Fokis

Fokis is a rapper, producer, and engineer from New York City's Lower East Side, born William Heredia to Dominican parents. Eleven albums deep, the latest being European Union, his collaborative album with Edo. G, released in 2026 and toured across Europe that summer. He splits his year between New York and Germany and runs Loyalty Digital Corp, the independent label he built to put out records that still matter.

About Fokis

Born William Heredia to Dominican parents, Fokis grew up on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where he developed the work ethic and musical curiosity that would shape his career. He began as a DJ before transitioning into rhyming and production, and taught himself the craft of recording and engineering — skills he eventually brought into his own studio, Krystal Clear Recordings, where he recorded and mixed for artists like Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, N.O.R.E., Joe Budden, and Olu Dara, among others.

As a recording artist, Fokis has released eleven albums, along with various singles and collaborative projects that have taken him across the U.S. and Europe. He has shared stages with Common, Busta Rhymes, The Game, Onyx, and Das EFX, and built a transatlantic body of work alongside artists including Edo. G, Sadat X, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Oh No, Retrogott, and Lakmann. His collaborative album with Retrogott, Universal Dialect, produced the hit single "Game Time"; his 2016 collaboration with Edo. G and Shabaam Sahdeeq, Recognize Your Power, was produced entirely by Fokis. His eleventh album, European Union with Edo. G, was released in June 2026 on vinyl, CD, and digital, and taken on the road with the European Union Tour.

Fokis founded Loyalty Digital Corp, the independent label through which he has executive-produced releases for Sadat X (Never Left), Local-Mu12 — a membership-based collective for artists and producers — and a growing roster. LDC operates as both a label and a direct-to-consumer platform, releasing music on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital from its home base at loyaltydigitalcorp.com. Fokis continues to develop new work — including The Vintage Album, coming 2027, an homage to 80s and 90s hip-hop featuring Kurtis Blow, Lords of the Underground, Spoonie Gee, Brand Nubian, DMC, King Tee, and more — while managing the business side of independent music. "I am a stubborn-headed dreamer with a plan," he says.