How Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Section.80’ Shaped Hip-Hop Up-And-Comer La Reezy’s Debut Album, ‘Skiddle Bandana’
Categoria: Musica
With co-signs from J. Cole, Tyler, The Creator and Chance The Rapper, La Reezy eyes hip-hop greatness.
Por Billboard | 20/08/2026
For La Reezy, the lyrical mutant birthed in New Orleans, where the spirits of Lil Wayne and YoungBoy run laps around the city, he’s slowly embracing his stardom while remembering the person at the center of it all: Khayree. “My Zoom name is Khayree, and I didn’t even realize that,” he says days before embarking on a multi-city tour with Chance the Rapper. “I’m still thrifting. I’m still bike-riding. I’m still enjoying myself and allowing the music to be a vessel of what Khayree is thinking about. I get imposter syndrome the most when I’m not being human enough. So it’s still keeping Khayree alive.” Despite his superhuman wordplay, La Reezy, you can say, is having his Spider-Man moment. With praise from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Tyler, the Creator, Reezy had the holy trinity of rap co-signs before he was even old enough to legally drink. Mixtapes such as Welcome La Reezyana Vol. 1 showcased his promise and dexterity, while his debut album, Skiddle Bandana , prided itself on colorful storytelling, charisma and the unwavering charm of a young Black man growing up in real time. With Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80 in mind, Reezy scribbled down everything he saw from the steps of his mother’s house and gave fans a front-row seat to New Orleans. “Melanate It” is a flavor bomb where Black pride reigns supreme, while “Family Bizzy” is an ode to his relatives and how they shaped his beginnings. “I know I don’t have it all figured out,” he acknowledges. “I’m not the smartest person in the world. I’m wise, but I still have a lot to learn. If you can see my potential and that I will be great – and I will continue to be great – invest in what I’ll become.” Billboard chatted with La Reezy about how Section.80 influenced his debut album Skiddle Bandana, imposter syndrome, family life, touring with Chance the Rapper and more. Lil Wayne and YoungBoy are considered two of the biggest stars to come out of Louisiana. Who are some of the state’s dark horses that inspired you? I’m gonna say Neno Calvin, Rob 49 and recently Mac Phipps. Those are the main ones I can say right now. Macc played a role on your debut album, too, right? Yup. Macc is on the title track Skiddle Bandana . The reason I say Macc for context is he’s part of No Limit [Records] and he was like the lyrical conscious rapper in the group. Then, he got arrested over some lyrics and was incarcerated for over 20 years. He’s still a very genuine, positive, forward-thinking, supportive guy. To hear that there was a version of what I do back in the day, but wasn’t able to evolve due to the system – from the pigs – is [crazy]. Macc’s super supportive and we really resemble each other a lot. Do you think storytelling and lyricism still carry the same weight with your generation? Where do you think you fit within that conversation? The world is an evolut