We often hear people say things like, “I’ve always known what I wanted to do with my life,” when speaking about their career or passion. For most of us, that is simply not true. The path might not be quite so direct, and life may be a series of journeys before we choose a destination. But for a few wandering souls, the dreamers, the artists, and the thinkers, there is a moment where suddenly you just know. Any unusual experience can act as a catalyst for ingenuity. Quentin Tarantino watched Once Upon a Time in the West and immediately decided to direct. Roy Lichtenstein walked into the MoMA and had a similar realization. For lifelong Chicago native Vince, better known to the world as KILLVONGARD (whom we will refer to as VONGARD in this interview), it was rap music that made his decision clear.

At the age of 8, VONGARD walked into a Circuit City as an eager kid looking to spend his newly acquired birthday money. After wandering the store, he eventually walked out with an edited copy of The Eminem Show. This was his defining moment. VONGARD had been previously introduced to rap music by his older cousin who showed him The Slim Shady LP and opened his eyes to the world of music outside of WWF theme songs, classic rock, Radio Disney, and boybands like NSYNC. Like many of us at this age, the dark and mysterious cover art of the Eminem albums drew him in and immediately captured his interest. Once he bought himself that CD, there was no turning back. A love of rap grew, and he learned the trends, quickly becoming a fan of 50 Cent and other artists he would see on MTV. This newfound interest in hip hop would go on to shape him. Throughout his teenage years and young adulthood, he would continue to dive in and learn about rappers and follow the careers of new talent. His high school years would coincide with the epic uprising of the blog rap era, and VONGARD would watch the careers of Joey Badass, Kendrick Lamar, JCole and others form. He quickly noticed a stark contrast between this style of rap and the other stuff he had been listening to, especially in regards to the focus on lyricism and wordplay. VONGARD found this fascinating and would go on to heavily listen to these artists on rotation, subconsciously learning from them along the way. A few years after high school, with the help of an older friend, VONGARD finally made his way into the niche indie hip hop world, a place where he would one day find his home. The new voices of Elucid, Billy Woods, El-P, and Aesop Rock filled his ears and got his brain turning more than ever.

When you get to know VONGARD as a person, his music taste isn’t that surprising. He’s a true child of the 90s through and through. He’s grown up through what many consider the golden era for many fandoms including wrestling, film, and especially music. Like many of us, he’s an avid collector of things that represent him: physical media through CDs and DVDs and VHS tapes; action figures; knickknacks; memorabilia. He’s an honest fan of pop culture and it bleeds into his music heavily. But when you look at the lyrical content of his inspirations, the same statement is true. Aesop Rock is maybe one of the most prolific examples of expressing niche interests in your music and rappers like Joey Badass and Billy Woods followed suit. VONGARD stays true to himself; the track “The State of Physical Media and My Growing Concerns” is evidence of that. To some this track may sound like a series of ramblings and unrelated statements but really it comes off as a love letter to pop culture. It’s a special feeling hearing an artist talk about a topic you can relate to heavily. A listener can get the feeling that VONGARD doesn’t want everyone to understand him; only speaking to those who can relate to him.

“It feels like ever since I got that first rap CD when I was 8, I just kinda always knew that I wanted to make rap music.”

2009 was a turning point though. He dove in headfirst his freshman year, started learning how to make beats, how to write lyrics, and how to piece verses together. About a year later, he was recording his first song over the legendary MF DOOM- Doomsday instrumental. From there on, the rest was history. Many high school kids dream of being a star, but not many chase their passions in the way VONGARD did. He knew what he wanted, he knew who he wanted to be, and he would do damn near anything to get there. In a tale most would be too embarrassed to recall, VONGARD explained to me just how badly he wanted to make it. If you were on YouTube in the mid to late 2010s, you’ve probably seen an ad done by a man named Tai Lopez, where he explains that he simply read books and that’s what made him successful. He offered up a costly course, claiming he could get you to the goal you desire. Knowing he desperately wanted to turn his music into a viable career, VONGARD decided to invest in the self-help course offered by Lopez. While that may not have worked out how he expected, as many internet guru courses never do, there’s still something admirable about this story. Not many young adults have the self-confidence to really invest in themselves and chase a dream. And of those few, even fewer are able to recognize their mistakes and admit that they’ve learned from them and moved forward.

Years later, never having given up, VONGARD would still be forcing himself to learn everything he could about beat making and rapping. Come 2018, VONGARD formed Crushr Records on Bandcamp and would immediately start posting beat tapes. Producing would never be enough to satisfy VONGARD though. VONGARD would go on to relink with his friend and fellow artist TomCantSleep. Tom is the same friend who showed VONGARD the underground and introduced him to those artists that would help shape his mind, so things really came back full circle. Together, him and Tom form a duo known as RandomAnimal. 8 tracks and 22 minutes later, ‘How To Not Be Forgotten In Two Weeks” by RandomAnimal was born. Fully produced by VONGARD with vocals from them both, this album made their statement. The track ‘Ode’ serves as an explanation of who they are and why making this music is so important for the two of them. VONGARD is hungry and wants to rap more. Come 2022, VONGARD is ready. He’s been writing full time and is eager to show the world what he can do. His first solo album “I Think I’ve Lost It” featured 9 tracks and 24 minutes of VONGARD telling his story. Some relatable themes like the feeling of loving and hating your hometown help you get more insight into who VONGARD is and what he’s about. His obvious love of pop culture shines through heavily. He gets strikingly honest with himself and shows vulnerability throughout the album while flexing his skill and lyricism effortlessly.

VONGARD at his core is an artist. His ability to take inspiration in all forms and use it as motivation proves that he is someone who creates art with honest intentions. Self-expression and honesty are not always found in hip hop but KillVONGARD proves that the real is still around. He even created the KILLVONGARD name around the message of "death to pretentious art". I know there are people out there myself included who hear the things VONGARD raps about and can relate. The truthful subject matter of human experience and his unique content and delivery make him special. If VONGARD continues doing what he’s doing at this level of passion, and with the same constant desire to improve, it's going be exciting to see how far he will go, which I can't wait to watch.

As an avid film lover myself, I asked VONGARD to recommend 10 movies to the fans of Club Tekac. Here are his picks:

• 1: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
• 2: Burn After Reading (2008)
• 3: Waking Life (2001)
• 4: Happiness (1998)
• 5: Frank (2014)
• 6: Short Term 12 (2013)
• 7: Creep (2014)
• 8: Stutz (2022)
• 9: Primer (2004)
• 10: Hands On a Hardbody (1997)