Hot 97 celebrates the month of Pride with new Def Jam signee Kidd Kenn!
Representing Chicago and the LGBTQ community, Kidd Kenn opened up about his childhood, breaking into Hip Hop, future goals, and support thus far from other artists in the music industry.
Growing up in the windy city, Kidd Kenn is proud of his upbringing back home in the South Side of Chicago. In an interview with Hot97’s Miabelle, Kidd Kenn speaks freely about his childhood revealing that he used to be a problem-child both at home and at school: “I had a slick mouth [and] lowkey did what I want”.
At the age of six, Kidd Kenn started using freestyle as a way to express himself and reminisces the first time he went to the studio at the young age of 14. After getting millions of shares on Facebook from a Snapchat video of him freestyling, Kidd Kenn’s career took off with his first paid gig at a strip club.
Kidd Kenn coined his stagename after discovering his love for musical icon, Nicki Minaj while watching the hip-hop and R&B television show “106 & Park”. After listening to Minaj’s remix of “Five Star” in the episode, Kidd Kenn continued to gain inspiration from Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, and Lady Gaga. In an interview with Reader, he told viewers, “Nicki is Barbie, and because I’m a boy, I decided I would be Ken.”
Stepping into the world of hip-hop as a Black musician and a member of the LGBTQ+ community is certainly challenging, but has never stopped Kidd Kenn from achieving his dreams. When working with big named artists like Lizzo, Cardi B., and Lil Nas X, and getting collaborations with Saucy Santana and Nasty Rico, it is safe to say that Kidd Kenn will continue to make his mark in the hip-hop community. He leaves viewers with an inspirational sentiment to go by: Live your truth. Being authentically you for you (and only you) makes life a walk in the park.
Stay tuned as Kidd Kenn teases his latest single ‘Want Not A Need’ featuring Baby Tate and future plans!