Exclusive: Lil West Names Killswitch Engage & Lady Gaga As Influences, Speaks On Soundcloud & Skateboarding

It’s not every day that you hear about a dope new rapper coming out of Delaware. Lil West is one of the first artists to earn a large following from his area, recently releasing his new project Vex, Pt. 1. Lil West recognizes that he isn’t a household name yet but he’s growing quickly, earning praise from some of the biggest rappers in the game. We’ve been keeping an eye on West for a minute and with Vex, Pt. 1, he’s starting to gain attention from everywhere. The up-and-comer recently stopped by our offices to chat about his career trajectory, revealing an eclectic list of musical influences.

When we asked about his biggest influences as a rising artist, West told us that he used to listen to a lot of rock and pop music. “I was listening to Killswitch Engage, I was listening to Lady Gaga,” said the Delaware native. “I don’t know why but I was listening to a lot of Lady Gaga. All the hits.” Around the time West started seriously exploring his love of music, Gaga was dropping off tons of chart-toppers so it makes sense that he would look up to an artist like her. Maybe we’ll eventually see Lil West starring in the next remake of A Star Is Born?

For the rest of the year, West is interested mostly in evolving as an artist, taking the upcoming months to shape his sound and improve even more than he did last year. Check out his new project here and watch our full interview above.