Lutie Kaviok has been rapping for less than a year but his music already has thousands of views on social media.
“What got me into making music is wanting something different in my life,” said the born-and-bred Arviat rapper, who moved to Iqaluit to increase his connections and chances to make it as an Inuk artist.
“It felt like I had nothing going on in my life, so I started making lyrics and started listening to just beats. I fell in love with making music because it made me feel some type of way every time I get a song going. Music calms me down.”
His favourite rappers are J. Cole, Juice WRLD, Lil Tjay and Polo G.
“All of them inspire me because they came a long way to be where they are, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.
Kaviok’s music covers a variety of subject matter, from small-town Arctic fun in “Rather Drive a Honda” to introspective takes on personal challenges in his latest release, “Decisions.”
“Suicide ain’t no way/ Losing a brother takes you away/ Never wanna have those days,” raps Kaviok on Decisions.
Tracks like that play off the very different vibe of Rather Drive a Honda with his “vroom, vroom” adlibs and talking about how he would rather go 75 kilometres per hour in a Honda than 350 in a Lamborghini.
At the moment, Kaviok is focusing on earning an income so he can spend more time on his music and craft rather than scraping by.
“My music in general is trying to inspire Inuit kids, because I know lots of kids connect with music and can’t talk about what they really feel,” he said.
The Arviat rapper is living in the moment for now but hopes to inspire youth and perform on stages in the future.
His music can be found under his name on all platforms, including Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube.