The Tender Ferocity of Hip-Hop Upstart KJade
The Phoenix rapper opens up about family, moving to New York, writing through the pain, and her dazzling debut album, ‘On Everything I Love.’
Going Up is a profile series featuring artists we love who are on the verge of breaking through.
KJade has only been away from Arizona for a few days, but she’s already considering a move to New York. The white zip-up Rocawear sweater she’s wearing when we first link in Brooklyn on a sweltering afternoon in early May is indication enough of her future plans. But as we tear into our honey lemon pepper wings, she fleshes out the journey toward her NYC fantasy.
“I’ve found my neighborhood,” she says, gesturing with a head nod to her Crown Heights surroundings. “At this point, I’m just looking for my literal home. This is where I feel like everything’s the most natural, not only in my social life, but in my career. Hip-hop is not hard to access here. If you can have some type of life musically here, it’s very easy to water yourself. I’m coming from Phoenix, where a lot of people don’t feel like they need hip-hop, but this is a place where people feel like they need that.” Her New York story thus far involves pulling up to Generator, a local producer and DJ showcase, where she was recognized by a handful of attendees. Few things hit like that out-of-town cosign.
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