November 28, 2023 — I got the opportunity to sit down with the 1st artist out of Virginia Fleet! According to him, he doesn’t do “heart to hearts” because he puts it all in the music. Neverttheless, this was that. Meet this Brooklyn-native, King Priimme. Let’s get into it.
Now, He’s King Priimme…
He used to be Optimus Prime or Bars, amongst other names, but now he’s known exclusively as King Priimme. In 1990, Anthony “King Priimme” Johnson was born in none other than Brooklyn, NY. Let him tell it, the journey to King began immediately. His [maternal] family is musically inclined so it was only natural to join the hallway cyphers around the boombox. The family affair was so real that Priimme and his cousin began to rap under their uncle’s wing after relocating to Virginia in 2003. However, the empire state of mind never left, citing influences like JAY-Z and the Notorious BIG. Feeling like an only child, the venture out with his cousin took him further than he expected.
I’ve been rapping, but I got to a point where I was ready to know what I sounded like on a song!”
@_KingPriimme on When he hopped off the music porch
Dream Team Records
Once he started to get the hang of things, he eventually left from under his uncle to create Dream Team Records with the intention to change the wave of music. Priimme explained that hip-hop is no longer real generally. It’s been twisted, turned, and diluted to accommodate a very sensitive, impressionable environment. He was also very clear that after a certain point, everything about and around him has been carefully crafted and chosen. If nothing else, I can definitely agree with that – representation matters!
I can’t make you want it as much as I want it & I definitely want it!”
King Priimme on Choosing a team
VA Fleet
Shoutout to DJ Pink Diamond for recruiting the 1st ever VA fleet artist. So far with coalition, the artist has been able to walk through new doors and sit at new tables. Including performing at the Virginia Fleet Conference, headlining this saturday at Open Mic, with more appearances coming soon after. While family/work balance is important to the artist, you can expect his next project “The Black & White Album” next year. For now, you can vibe to his single “Right Now” and his other projects.
Check more of him here:
#GetSOM via @MochaTheMack
