Kam Kurosaki
The young hip-hop artist was one of the openers for Lil’ Yachty at Freakfest.
Alexander Kain came to UW-Madison from Kenosha in 2018 with dreams of becoming the next up-and-coming hip-hop artist. Walking to class one day, he came across a table promoting LÜM (Live Undiscovered Music) — a streaming and social media app — on East Campus Mall. A year later, he has more than 30,000 followers on the app, connections to Travis Scott’s manager and a performance at Freakfest under his belt.
Kain’s love for music stems from his father, who introduced him to old school hip-hop masters like Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. In eighth grade, he rapped at his school’s weekly lunch karaoke.
At first, he kept his talent as a hobby, uploading a few songs to Soundcloud but focusing on his 4.0 GPA at Indian Trail High School. He got serious in his junior year, and released a parody song about his rival high school, earning 16,000 plays on Soundcloud. From there, he and four fellow artists formed Stand Above Society’s Opinion (SASO), a collective.
After graduation, Kain enrolled at UW-Madison to study personal finance, a major he hoped could fund his musical dreams. He moved into the arts-focused residence in Sellery Hall, Studio Creative Arts Learning Community, where he experimented with his sound in frequent showcases.
“I’d describe my own style as lyrical and groovy, but I don’t want to put myself in a box,” says Kain.
Influenced by the greats of hip-hop, Kain mixes rapping and singing to old school beats. Most of his songs have a vintage vibe and are musings on the problems of modern adolescence. “Bring Me Down Pt 2” talks about first love and heartbreak. The more upbeat “Do the Right Thing” is a reminder to be true to yourself as you climb toward success.
Kain credits LÜM with raising his profile. Created by UW-Madison grads, LÜM is a mobile app that connects streaming music to a social media platform. This interactive feature sets it apart from competitors like Spotify or Soundcloud, and the app focuses on emerging artists, not established ones.
“We’re always looking to get more involved with the local music scene,” says Max Fergus, CEO and one of 12 founders. “We’re a community for the underdogs, for emerging artists who need a voice.”
After visiting the LÜM table in Library Mall that day in 2018, Kain became a “LÜM Ambassador,” uploading songs like “In My Zone” to the app.
Kain says LÜM has helped him connect with fans. “The same place people are going to listen to you is where they get information on when your next show is, when your next album’s dropping, or even what you’re doing that day,” says Kain.
Because the company is headquartered in Madison at StartingBlock, local artists like Kain have the opportunity to work one-on-one with LÜM’s team. He was invited to a LÜM retreat last summer and spent five days making music and collaborating with other Midwestern artists.
This month, LÜM will become the first music streaming app to facilitate donations from fans. The function will be somewhat similar to Patreon or crowdfunding sites, with an important difference: The payments will go directly to artists, and LÜM does not take a percentage. Musicians have long complained about the business practices of Spotify and other streaming services, which skim so much off the top that artists have a hard time turning a profit. “It’s a great transition from the way streaming and the music industry work today,” says Kain.
LÜM is also the reason that Kain landed the Freakfest gig. He was one of a handful of artists who opened for Lil’ Yachty on the main stage, sporting his signature dreads and a button-up shirt with an “888” print (a tarot symbol for abundance). He performed fan favorites and invited his collaborators from Stand Above Society’s Opinion to join him. ‘We all have the same agenda of blowing up and changing the world, and we’re all helping each other get there,” says Kain.
LÜM plans to update the app in mid-December, and Kain will drop a new album at around the same time, working with SASO and his label, CTB Productions. He posts his shows on the LÜM app, but you can usually catch him at open mic nights at the Memorial Union’s Rathskeller.
Meanwhile, Kain will release music on all the available channels: YouTube, Soundcloud and Spotify. And he will continue to work with the app that sparked his career.
“Within a year, I went from making music on my laptop to performing at a festival,” says Kain. “And I have LÜM to thank for that.”
