun, u r not alone, come about, and what was the process like?

The Underachievers were on a hiatus due to Covid. No touring or anything. I told my partner, “I’m going to pursue this still. I’m going to still drop some solo shit.” I dropped Almost Home, and it was received well. After, I got an email from Jordan, Sagun’s manager. He hit me up like, “Yo, you should hop on this. I think it would be a good collab.” All I know is they sent me the beats and then I listened to it. I was really attentive to my emails. I was on the grind. I fucking heard the beat and instantly connected with it. I feel like we all were going through some shit during 2020, you know what I mean? We’re all secluded in our cribs, just thinking about what really matters, like, “Damn, the world is closed.” I had a lot to express, so it was very easy to get lyrics off on these beats. I sent them the songs the next day. I think them seeing my work ethic, and the quality of music, they said, “We should do a longer project and make something bigger of this,” and that’s how it started.

I read in a few places you don’t listen to new rap. In one interview, you said you’re a caveman when it comes to new music. Why is that the case?

I am a caveman. I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting old, man, because I’ll be so focused in creating something for myself, it’s hard for me to tap into what’s going on today unless it’s brought to me. I only find new things when a friend sends me something through Instagram. That’s how I stumble upon them. I’m really just focused on creating, every single day. I have a saying, “Get out and create,” and I live by that, literally. Every single day, I’m trying to find a new thing to create, whether it’s music, whether it’s art, or jewelry. I’m into all that shit. I don’t tap into the new world, but I’m open to it because you could get inspiration from anywhere, really.

Fit Three

Clothing by Giani NYC; boots by KidSuper.

How did you first become interested in clothing and style?

I don’t know where it really started. Maybe my mother? She always put fits together well, and maybe I downloaded that subconsciously growing up. Some fashion heroes for me would have to be Pharrell, Nigo, even Kanye West, even though his style right now, today, has changed. But back then, when he was on his Polo shit, that inspired me as a kid. Pharrell, when he was rocking BBC and BAPE, it was all new to me, all the colors and everything. We would go to SoHo for certain stores. Like, Union used to have BAPE, and ICECREAM, and BBC. They used to open the floor, go downstairs, and grab certain things. I had never seen that before. It felt like some secret world. I just enjoyed growing up in that era, and being part of that culture, and that influenced me and my style today, for sure.

What role does personal style play in your music? Is a sense of style important in hip-hop for you?

Hell yeah. A sense of style is important, because when I grew up on hip-hop, there were a lot of rappers, but everyone had their uniqueness about them, and that made them stand out rather than sound the same and be uniform. Going back to your caveman question, that might be the reason why I don’t find new inspiration within the music realm, because a lot of people sound the same. It makes you unique when you just be yourself, and I try to just be myself with whatever I do, whether it’s music or style. It just comes naturally, though. Being yourself should come naturally.

Fit Four

Clothes by Warren Lotas; hat by Ryder Studios; shoes by Amiri.

What are some brands you’re currently into?

I wore all of them today. KidSuper, of course—that’s my brother for like ten years. We started together in a sense. When I became successful as a rapper, he was coming up as well. We did a collaborative thing at the grand opening of his store, and the Underachievers performed there. I feel like we brought the whole of New York City out. Giani NYC is another. We’re in his studio right now. He’s my childhood friend. I met him when I was like fifteen through mutual friends, but he’s always been into style and graffiti. It’s more than just style. It’s real hip-hop shit. There is a whole culture: the music, the graffiti, the art, everything. He’s definitely a brand that I really fuck with, and I wear that over anything, honestly. I wear Akings NYC. I really love the way he makes his jeans. It’s very unique. Pockets everywhere.

Do you have all-time favorites?

Kapital is fucking amazing. They’re from Japan. Everything is handmade, and I just love that. It feels so special. I love brands that go hard with their aesthetic. It’s not just the clothes. You’re seeing their own world. Louis Vuitton is one of those high-end brands that’s forever timeless. And I love what they do, like when they bring new creatives onboard. RIP Virgil Abloh, and now they have Pharrell, and he’s doing some cool stuff, too. I’m excited for what the future holds for Louis because it seems like they’re being more open-minded, and bringing even more colored people [into the fold]. Prada, you know, the high-end shit, but I really like up-and-coming brands because they try to do new shit.

Fit Five

Suit by KidSuper; T-shirt by Uniqlo; shoes by Maison Margiela.

Does New York have any impact on your style?

Yeah, I feel like that’s the reason why I have this taste level. Growing up, like we said earlier, it was just so diverse. Different cultures, so with different cultures comes different apparel. It’s like, “Oh shit, I can rock that shit like that?” All that influences you. New York definitely has a huge impact because everyone’s trying to be flea out here.

If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it consist of?

As you’ve seen today, I can wear black all the time. But I really like earth tones as well. That’s a hard question, because a big part of fashion to me is dressing how I feel. If I have to answer, as I grow older, I like the suit vibes. So maybe a nice suit that people can’t tell that it’s the same fit every day. I could wear that, and maybe some sneakers, because shoes are uncomfortable as fuck. And some light jewelry. I also make jewelry, so something that I make.

Did you wear anything today that you made?

Yeah, I made this Cuban-link ring and the bust down G-Shock. That comes from being inspired by Pharrell. When we was coming up, he bust down a bunch of G-Shocks for BBC. I did that in honor of him. My jewelry company is called Fluorescent Treasures. I made a ring for Joey Badass. We’re on the come up right now.