Southern Plug Magazine: Tink vs Dreezy Volume 3 Issue 1 | Page 11

MAJOR INDEPENDANTS
Kilo Kish is an alternative R&B singer,
songwriter, and occasional rapper
who has recorded with the Jet Age of
Tomorrow, the Internet, Vince
Staples, Childish Gambino, and Chet
Faker, among others. She has also
released her own material. Born
Lakisha Robinson in Orlando, Florida,
she spent part of her childhood in
New Jersey prior to returning to
Orlando and was briefly in a pop
group called D'Angelz. She moved to
New York, attended the Pratt
Institute, and worked as a model and
waiter. Led by the dreamy "Navy," her
first EP, Homeschool, was self-
released in April 2012. A couple years
later, after assorted collaborative
work, she connected with the music
wing of French fashion label Kitsuné
for Across, another EP of
atmospheric, slackened R&B. In
2015, she appeared on Etienne de
Crécy's Super Discount 3 and Vince
Staples' Summertime '06. Reflections
in Real Time, a sprawling and deeply
personal album that flitted between
fully developed songs and
fragmentary interludes, followed in
February 2016.
With her infectious positivity and youthful
energy, Atlanta rapper/singer Kodie Shane
got her big break as the sole female
member of Lil Yachty's Sailing Team. Born
Kodie Williams and raised in Chicago, she
grew up in a musical family: her father,
Danny C. Williams, was one-third of
Detroit trio Rick, Ran & Dan; her aunt is "I
Didn't Mean to Turn You On" singer
Cherrelle; her sister is Brandi Williams of
Blaque; and her mother is her manager.
Her grandfather named her after cowboy
Buffalo Bill Cody, whose Wild West spirit
helped set her apart when she started
rapping and producing at the age of 14. In
the studio, she met Coach K (Gucci Mane,
Migos) who introduced her to Lil Yachty in
early 2016. A quick friendship blossomed
between the two and he recruited her into
his crew. After the release of her debut
mixtape, 2060, and her first EP Little
Rocket, she appeared on the Sailing Team
posse cut "All In," which was released in
the summer of 2016 on Yachty's Summer
Songs 2. Her breakout verse helped
expand her audience and online streaming
presence. Her emotional single "Sad"
would become her first hit. Featured on
her EP Zero Gravity, the Yachty-assisted
track garnered nearly two million streams
and led to a deal with Epic Records. In
early 2017, she issued the atmospheric
mixtape Big Trouble in Little Jupiter, which
incorporated R&B stylings similar to one of
her biggest influences, Ashanti, and
showcased her vocal abilities.