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Young Philadelphia Rapper LGP Qua Making Major Splash In Music Industry

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A young man from North Philadelphia is making a major splash in the rap game. It's the message behind his lyrics that's catching the eyes and ears of some of the biggest music moguls in the game.

Qidere Johnson goes by the stage name LGP Qua and he's being called the "Voice of the Youth." The rising Philadelphia star is a conscious rapper who's gaining growing recognition for his lyrics and his big heart.

Sitting in his living room, LGP Qua begins rapping.

"I said I'm feeling like Rakim, thinking of a master plan because all I see is death in the streets that I'm stepping in," LGP Qua said.

The 24-year-old has the flow, but it's his words that's gained the young up-and-coming North Philadelphia rapper national attention.

"Everybody in my city, they got their own craft with their art music and I'm all the way left," he said. "Nobody was talking how I was talking, like I just came onto the scene like who's this young boy talking, speaking what he's speaking."

He often gives inner-city youth encouragement, despite difficult socioeconomic circumstances. His latest single, "Dear Qua," features actual letters written to him by teenagers about their struggles in Philadelphia. The song was released this week.

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Making music videos is a complete change because less than two years ago, Qua spent 18 months in prison. He said it was on a weapons charge. It's where he met his father for the first time and started rapping.

After he got out, Qua wrote a rap song in November 2017 during Meek Mill's imprisonment on a parole violation that went viral and helped put him on the map.

The song caught the eyes of rap legends like Snoop Dogg and Nas and eventually landed him on a collaboration song with high profile lyricist Will.i.am.

"Amazing," Qua said of working with Will.i.am. "He has a different type of mindset when it comes to this music."

It's not just the enlightened lyrics that LGP Qua is respected for. It's his generous heart toward his own community.

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He was given citations by Philadelphia councilwoman Cindy Bass and Senator Shariff Street after giving away nearly 1,000 pairs of sneakers to students at Alice West Fleet Elementary School and Simon Gratz Mastery Charter School through a partnership with Puma and Foot Locker.

"Normally people come, talk down to us because they say we get in a lot of fights," student Jamese Williams said, "but he made us feel as though we could do more than that."

Qua offers this advice to those growing up behind him.

"Be you. Be different. Stand out. Don't be like a crowd," he said.

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