How rare and refreshing it is to hear someone say they are biracial. Almost every musician or sports star of mixed race parentage refer to themselves as being black. It is as if they are ashamed or embarrassed by the Caucasian side of their heritage.
The same can certainly not be said of Kyle Harvey. Better known simply as Kyle, stylised as KYLE, the 23-year-old rapper/ singer embraces his family background and makes no secret of being biracial. However, he does admit to a degree of uncertainty as he was growing up in terms of being the person he was expected to be.
“I felt like I couldn’t be as white as I wanted to, if that makes sense. I felt like I couldn’t be the entire me because that wasn’t what I was supposed to do.
“I felt like I had to conform to what a rapper was supposed to be. So, I was putting on voices and making up stories about things that I’d never been through to make out like someone who was black and a rapper was supposed to be.”
The time eventually came when Kyle found the courage to just be himself.
“I had to break down that wall. I had to be all of me, not part of me. Even if it was seen as whitewash, I’m just human. I am black but I’m also white. I’m not going to shut my white mother in the basement when company comes over. It’s not real.”
Born in Reseda, California, but growing up in Ventura, about half-way between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Kyle began singing at the age of six. He was writing his own material long before entering high school and got into rapping at 13.
“I was a good rapper and wrote clever punchlines but none of my songs sounded good when I recorded them. I didn’t know why. But I was talking about slaughtering villages and moving mountains of cocaine, which I obviously wasn’t doing. This was me trying to be what a rapper was supposed to be.
“Then I recorded this song called Lemonade. It was the first time I wrote about stuff I found funny and phased it in a punchline format. It felt so natural. I was laughing at my own punchlines. When I listened to it back with my mom and friends, everybody said this was way better than my past stuff.
“It was the first time I felt comfortable with what I was doing. The moment I stopped rapping about stuff that wasn’t real to who I am was when I started to become the artiste that I am now.”
Described as an all-around nice guy, Kyle has been hailed as the artiste who could be held up as a role model for rap fans from all ethnic backgrounds.
“I realised I couldn’t make music about things I don’t go through because it doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not in the club. I’m not popping bottles. I don’t sell crack, I haven’t done that. I haven’t shot nobody, I don’t plan on shooting anybody. I can only write about the things I go through and I find that’s how I can really relate to people.”
Kyle has even been positively described as an anti-rapper in the sense that his lifestyle and behaviour sharply contrasts that of so many prominent rap stars.
“Being yourself works if you actually try. I think a lot of people are afraid to come out and do that because they don’t think it’s going to work. But I’ll slip in things like I have a girlfriend and we have a good relationship. There will be people out there thinking he likes his girl, that’s cool. They’re the same, they can relate.”
Kyle released his first mixtape in 2010 under the moniker of K.i.D. Some of his early work can still be heard and purchased via (no www.) thekid.bandcamp.com/. A change to his own name accompanied Kyle’s 2013 debut album, Beautiful Loser.
“My aunt played me Bob Seger’s 1975 song, Beautiful Loser, when I was a kid. I wanted a title that could describe me as a person in two words. I wasn’t really a loser in high school but I was kind of one. I was on the football team but I also hung out with the nerdy kids staying up until 7am playing medieval video games.”
In 2015, Rolling Stone named Kyle as “one of the ten artistes you need to know.” These words were emphasised by the release in October, 2015, of his second album, Smyle. This LP made the top ten in both the Top R&B / Hip Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.
Kyle’s singles have not fared so well. Although popular among his fans, none made any significant impact on the charts. This changed dramatically with the release of his latest single, iSpy. Also featuring guest artist Lil Yachty, the track has topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, reached number three on the Hot R&B / Hip Hop Songs chart and number four on the Hot 100.
“It was like something magical happened in the studio. Me and my producer, Ayo, were trying to make some feel-good stuff and we had this piano beat. We had a quiet moment and suddenly thought Lil Yachty would sound perfect on the beat.
“The lyrics are about finding girls online at found bae who don’t have too many followers yet so you might have a chance of getting to meet them. Everyone can relate to that.”
IN BRIEF
Paramore
American rockers Paramore release their fifth studio album, After Laughter, on May 12.
It is four years since the band’s self-titled last album. Personnel changes in the meantime have seen the departure of bassist Jeremy Davis and the return of drummer Zac Farro.
Zac had originally left Paramore in 2010 along with his brother, lead guitarist Josh Farro. The band had used five different musicians as studio and touring drummers since Zac quit. The original agreement was for him to just play on the new album but his permanent membership was confirmed this past February.
Explaining the album title, singer / songwriter Hayley Williams stated; “It’s about the look on people’s faces when they’re done laughing. If you watch somebody long enough, there’s always this look that comes across their face when they’re done smiling and I always find it really fascinating to wonder what it is that brought them back to reality. So, that’s what After Laughter is.”
The video for lead single, Hard Times, can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEB6ibtdPZc
Prince
Deliverance, a previously unreleased song from music legend Prince, could be heard on SoundCloud for a few days. It was posted to mark the first anniversary of his death and intended to herald the release of a six-song EP containing unheard tracks recorded between 2006 and ’08 when Prince did not have a recording contract.
The songs were co-written and co-produced with Prince’s long-time recording engineer Ian Boxill who claimed ownership of the tracks. There was no possibility of the Prince estate allowing the release to happen. A lawsuit was filed against Ian Boxill claiming he was in violation of an agreement he signed stating the tracks were solely the property of Prince.
The agreement apparently says Boxill would not use any of the recordings in any way and would return them to Prince “immediately upon request.” The lawsuit brought by the Prince estate requires the return of “any and all masters, copies and reproductions” of the songs.
Anyone who downloaded the track from SoundCloud should escape legal retribution. But it looks like Deliverance and the other five songs will only ever be heard again if they are released at some point by the Prince estate.
Big Boi
No release date has been announced as yet but OutKast MC Big Boi, real name Antwan Patton, says his third solo album, Boomiverse, will be out “soon.”
A pair of tracks from the new album are available now. Mic Jack features guest vocals from Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine while Kill Jill sees Big Boi partner with fellow Atlanta rappers Jeezy and Killer Mike.
There are no accompanying official videos for either track. However, audio postings can be found online. The URL for Mic Jack is www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-KpeJL-bgs while a posting of Kill Jill, which also includes the song lyrics, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcQbKMf8vJo
Big Boi’s live performance of Mic Jack on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CINczfU1o5Y
ROLE MODEL: Kyle has been hailed as the artiste who could be held up as a role model for rap fans.
KYLIE
