Chicago rapper and West Side native The Law of HUEY is a proud father, mentor, mentee and emcee. He is one of the founders of the music collective HUEY Gang. HUEY is an acronym for Headstrong Urban Educated Youth. The Law of HUEY recently graced the Lollapalooza stage during the Music in the Key of Chicago portion of the festival. Law isn’t afraid to be vulnerable in his music and understands the responsibility that comes with his chosen profession. Rolling out spoke with Law about his music, an artist’s responsibility and who inspires him to be a better rapper.
Talk about the moment that you knew you wanted to be an artist.
I wanted to be an artist the moment I performed for my high school homecoming. That feeling was unmatched. That’s when I knew I could be taken seriously as an artist.
What would you say is the responsibility of the artist?
I have the responsibility to speak to the soul. Everything I put out, I want you to feel even if you have never been through it because it’s from the soul. I know there is different music for different moods and vibes and everything in my opinion must stay real. That’s what I represent and that is my responsibility to every person that listens to my music.
Talk about how it felt to perform at Lollapalooza.
It felt like I’m on the way to achieving some of my biggest goals. It was the biggest stage of my life. I can check that off the list. I also had a feeling that I was going to do Lolla this year. I wrote it down on a list of things I would achieve. So for me to have done this makes me feel powerful and also careful about what I put out into the universe.
What artists inspire you to take it up to the next level?
Kendrick Lamar really boosts me. I hear him sometimes and feel like I got to go crazy. In my opinion, he is [in the] top five of all time. The man can drop right now with no promo and send the internet up. Truly a once-in-a-generation talent.
What’s next for you?
Dropping this project about my mental health journey called How Much 4 Therapy. It took me about four years to make it. It’s a project based on me talking about every topic I would’ve taken to a therapist if I could have afforded therapy back then when I really needed it. I still need it to be honest. The goal is to raise awareness and funds to donate to causes that help people of color get help with therapy whether that be financial or simply locating a therapist.
Take a listen to a sample How Much 4 Therapy on the next page.
