Vid Pick: LiKWUiD & 2 Hungry Bros. w/ P.SO & Donwill – Hold That (Faybles)

LiKWUiD has a simple request for anyone thinking of approaching her with negativity – “Hold That.”

“‘Hold That’ has so many meanings,” the NYC-based hip-hop artist says of her latest song, “but namely it's a shield to harmful vibes. It's a way to say, ‘I’m good on what you're offering, but you can hold this counter, or nonresponse.’”

Lyrically, and emotionally, “Hold That” is rooted in some unwelcome interactions LiKWUiD had back in the summer of 2014. “I had several interactions with individuals who had preconceived notions about me based on biases, rumors, and/or their own insecurities,” she remembers. “Most of these preconceived notions had no merit or validity, but it caused the aggressor to treat me in an unfair manner. I was so self-conscious, I'd want to overcompensate to use kindness as a weapon. Honestly, it had me downtrodden for a period of time, and it especially affected me when lies, or fables, began to affect my work.”

Reflecting on words from her mother, LiKWUiD came to the realization that “other people's biases have nothing to do with me. It's their own void, their own emptiness that allows them to be enslaved by their own debts.”

An additional aspect of “Hold That,” which is off of LiKWUiD’s just-released album, Fay Grim, comes from the feeling of being outcast due to the current political climate in America, and “this unapologetic police state in which we've been forced to ‘survive’ in because of trigger happy law enforcement.”

LiKWUiD says that, artistically, one of her goals is to “strive to create spaces to express that tension … in a healthy manner,” adding, “I’d rather folks shooting off at the mouth than shooting off their guns.”

Click play to check out LiKWUiD, along with fellow emcees P.SO, and Donwill, using their words as weapons on “Hold That.”