Key Glock’s been making noise for a minute now. After signing to his cousin Young Dolph’s record label Paper Route Empire, he released his first project Glock Season in 2017 and has gone strong ever since.

We got on the phone with Glock to discuss his latest work, Son of a Gun, quarantine activities, and why he stopped caring so much about designer shoes. Enjoy.

Key Glock’s Quarantine Activities

Nice Kicks: What’s going on with you? What have you been doing in quarantine?

Key Glock: I’m doing the same thing I was doing before quarantine started —I been in the studio. It really doesn’t even phase me because I don’t go out unless I have to anyways. I’m always to myself. It doesn’t really affect anything that I have going on.

Key Glock on Growing up with Young Dolph and Living in Memphis

Nice Kicks: You know I was reading back and I saw you were raised by your grandma and that you’re [Young] Dolph’s cousin. Talk about your childhood for people who don’t know.

Key Glock: You know, everything happens for a reason. As you said, I ain’t have my mama or my father growing up —I had my grandma. And she couldn’t teach me the things that my father was supposed to teach me. I left my grandma’s house early on my own, like 16. I taught myself everything. Like literally how to do everything.

Nice Kicks: I wasn’t really with my mother or pops too, so I hear that. You grew up in Memphis though right? 

Key Glock: Right.

Nice Kicks: What were the best things to do? Best corner stores, best food, events to go to back in the day. I see you rock with Three 6 Mafia. That “If You Ain’t From My Hood” type shit.

Key Glock: Oh yeah. Like, see now it really ain’t too much in the city that young folks can go and enjoy they self and they ain’t gotta worry about nothing. When I was coming up, there was a lot of teenage clubs just around throughout the city and it was teenage promoters, you know what I’m saying, throwing the parties. It was one that really stuck out—its called Crystal Palace skating rink and everybody from Memphis know about this skating rink no matter what generation they in. That was they spot and our spot too.

Nice Kicks: Who put you on to Three 6?

I put myself onto Three 6. I don’t know the first time I heard it, but I remember Juicy J. Juicy J had me geeked when I was a little kid. He had that scream line that “Shut the fuck up!” I didn’t even know what he was saying until I got older. Just some crazy attractive shit.

Nice Kicks: I see you’re a Future fan too.

Key Glock: Yeah I fuck with Future. There aren’t a lot of artists who I fuck with, but I can relate to Future lifestyle. I fuck with it. 

Key Glock on Son of a Gun

NK: Talk about the process of Son of a Gun. How long did it take? What were the highs and lows of making it?

Key Glock: There really wasn’t a time span on making it. It was like some of the songs were just songs that the fans asked for. It was a tape for my fans more than anything. A gift to my fans to keep it going.

Nice Kicks: Was it a Yellow Tape Part Two or a concept album? Or was it like, “It’s quarantine let’s put something together.”

Key Glock: It was just something that came to mind out the blue because I was chillin with my mama like real, real heavy. Just catching up, you know.

Nice Kicks: Right. It’s about getting back to your roots.

For sure. That’s exactly what it is.

Nice Kicks: I like “Money Talk”. And that “Money tall as Tacko Fall on his tippy toes.” line. I rock with “Igloo” too. 

Key Glock: Oh yeah, that’s [I Know] my gang song. My gang love that one right there that “I Know.”  

Glock: “Igloo” was supposed to be on Dumb and Dumber but my fans were always asking me, “Where is this song? Where is this song?” So they didn’t think I was gone put it on the tape. I put it out on the tape and they automatically ate it up. They already knew what it was.

Nice Kicks: The last one. “I remember I was playing Cops and Robbers…I know you want a car with a trunk in the front.” That was good. Like who doesn’t want a Tesla?

Key Glock: That’s real. Who don’t want a car with a trunk in the front? 

Key Glock’s Current Rotation

Nice Kicks: What are your 5 favorite shoes in your rotation right now?

Key Glock: In my rotation right now? Man, you should see all these damn shoes in my house. I have a sneaker room. My shoes have their own room in my house.

Nice Kicks: What are you rocking?

Key Glock: Doernbecher 8s right here. You know the blue ones.

Key Glock: I got these Trophy Room 5s. The “Ice Blue” ones.

Key Glock: My Powder Blue 3s. They are old.

Key Glock: I got the—remember them 23s? The “Stealths”? Black and Red?

Key Glock: And my last pair…*shuffles through boxes* Yeah. The last shoes, the Off-White 5s.

Key Glock on Switching from Designer to Jordans

Nice Kicks: You’re wearing more Jordans, I see. 

Key Glock: Yeah, that’s all I wear. I’m done with everything else. I haven’t worn any designer for almost a year or two probably.

Nice Kicks: What was the reasoning behind that? You don’t see the value in it anymore like been there done that?

It’s like the designer shoes were a wave at the time to me. I realized I spent so many thousands of dollars on one pair of shoes when I can go buy 5-10 pairs of shoes for the same price of Jordans. 

Nice Kicks: Plus, it was something you grew up wanting.

Exactly. Something I grew up been wanting. 

Be sure to follow Key Glock on Instagram and listen to Son of a Gun out now. Big ups to Nakia Hicks for helping facilitate the conversation.