Local hip-hop artist Lil Loski will take the stage at Breakaway Music Festival on Aug. 26, 2018. Credit: Courtesy of Taylor Williams

Local hip-hop artist Lil Loski knew he wanted to be a musician at a very young age.

Through his life experiences, Reuben Farr, who goes by the stage name Lil Loski, creates music packed with emotion and relatability. When presented the opportunity to perform at this year’s Breakaway Music Festival, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse and a long-term goal finally coming to fruition.

The Lantern asked Lil Loski questions in an exchange over email about his journey as an artist and the career path he envisions before him.

The Lantern: You’re one of the local artists that will be performing at Breakaway this year. How does that feel?

Lil Loski: It feels great, especially being an Ohio native. A year ago I told myself I wanted to perform at Breakaway and here we are. 

TL:. How did getting to play this festival come about?

LL: Well I’ve been in Columbus a lot this past year connecting with different people like 808-H and Tronmusic. I knew that Tron would be hosting this year and hoped when the time came to select artists for the lineup, I would be recommended. Bro put in a good word and the rest is history. So really it was just making music that people believe in and solid networking.

TL: When did you start music and when did you know you wanted to make a career of it?

LL: When I was 12 I had an older cousin named D-Shocka who I would freestyle and play around musically with. After doing that for a while, I got better and my cousin said I should start writing my own raps because I had potential. That’s how we started making music.

I made “Roses Are Poison [Heartbroken]” when I was 18. At that point in my life I felt like love was poison because me and my ex-girlfriend were having rough times. She ended up leaving me, that’s why I got songs on there like “Heartbroken.” I also started listening to Roy Woods at that time — he inspired me a lot. The feedback I got from “Roses Are Poison” made me want to keep going and make a career out of music.

TL: Describe your style.

LL: I would say my style is very emotional. Some may say it’s sad boy or emo music, but I really just use music to express what I’m going through at that point in my life. I’m pretty versatile though. I can dabble in hip hop, R&B and a little pop. I like to blend genres — that’s where music is at these days.

TL: Where does the name ‘Lil Loski’ come from?

LL: Man to be honest an engineer I used to work with gave me that name. He came up with Zayloski & told me it would be a fye name. I just stuck with it. But when I turned 19 I wanted to kill the old me, so I dropped the Zay and Loski was born.

TL: Who are your biggest inspirations?

LL: My biggest inspirations would have to be Michael Jackson — Roy Woods —The Weekend — Drake, & Green Day.

TL: What other artists are you looking forward to seeing at Breakaway?

LL: I wanna check out of course Migos.. Shoreline Mafia, [they’re] dope! Flatbush Zombies, Jaden Smith, Nessly and there’s a bunch more.

TL: Where do you see yourself in the future?

LL: Billboards & platinum records honestly…

TL: What’s next for you?

LL: I have an EP dropping after Breakaway called “Life Without Heartbreak.” It’ll be available [on] all major platforms so make sure you go grab that! Other than that I just plan on staying creative. I want to travel more, collaborate more and continue getting better.