Premiere • New Kingz: "Pledge Allegiance"


Directed by @Brndalxdr


Lukas G and Ali make up New Kingz, an apt name for two artists who have been quietly making waves in Chicago as some of the best rappers on the come up right now, whether or not you've heard of them. What sets them apart? It's hard to say, but the secret is not in flash or marketing. No, New Kingz bring four things to the table; incredible flow, fantastic bars, excellent beats, and most importantly an unwavering group charisma that cannot be replicated. You'll find all of these factors in "Pledge Allegiance" , a new track directed by Brandon Alexander requesting that the city back the people up, as they've pledged themselves to her. The track goes in with brooding production from frequent collaborator Dougy, and the verses we get from Ali and Lukas G have that quality of perceived effortlessness which you'll find in some of the greatest rappers we've seen before. With tracks like this and a work ethic that keeps quality records coming back to back to back, I'd say New Kingz deserve our full support. 

We caught up with Lukas G and Ali to ask some brief questions! Check them out below.


What sets New Kingz apart from other Chicago rappers?

Luke: We're different because we're not just rappers, as cliché as that may sound. We've both been musicians and writers our whole lives. I think we play with our flows in a more dynamic way than most people I see.

Ali: We combine that understanding of musicality with fun, honest bars. And our rap styles are dynamic, and they compliment each other perfectly. We tend to go in every time just trying to make people feel something.

How are your two rapping styles different? And where does your undeniable chemistry come from?

Ali: We're not that different as far as aggressiveness goes. We never hold back and try to outrap everybody else at all times. 

Luke: Including each other.

Ali: Right. I think Luke is just a bit more cerebral than me sometimes. I tend to just go in with my soul out, you know? The chemistry comes from the fact that New Kingz have been homies all through high school. 

Luke: We originally started rapping together on some experimental shit and realized how good we sounded together. Since then we've only gotten tighter. We learned to balance each other out.

How would you describe your new song "Pledge Allegiance"? What's the message?

Ali: It's us saying fuck what the people in power have turned America into. Especially brown folks. We kind of called it "Pledge Allegiance" as a shot at that.

Luke: We shot the video in Gary, Indiana, and it goes along with that idea. Entire schools and libraries are left crumbling there. It's the ultimate example of a government letting its city fall. 

Upcoming plans for 2016?

Luke: Our biggest thing right now is expanding our catalogue. We've got a lot of stuff in the vault but every move is crucial right now and we're determining the best way to go about things.

Ali: New Kingz is gonna be those artists that everybody in the city won't stop talking about by the end of the year.


Big thanks to New Kingz for taking the time to answer our questions! And to any hip-hop-heads out there, make sure to check out "Pledge Allegiance", as well as the rest of their music here.