“One unexpected and nonstop highlight of the night was Chicago rapper Kidd Kenn. Born Dontrell Smith,
the 18-year-old rhymer bodied the red carpet, sporting an eclectic blue suit with hair to match. Not to mention a face that was beat to perfection.” – BET
Kidd Kenn Makes History at the BET Hip Hop Awards – PAPER
“Chicago’s Next Teen Sensation.” – FADER
“Openly queer Chicago rapper Kidd Kenn has already been making waves.” – Billboard
Rapper Kidd Kenn follows up his history-making freestyle at the BET 2021 Hip-Hop Awards with a spicy remix and sizzling music video featuring Saucy Santana for his track “B4” (remix), dropping today at 1pm EST/ 10am PST.
“B4 (remix) is basically the gays bringing sexy back – period!” says Kidd Kenn. “I wanted Santana because it was really organic. He loved the song before he was on it and he was a vibe. He’s an artist I always wanted to work with too.”
Kidd Kenn and Saucy Santana turn up the heat and exchange bars over the track’s pulsating beat, produced by Adam Boukis and Lo. “B4” (remix) is fearlessly unapologetic and a brave club banger, with Kenn confidently taking agency over his sexuality with an assist from equally fearless queer rapper Saucy Santana.
“B4” (remix) kicks off with its infectious NSFW chorus and Kidd Kenn makes his intro with his first verse, rapping, “I be blowing with the money in the wind / If he ain’t gon’ spend it, imma give it to his friend / I can spot a n—- with some money through these lens / throw this p—y on a n—- / got him saying, ‘stop playin.”
Saucy Santana co-signs with fiery bars, “Ghetto b—- / make him eat it like Popeyes / long hair, long nails / b—-, we outside” and “F— his friends, f— his daddy / Imma start a war / Kidd Kenn, double N’s with Santana, h–.”
The song’s accompanying music video puts viewers in the season’s sinister Halloween mood, with Kidd Kenn channeling Freddy Kreuger while he and Saucy Santana tease a lineup of eligible bachelors.
His latest EP PROBLEM CHILD, released via 4th & Broadway/Island Records, soared onto streaming platforms earlier this year on the wings of its four previously released tracks: “Gold Digger” featuring Dess Dior (watch video here); “Freestyle,” Kidd Kenn’s viral collaboration with Delli Boe (watch video here); “Get Lit”, which was featured in the Madden ’22 Soundtrack; “Moves” featuring Rico Nasty, which was synced in an Apple Watch Series 6 online ad; and his song and “Good Day”. The EP also includes the track “Problem.”
Last year, Kidd Kenn was nominated for a GLAAD award for “Outstanding Breakthrough Artist.” He also made headlines when he was selected for GLAAD’s prestigious list of “20 Under 20: Young LGBTQ People Shaping The Future of Media and Activism,” presented by Teen Vogue.
His single “Good Day” was featured in a Target x NY Pride ad, which launched in June, supported by Kidd Kenn’s gala performance at the Youth Pride/NYC Pride virtual festival sponsored by Target.
The buzz behind Kidd Kenn has been explosive, with PAPER, Fader, XXL, Hot New Hip Hop, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Office Magazine, Interview Magazine, and other tastemakers all rallying behind the young artist. Nylon called him a “rap phenom,” and Fader dubbed him “Chicago’s Next Teen Sensation.” Kidd Kenn’s huge organically grown web following includes over 270k Instagram followers, over 1.5 million video views on YouTube, a half-million followers on TikTok, and over 5 million likes. PROBLEM CHILD is the follow-up to CHILD’S PLAY, Kidd Kenn’s first EP, released last year.
ABOUT KIDD KEN:
Individuality induces creativity. Straight out of the gate, Kidd Kenn asserted himself as an individual and has advanced hip-hop forward in the process. Rocking ever-changing hair color, bold and bright fashion, and an outsized personality, the 18-year old rapper from Chicago’s Southside flaunts confidence for days but backs it up with razor-sharp rhymes and hard-hitting hooks.
Kidd Kenn started writing his own raps just four years ago and soon discovered an unparalleled joy for performance. He emerged as a pioneer in the Chicago community, and an important figure in hip-hop in general, debuting with his Childish EP in 2018. His huge organically grown web following has over 270k Instagram followers and over 1.7 million video views on YouTube. Moreover, he has over half a million TikTok followers and 5.3 million likes.
“When you hear what I’m doing, I want you to know everything is possible,” says the young MC who encodes a message in his music. “Be yourself. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. That’s just something I always did. You can’t get stuck on anything or what anybody says. I learned how to not care about opinions and be myself. You need to feel like that bitch!” As more artists become comfortable in their own skin, embracing their authentic selves in the hip-hop landscape, they will continue to look to Kenn to lead the pack and break the mold.