Photo by Eli Stamstad/@mixedby_eli
FTBK (Fred the Black Kid) - Cactus Club
FTBK during his sold-out Cactus Club show on July 26, 2025
I sat down with FTBK following his sold-out, headlining show at The Cactus Club. The concert’s lineup consisted of his close friends and frequent collaborators: the Hagen Brothers, Layne Costello, TSG: AP!, and Keylime. The show, titled PENDING – Live from Earth, showcased a talented group of local up-and-comers and previewed FTBK’s tape that dropped August 15.
FTBK’s new project, This is Not a Mask, is a deeply-personal mixtape highlighting his lyrical prowess and genre-spanning production. It features upbeat party songs, such as lead singles “TONIGHT!” and “Love Me!” alongside introspective grapples with concepts of identity and mortality on songs like “dream of me, when i die” and “Quarterlife Crisis.” Having grown up in a predominantly white space, FTBK says he felt an internal conundrum of where his identity was. He chose the stage name Fred the Black Kid as a form of reclamation of that identity, utilizing music to bring out a personality and confidence that was otherwise repressed.
Fred is a perfect embodiment of the modern indie artist: he writes and produces his own tracks, he directs, films and edits his own videos, and he markets his material without the financial backing of a major label. Alongside his own musical career, Fred has carved out a side hustle filming videos and promotional content for other artists and businesses. I asked FTBK where he sees the two processes, making music and making videos, bearing similarities.
Do you feel like both the visual process of preproduction and editing and the actual music process of writing songs and developing your sound influence each other?
I think that when I would make music, I would almost always see a visual and if I couldn't see a visual, I didn't really know if it was a good idea. In my head, if I could see a scene for it, I know how to market it where I know what it looks like, and I know what it feels like. I think that's a huge reason why I do what I do is because right now in the digital age, you need to be able to have some sort of visual so you can communicate past just the words or the songs. People want to understand it through what they see.
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You're in a very transitional period right now as an artist, having your first headlining show and putting out a project that you're clearly very passionate about. What does the idea of success look like for you in a year's time?
I think success would be doing all the things that I said I was going to do this year, just pushing myself to get another show at a bigger venue, putting out more music, being authentic and pushing myself to keep going. Be consistent in the video, in the music, and not hold myself back because of the fact that people might not like something. I really am not too big on success being monetary or material. I don't need to say, “I need to play a show for 10,000 people for me to be successful or I have to have $10,000 in my bank account for me to feel successful.” I am successful because of the fact that I'm doing exactly what I said I want to do and what makes me happy. So that's what real success is for me. A year from now, if I'm still happy, I'm successful.
For concert dates and to check out more of FTBK’s work, check out @fredtheblackkid and @freddyflackofilmedit on socials.
