SXSW rap standout: Casey Veggies

Casey Veggies has released seven mixtapes, performed with Kendrick Lamar, and collaborated with Juicy J and Rockie Fresh (to name a few) — all before he turned 21. His new single “Backflip” featuring YG and Iamsu! already has over 1 million views on YouTube. We catch up with him after his packed showcase at SXSW:

“Backflip” is definitely your biggest single to date. What inspired the song?

The song is inspired just by the lifestyle we live, being young and growing up in LA. It really speaks to the young go-getter. It speaks to the culture, what [happens] on a daily basis.

If the music video gives insight into what your life is like, I can’t even imagine what your 21st birthday was like.

The week of my 21st birthday was the week we released the original version of “Backflip.” I hosted about eight clubs and parties that week, so I had eight different birthday parties. Every club my friends and me went to, we made sure to give the DJ “Backflip” and I performed it at a few clubs. A few weeks later, YG contacted me and was like, “Man, that song is crazy. I gotta jump on it.”

How do you decide who to collaborate with?

For me, it’s always natural. With “Backflip,” Iamsu! and I have actually known each other for years, but we had never worked on a song together. He’s from Oakland and I’m a young rapper out of LA, so I feel like the stars were aligned. We went into the studio together and the vibe was just there. That record came together in about an hour … I always wanted to make a record that I could hear in the club and that everyone could have a good time to. I think I accomplished that perfectly with “Backflip.”

Do you still keep in touch with past collaborators, like Rockie Fresh and Mac Miller?

Yeah, Rockie just texted me that he was in LA and was going to the studio later, so I’m hoping to get back in the studio with him. I’m hoping we can do a tour together. And Mac is always going to be my homie. He brought me out on tour when I was 18, right after I graduated high school. I am always appreciative of that.

Watch the “Backflip” video below:

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