Star2 and Lil' Poppa sing about Real Life

The astounding tale behind "Real Life" is the astounding tale of its mastermind- The Asian-American rapper and songwriter Star2 was born in a Thailandese refugee camp for the Karen (pronounced Kuh-ren) minority escaping the so called "Karen Conflict", a civil war that has been raging roughly since 1949, between the heterogeneous ethnic Karen Nationalists and the Myanmar government. (then called Burma).

For Star2, "Real Life" has been one of dodging certain death and facing hardship even in survival, as his coming to America landed him in a hectic alien world still surrounded by poverty, racial divides, and inner-city violence. Turning to music from an early age -Rap and urban rhythms in particular- gave S2 an emotional escape from the deprivation and tensions of his new ex-pat life, and today, it has also given him a growing artistic career.

Star2 linked up with Jacksonville Rapper Lil' Poppa in a solid steel collab, with Poppa bringing in his own troubled inner-city story to the table sharing the line "I live in a place where you hear sirens all the time” throughout the song.

Star2 and his team headed out into the desert to tape the video for "Real Life" at the site of a plane wreck, and in contrast to the themes of the song, they had a blast out there in one of the roughest spots on the planet, playing with ATVs out on the dunes, almost in a celebration of having made it out of the huge difficulties both experienced and into a world of possibilities where they've used their stories to fuel a lifestyle open to all the positive experiences they can reach out to through their musical prowess.

In a revealing quote, the San Diego-Based Rapper says: “making the video with Lil Poppa was a rush. We acted as our own stunt men and had a blast racing in the desert." Then continues with "Lil Poppa is humble, not flashy but able to tell an emotional story about his struggle. I respect his unique flow and vocals. He’s been through the same struggles as me but in a different way. He is one of my favorite artists and underrated.” And if that's not a genuine display of real-recognize-real, then I don't know what is.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.