KhakiKid has certainly lived an interesting and unique life, yet it was only recently that the first generation Irish alt-rapper decided his story was worth talking about.

Growing up on Crumlin council estate, Dublin-born Abdu Huss shared a bedroom with three brothers (“there was lots of fighting, no privacy and no crying”) while his two sisters and single-parent mum were in their own room together. As there was never a quiet moment, he had to grow up a lot quicker than most. On the streets, he would hear techno music but, after his older brother gave him 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ CD, Abdu discovered rap was the genre he related to most.

Aged 12, he started writing his own raps “as if I was Chief Keef” and later Facebook messaged a year’s worth of bars to a childhood crush. Putting music on pause until his mid-teens and instead pursuing his passion of basketball, Abdu felt inspired to start writing again when he turned 16 – largely thanks to seeing the SoundCloud rap scene’s explosion, featuring artists like XXXTENTACION. Similarly focusing on emotive lyrical storytelling, Abdu would record himself over beats found on YouTube, having also taught himself to produce from his bedroom, influenced by the evolution of Mac Miller and the authenticity of Tyler, The Creator.

After finishing secondary school exams, his plan to go to college and study financial maths changed. Abdu knew it wasn’t what he wanted to spend his life doing – especially having done anything possible, for example playing a lot of Fortnite and writing lyrics, to distract himself from revising during his final year. Coming up with meme raps, he started sending them to the Irish artist Effie.

At the time, as so many artists were blowing up as teenagers, he didn’t want to leave it too late to start a music career. Consequently, Abdu lied to his mum about going to college. Gradually, as his sound evolved from the “angst-y, shouty and not very tasteful” music he was making early on, her reaction changed from apathetic to incredibly supportive.

Contrastingly, his 2020 debut single, ‘Late’, introduced an artist with a penchant for jazz-infused hip-hop that fans of Anderson Paak would love. ‘Alcoholics’, his collaboration with fellow Dublin risers 49th & Main, paired KhakiKid’s lush flow with piano-led electronic euphoria. By 2021, he was beginning to build a cult following at home in Ireland and starting to find fans in other countries. His debut EP, ‘Elevator Music’, arrived in September 2022 to critical acclaim: influenced by early Eric B. & Rakim as well as self-doubtful Irish culture, the short but sweet six-tracker effortlessly mixed tongue-in-cheek, often self-deprecating lyrics with Abdu’s boisterous style of rapping. At the time, he likened the EP to “the opening soundtrack of a movie that’s being written in real time; I love the idea of listeners first stepping into the lift and not knowing what floor or world they’ll be taken to, because I’m in the exact same position as them”.

His upcoming music however trades some of that playful nature for a more honest, emotional and personal approach. Although mostly created in Abdu’s bedroom, working with other artists inspired him to view songwriting in a new way. It led to a re-evaluation, too, because Abdu had previously felt as though things that happened in his life weren’t worth sharing with the world. Because of this mindset, he previously detached himself from the music, resulting in it becoming more fictitious, exaggerated and having world-building qualities.

Now, when writing songs, he’ll reflect on his own life and events that likely shaped the person he has become, picking out a significant moment he believes other people will find interesting. “I realised my life is very different to a lot of people’s and that it’s probably a bit unique,” he says. One such narrative is explicitly told through upcoming single ‘Underbite’, on which Abdu remembers his childhood and talks about his dad being a refugee, referring to himself as a “son of an immigrant” in its lyrics. “I’m seeing more value in those stories,” he says. The track ‘Switching Tongues’ – about a toxic relationship his collaborator was in – is the inverse of that. As an artist who equally enjoys putting himself in other people’s shoes and crafting fresh narratives, weaving between these contrasting personal and observational worlds is where Abdu thrives.

Alongside consciously expanding his lyrical influences, Abdu has also become more open to trying new and different things. Take the song ‘Underbite’: melding abrasive hyperpop beats with hip-hop-style production, it’s a sonic contrast to the tracks that formed his debut EP. Understandably, Abdu initially felt anxious about releasing it – even though it’s an undeniable moshpit-starting anthem.

Because of this increased self-confidence and wider palette, Abdu’s second EP is a level up in every sense. “It’s not even crazy experimental but, for me just having done rap, even singing the smallest amount on ‘Switching Tongues’ was really fun because I hadn’t done that before.” Having created a radio-friendly pop banger in waiting, pushing himself beyond his boundaries is sure to pay off.

Performing live gigs more frequently has helped him to translate this newfound energy, too. And, for anyone that’s been to a KhakiKid show, they’ll know on stage is where Abdu really comes to life… “Imagine the kind of swagger to a jazz musician, but he happens to be doing Adderall,” Abdu says of his persona: “there’s smoothness but also loads of energy”.

Beyond music, Abdu wants to represent people who feel as though they don’t have a set community – especially having not been aware of his Arab-Irish heritage or refugee dad’s story until his adult years. “I’d love to be more attached to my Arab background, but it just didn’t happen in my life,” he says. “I feel like there are a lot of minority groups in Ireland that aren’t represented or spoken about, so I want to show that there are places for us to exist.”

With hometown support having been so strong (his debut headline show at Whelans Main Room was a sell out), Abdu also wants his local musician mates to rise up with him. “I’d love to one day have an album just with people who are in the Dublin scene, because there’s so much talent,” he says. “Even though people are making music across different genres here, it feels like we’re in the same world – because Dublin’s so small, it’s more of a community”.

While representation and community are incredibly important to Abdu, he also thinks having fun is just as crucial. While he has aspirations of playing world tours and ascending to the same level as his modern music heroes Dominic Fike and Tyler, the Creator, Abdu has a refreshing outlook on fame and success. “I understand money is important, definitely from my background having grown up on a council estate, but I feel like people forget that they should enjoy themselves too. It’s important to have a legacy, but when you focus on that too much you lose the enjoyment,” he suggests philosophically. His goal as KhakiKid, then? “To change the world, but enjoy myself as well. It’s not profound at all, but then it is.”