REVIEW: KILO KISH – HOMESCHOOL EP (2012)
Kilo Kish (real name Lakisha Robinson) may not be a household name yet, but it’s only a matter of time. At 22 and as an art major in NYC, she says she never really planned on becoming a musician. When she noticed that everyone in New York City was coming out with a mix tape, she decided to make one too. It started out as a joke, but after realizing that how fun it actually was, and that people actually liked her work, she decided to stick with it. As an artist, she says that music is just a quicker way to express herself and that she never even expected anyone besides her friends to hear her work.
She started out with her old roommates , Smash Simmons and Mell McCloudby forming Kool Kats Klub. With their own in-home recording studio, they started making music more and more as they were all just hanging out. Atlanta rapper Kilo Ali was the inspiration for Lakisha’s pseudonym, although, it was originally just her Twitter handle. It was thanks to Simmons and Justin that she was introduced to Matt Martians and Hal Williams of LA’s hip-hop collective Odd Future. After hearing some of her music, Martians invited her to collaborate. She was featured on The Jet Age Of Tomorrow’s “Want You Still” and The Internet’s (Martians and Syd tha Kid) “Ode To A Dream”.
What sets Kilo Kish apart from other female rappers is the way she is completely nonabrasive. Her relaxed, soft sound is like a breath of fresh air to hip-hop. She sometimes blurs the line between rapping and singing as she plays with the beat. Her self-released Homeschool EP captures the intimacy of her sound, offering diary-like glimpses into her daily life. The relatable story of a relationship gone wrong seems to be the theme on this album. Songs like “You’re Right” and “Julienne” touch on the melancholy and disappointment of a breakup. “Julienne” features an almost comical back and forth between her and a man (voiced by Hal Williams and Vince Staples) denying cheating. “Busboy” offers a bouncy, more upbeat vibe with a cute little verse on what girls like and don’t like about boys. When asked if the stories she tells are real or fake she replied, “The stories are different feelings, if that makes sense. I try to capture a mood. For the most part they’re just my ideas.”
Overall, Kilo Kish’s girl-next-door vibe and refreshing honesty are sure to help carve a successful future. Now that she is done with school, she plans on doing some more recording. She has recently been collaborating with Childish Gambino as well as Frank Ocean, and we can expect new Kool Kats Klub later this year.
Rating: 5.8/10
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