Story : Quentin Fears
Photographer : Angela Boatwright
Chicago-bred Kid Sister has been an emerging force on the scene since her days MCing at the monthly dance parties hosted by DJ duo, Flosstradamus. Her first single, âPro Nailsâ, which features Kanye West, turned into a major dance party hit. She talks with us more about her life and biggest surprise in this Ladyunn Magazine exclusive.
What has your day been like?
Iâve been doing interviews all morning, and Iâ m really, really tired, but itâs cool. You know what I mean.
But thatâs what you do, right? Itâs a part of your job. So how long have you been rapping?
For five years. Literally, five years.
Is that something that just came about, or have you always been into music?
Iâve always been into music, but I definitely never thought I would be a rapper, and I never thought that I would be a professional musician.
You went to college for film, right?
Yeah, I wanted to work on films. I donât know if you have or you have known someone that has worked on movie sets, but itâs really hard. Itâs really intense. I decided that wasnât for me. I needed to find a new job in Chicago. I just started doing something else, these little ghetto random shows. Not ghetto, mostly parties, dirty, crazy, dance parties. They were at hole-in-the-wall dive bars, but they were a lot of fun. My brother and Flosstradamus started these circuit parties where I could get my start.
So you and your friends started to have these parties, and you started rapping?
Yeah, my brother would have these ticketed events. I would just jump up on stage. It wasnât really a stage, it was more like a platform where I would do a song or two. Thatâs how I got my start.
How did you end up meeting A-Trak?
He was friends with my brother. We met at a festival in Chicago called Pitchfork. We met there and we decided, âLetâs work together!â We started working together pretty much off the bat.
It seems as if everything that happened to you was really organic. You werenât trying too hard to do anything. You just ended up meeting the right people at the right time.
It worked! Itâs crazy. A-Track was like, âHey letâs work.â And I said, âCool,â and thatâs how it happened.
It seems like thatâs how things get started.
Even with the âGucci Rag Topâ song. It was hey, Gucci Mane is now on my song!
Were you trying to network and meet people?
Not even. It was more like we were just people hanging out. Even the song with Gucci Mane. We didnât know he was going to get in on it. Everything in my career literally just happened to me.
So A-Trak was the conduit for you to met Kanye West?
Yeah, of course.
What was it like meeting Kanye? He seems to be a perfectionist. Were you intimidated?
Yeah I was a little nervous when I first met him, but mostly because of the circumstances I met him in. I met him at the Live Aid Concert at Giants Stadium. I was young, 27. At that time I hadnât really seen that much in my life.
At that time you hadnât really left Chicago?
Well, I had lived in Brooklyn, and I worked in showrooms for a while. I wasnât completely isolated. I definitely didnât have any money and couldnât do anything. I met Kanye at Live Aid. It was literally Bon Jovi, U2, Ludacris, all of these stars, Alicia Keys, everyone was there. It wasnât intimidating, it was more overwhelming.
You just kind of got thrown into the mix?
Yeah it was like, âMeet Kanye.â I was like,
âOkay, there you are, have a great show, bye.â He was a very nice person.
In the past weâve witnessed situations in which Kanye has lost his composure. Did you experience any of that?
No, As an artist you have to interact with a lot of people. Alot of artists are different, but I think the parts of your brain that all artist use are the same. Fortunately or unfortunately musicians and rappers are expect to be social. Especially when you are in the public eye.
To be on, cordial, polite always have a face on. You have to be on. I get it.
Yeah.
How do you describe your sound, your music? How do you go about creating this? I feel like you are almost creating this new genre.
I love electronic music and I always will. Iâm not completely going into that direction. Iâm going slightly into a new direction. Itâs going to be a little more hip-hop oriented.
Do you think Hip-Hop sells more, or is it what you are interested in now?
Itâs what Iâm into now. Itâs definitely easier for me to do now because itâs more organic writing songs that way.
Is it true you got your stage name Kid Sister from your little brother because of a toy doll, Kid Sister from the eighties that you wanted?
And I never got!
Are there any other artists that you are interested?
Umm, Yeah I donât know thats a touchy question.
Ok, who do you have on your Ipod now?
I definitely like you Das Racist.
Das Racist. I love them! We just interviewed them for Ladygunn a couple of weeks ago. They are making a really cool sound.
I also like really early nineties R&B.
Like what??
Jodeci, really early R-Kelly.
I was born in 1981 so that was middle school for me.
Yeah, Iâm really liking that era of music. They were making the cheesiest pop, but it was so fun.
Like SWV, I Get So Weak In The Knees.
Early 90âs. Thatâs what I like.
Do you think Growing up in Chicago affected your sound and flow as a Rapper?
It definitely informs everything I do as musician. Do you know that guy Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy?
Of course.
He hit me up on Twitter.
Really?
He was like checkout this article I just did. They asked him, who is one of your favorite Artists? He said, Kid Sister and described it as, âUnforgiving Chicago Music.â Itâs true. Chicago is such a great place. Itâs so cool and normal. Chicago has always been behind me and I will always be behind it.
Incredible. So when are you touring and when is your album coming out?
We are working on a project now. Iâm going on tour with A-Trak in April, so weâll be back on the road through May. In June Iâm touring with another artist.
For more on Kid Sister check out the Summer Issue of Ladygunn Magazine!
Download the Fool’s Gold Kid Sister Mixtape here!
