Lil Kilo dreams of fame, fortune and hip-hop.
The 15-year-old Belmont secondary school student, more commonly known as Noah Pitts, is recording tracks at home in Langford, working on a mix tape and building a name on the Internet. He also just won the Victoria TeenFest talent show at Eagle Ridge Community Centre, earning himself a spot in the next year’s Vancouver Island’s Got Talent contest.
And it’s all a part of the plan.
Pitts started rapping as a Grade 7 student at Spencer Middle School. The school hosts “recognition assemblies,” where students are invited to come up and share a talent with their peers. At one of these assemblies, the principal announced that a student was supposed to rap but had to back out.
At the mention of rap, Pitts’ brain started turning and he began to think about how cool it would be if he could rap in front of everyone.
“So that day I walked home and … I wrote a little bit of a song, my first song, called ‘Only 13,’” Pitts said.
At the next recognition assembly Pitts performed the song and received plenty of positive feedback. He was hooked and a goal formed: to work hard and build a career as a rapper.
“Then I just got better and better, gradually. I just kept writing more songs,” Pitts said. “That’s how it all began and I think that’s a pretty cool way to begin everything.”
He started out calling himself Da Pittz in Grade 7 but said he had a lisp at the time which took away the desired effect when he pronounced the name. He got rid of the lisp and the name, moving on to Daze. It’s only recently he decided to adopt the Lil Kilo moniker, a derivative of “kilowatt,” and he swears he’ll stick with it for good.
There are about nine polished songs now in Lil’ Kilo’s repertoire and he’s adding more all the time. Pitts’ rhymes focus on career trajectory, for the most part, prophesying and dreaming of his own success.
“They’re mostly just talking about how one day I promise you all, I will be a famous rapper,” Pitts said. “A lot of my songs are actually really good.”
Using a computer and microphone, Pitts records all his music at home. He buys beats off a website and records his rhymes overtop. Once he’s happy with the product he throws it on YouTube, where he reaches out to fans through his LilKiloVevo channel.
“It’s just fun to do it at my own pace. It’s my passion. It’s coming along pretty well,” Pitts said. “It’s pretty fun overall, everything I do, I enjoy it.”
Pitts finds influence in classic rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, along with more contemporary acts such as Lil Wayne and Drake. He’s a fan of more pure hip-hop than pop and said his music follows that spirit.
“I try to combine half of myself with half of some of my influences into a song,” Pitts said. “I’m a hip-hop artist, I would say.”
He said he’s starting to lineup more gigs outside of school functions, something his mom is helping with. He also has a mix tape he’s putting the finishing touches on, tentatively titled Faith, a reflection of his mantra that people need to believe in themselves.
He said it’s all for the fans.
“I love my fans,” Pitts said. “Just having people who like me and they say ‘Yo, keep doing what you’re doing.’ It’s just so much positivity makes me want to continue. It makes them happy, it makes me happy.”