Today we’d like to introduce you to TNL (KING T & LUSS).
Hi TNL, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started TNL as two brothers from Michigan with nothing but a dream, a mic, and a whole lot of fire to prove something. Growing up in Battle Creek, music was always our outlet — we were performing in clubs before we were old enough to drink, battle rapping at parties in high school, and connecting early on with artists like Ca$his and Rikanatti from Shady Records.
What started as two kids experimenting with sounds and stories turned into a full movement. We built TNL from the ground up — no label, no shortcuts. Over time, we carved out a lane that blends hip-hop, trap, electronic, and dark pop — something cinematic and emotional, but still raw and street.
Our breakout moment came with “King Kong” in 2022, which got us national attention and led to We Own the Night hitting the iTunes charts. That momentum put us on stages across the country alongside legends like Method Man & Redman, Busta Rhymes, B-Real, Berner, Trick Trick, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and many more.
Detroit and Michigan shaped everything about us — the grind, the heart, the authenticity. We’ve been through losses, setbacks, and restarts, but we always found our way back to the music. Today, we’re mentored by Trick Trick, and our music is released and distributed through Somebody Records and Roc Nation. But at the core, TNL is still the same — two brothers turning pain into art, using music as therapy, and repping Michigan everywhere we go.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road. Nothing about this path has been easy, but that’s what made us who we are. We’ve had times where we were performing on huge stages and everything felt like it was finally taking off — and then life would hit us just as hard in the background.
There were moments where we lost everything — our family, friends, homes, money, and stability — all because of broken promises and bad business deals that didn’t go how they were supposed to. We’ve been through situations that would’ve made a lot of people quit. But we didn’t. We kept creating, even when we were sleeping on couches or homeless.
Music’s always been our outlet and our anchor. The struggle taught us how to move smarter, protect our art, and keep our circle tight. Every obstacle just sharpened us. That’s why we sound the way we do — there’s real life behind every line.
Our greatest lessons were learned from our mistakes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We’re artists before anything — producers, writers, and performers. Everything we release comes straight from us. We’re hands-on with the entire creative process, from the songwriting and production to the visuals and rollout. Keeping that control matters to us because it keeps the vision pure and true to who we are.
Our music hits on multiple levels — it’s cinematic, emotional, and raw all at once. We blend hip-hop, trap, dark pop, and electronic elements with deeper, more introspective themes. People tell us our sound feels like a movie — something you feel as much as you hear. It’s heavy, but it’s human.
We’re most proud of staying independent and building everything from scratch. From We Own the Night to American Ultra, and now our solo releases — Anti-Nice Superstar by KING T and El Lussè by LUSS — every milestone came from betting on ourselves. We didn’t wait for anyone to hand us a moment — we created our own.
What truly sets us apart is honesty. We don’t follow trends or chase what’s popular — we tell real stories. Our music touches on mental health, addiction, loss, freedom, and survival — the things people live through but don’t always say out loud. At the end of the day, we make music that helps people feel less alone.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking risks is the only way we’ve ever moved. From day one, everything we’ve done has come with some kind of gamble — whether it was leaving jobs to chase music full-time, turning down deals that didn’t feel right, or putting our last dollar into a show or a video because we believed in what we were building.
One of the biggest risks we took was betting everything on ourselves instead of waiting for someone else to “make it happen.” There were times when it looked crazy from the outside — when you’re broke, struggling, and people are telling you to play it safe — but deep down, we knew if we didn’t take that leap, we’d regret it forever.
To us, risk is part of growth. You can’t build anything real without putting something on the line. Every time we’ve taken a risk, even when it hurt, it’s brought us closer to who we’re supposed to be — as artists and as people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/officialtnlmusic
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialtnlmusic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/@officialtnlmusic
- Twitter: https://x.com/officialTNL1
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@officialtnlmusic
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@officialtnlmusic
