caddylacmusic P20

 Caddy Lac (born Erik Halvarsson in Sweden, 1992) was eight years old when he heard hip-hop for the first time. It was an instant connection and the two have been going steady ever since. After many an hour at the stereo, volume on max – singing and gesticulating in front of the mirror – a dream started taking shape.

At first, Erik liked the rhythms, the beats and the way the rappers rhymed. The longer he spent on his interest, the more he learned about the culture of rap and hip-hop. The flashy rappers on MTV were exchanged for those less famous, but whose lyrics hooked him. Both Swedish and English rap enthused Erik at an early age, something that has enabled him to use both languages freely and eloquently.

The music interest has always been an important factor in Erik’s life and he’s played the violin, piano and drums, which has allowed him to read notes fluently. Several years into his relationship with hip-hop, Erik bought some simple recording equipment that he hooked to his computer. Then he began writing his own lyrics, which put together with beats he found on the Internet. But after a while, he got bored and wanted to do more serious stuff. The recording equipment grew and Erik got good enough to produce his own beats. Today, it’s evolved into a complete home studio, where all his material is recorded. As so many others, Erik posted his material at MySpace. He took the artist name Caddy Lac, inspired by the car brand he worships. It didn’t take long before he got noticed and got a positive response.

The lyrics are usually worked up from simple ideas, which Erik later sophisticates with well-chosen words. Erik gets his inspiration for his beats from Eurobeat, House and Techno music, which he thinks helps make his style unique. The image is very important. Everything has to be Caddy Lac. Clothes, music, attitude – it has to be a splatter of colors.

Positive vibes and love, represents what Erik stands for. He would never rap about “bitches and hoes” to make someone else satisfied with his music. As the perfectionist he is, it is not unusual that completed lyrics end up in the waste basket. He always tries to keep up with those who are better than him and never wants to release something that’s half-ass.

- Betty Cracker.