Today we’d like to introduce you to King Kris LSO.

Hi King Kris LSO, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can briefly tell our readers something about yourself.

​​My name is Fusi Christopher Maoeng. I am a 21-year-old musician hailing from Africa’s Kingdom in the sky, Lesotho. I go by the alias, KING KRIS LSO. How I came up with this name, well, the King is really what my late mother used to call me as a kid, she used the native “KHOSI” Sotho term which translates to King in English. Kris is actually just “Chris: from my actual name. I just use the “K’ for uniqueness purposes. The LSO is initials for LESOTHO. Serves to show that I represent Lesotho on a global scale. But people just call me KING KRIS. Lesotho is a small country rich with African history and culture, situated in Southern Africa. It is a landlocked country within famous South Africa. I was born on the 15th November 1999 in Lesotho, and was raised in Hlotse in a district called Leribe, famously known as “Ha ‘Mamosa le Molapo”.

 

Where are you based?

King Kris LSO: I am currently based in Maseru, Lesotho. Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. Within the capital, I reside at Roma, which is the destination for the National University of Lesotho (NUL). I study Law at the NUL, which is a five-year honors degree program. I am currently in my fourth year of study and complete it in the next academic year, 2022/2023.

 

How long have you been making music?

King Kris LSO: I have been making music since the year 2016 while I was in high school. I attended Leribe English Medium High School, arguably the best school in the country in terms of producing great results. I was actually a soccer player before I indulged in music, but I have since started making music to put my thoughts down on something. 2011 to 2016 were the most painful and ever so depressing moments of my entire life. Music helped me overcome the vicissitudes and get my head back to reality.

 

What genre would you consider your music to be?

King Kris LSO: I can’t classify myself into a box of genres, I feel like that would just amount to be limiting myself and my potential. I feel like I am somewhat of a musician because one day I can find myself on a lap joint, the next doing some R&B, the next on the trap, the next on some other genre. Regardless, for formality’s sake, I think I specialize in HIP HOP, that is where my core is.

 

What inspired you to pursue a career in music?

King Kris LSO: My inspiration came from the life I lived, back then. I used my music as a public diary or some sort of a biographical lens for people to peep through. I had been listening to a lot of music already, but at the time certain artists really pushed the narrative and convinced me to endeavor into the music scene. In 2015, I was relating so much to an Artist called Emtee, who at the time had released his debut album, the album got me through a lot of pressure. In 2016, I got to feast on a young rapper in South Africa at the time, Nasty C. Nasty C who is now signed to Def Jam Music in the States had then released his viral Mixtape, Price City. Most of his content was so relatable to me and my life at the time, it felt like I was him and he was me. His life story and relation with his mother resonated with mine since my mother passed on in 2011. I then discovered another rapper the same age as Nasty C, A-Reece. Reece had just released his Cut-Aways Ep and then subsequently his debut Album, Paradise. To this day, Reece is still the reason I have faith in this music thing, it is because of him that I ended up putting words on paper and wrote my first song. I owe it to Reece and Nasty back in 2016 for motivating me to become what I am today.

 

What are your biggest musical influences?

King Kris LSO: As aforementioned, A-REECE and Nasty C are my biggest influences. I have since had a taste of other big names in the African music scene who has become more of mentors to me and undoubtedly big influences on me. I am grateful to the South African Rap Guru, Pdot O, who is such an amazing soul and kind human being. My lyrical ability and artistry have evolved ever since he became a part of my journey. My brother, Maxx, who hails from Queens, Brooklyn NYC is also one of my biggest influences currently.

 

Are you signed to a label or are you an independent artist?

King Kris LSO: At this current moment, I am not signed to any label at all, I am 100% Independent. I wouldn’t refuse the idea of being signed, as long as the label understands my plan and where I am trying to get with my music. I aim to become an international export for African Hip Hop and make a name for myself in the global sphere.

 

What have been the biggest challenges in your music career?

King Kris LSO: I feel like money is a universal problem for every artist, without it you can’t operate. For me, I don’t usually get bookings unless they genuinely come to place. Where I am from, favoritism is a stigma, it’s the same people on lineups every time even if you are making big moves or making great music, if they don’t like you like that, you’ll never eat. I come from one of the poorest countries on planet Earth, already money is hard to come by. I feel like if I had enough, I could easily solidify my connections in South Africa, shoot quality music videos, and submit to various Tv channels in the country. I am fortunate enough to have fans all over the continent, from Nigeria to Uganda. The only problem is that my fan base needs content so that They can massively help push the brand. Organizing own shows and the likes, all require a fair amount of capital. I think I’ll work on getting my bag up so that I can confidently finance my career.

 

How many songs or albums have you released to date?

King Kris LSO: Thus far, I have released only one project, back in 2019. God-Given is the first EP I have released so far. It features guest features from artists from the United States and production from Russia. As for the singles, I have a lot of singles out, but I released a vast majority of them on free streaming platforms such as Soundcloud, Audiomack, and local streaming and free download platforms.

 

Can you tell us a few things about your latest release?

King Kris LSO: My EP however is available worldwide on all streaming platforms. Recently, I have released and distributed about 3 singles, Meant For you, which is a sensual song where I strip my soul naked and speak about my life and my life’s events. I speak about how I grew up and how I am currently. I later released D.I.E, which features American-based rapper, MAXX. The song is some sort of a gangster anthem, not saying we are gangsters though. We were just having fun in the song, sincerely speaking about things we have experienced either first hand or second hand. The latest release is a song called TEN OVER TEN. This song holds a special place in my heart. Like most of my songs, I speak here about my current life and my past life. Speaking affirmations and all things positive. It is a pure rap song that has really been receiving a great reception from different fans across the continent and Abroad.

 

Any plans for new music or upcoming projects we should know about?

King Kris LSO: I am currently working on a 15-track mixtape called “The TEN4 Mixtape”. I am in the course to release a song on the 15th November which features one of the founding hip-hop acts of Lesotho, Skeba D. I think me and MAXX might have one or two songs dropping before the end of this year. We might just release a joint EP as well, who knows. I am hoping to have some of my dream features in this mixtape, but only time will tell. The tape drops in 2022. I want to work with a lot of artists from the USA and Canada next year, hopefully, fly there and work more. I have work coming up with Ottawa-based rapper SAVAGE JAMES and his producer BABYLON, Brooklyn-based rapper CYBRA, and a whole lot more other artists.

Stay connected with King Kris LSO on Social Media.

Facebook: faceook.com/lucychild360/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kingkris_lso/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kingkrislso/