Born and raised in Crenshaw, the Bucc Sixty’s artist unloads a pristine and refined work of art that blends opulent sonics and clairvoyant raps.
Dough The Freshkid, commonly known as DTFK, is a rapper, visionary, and philanthropist who recently released his long-awaited album “K.E.Y.S,” which stands for “Keep Evolving Your Self.” With a hefty title and even more demanding cover image depicting him in a Tuxedo with an equally exquisite woman by his rib and a grand piano behind him, the message is obvious — a Black man can rise above adversity and conquer his trials to become a man of honor. “As an independent artist, I’m trying to show growth through my business moves, attitude and music. The whole goal is to continue to grow and become better than you were yesterday” he accentuated of the projects’ goal. The music is of the highest caliber, and the raps are candid, convicted, convincing, and supremely first-rate. Dough, who is a cornerstone in the Crenshaw neighborhood via his yearly give-aways, admirably reflects on his musical path, touching common topics that arise in the Crenshaw community, but from the perspective of overcoming the dangers that many of the youngsters face. On “Throw Up,” he cuts across gang culture; on “Whip It,” he amplifies the allure of selling drugs as a way to shorthand poverty, but in a very fun and enjoyable manner (we smell a TikTok from this song); on “Checc N,” he alludes to the territorial aspect of Hip Hop regionalism, where outsiders are required to be validated before walking into certain areas; and on “Rich Blacks,” he speaks on Normally, projects that explore the socio-cultural aspects of community wind up preachy and judgmental, but DTFK avoids these traps and dispels clichés, breezing through one of the most lauded 2022 projects in terms of continuity, cohesiveness, quality, and performance. The wholesome virtue of the body of work is present, no wonder DTFK, the EPC founder, does not hesitate to call this “his best work ever.” From his nonchalance to talk into the mic rather than animate performance, to the musicality that will illuminate more so through the live shows, to the shorts (brief video bites) that acted as a roll-out acquainting the fans with the process of making the album, the wholesome virtue of the body of work is present. “It’s actually 2 songs in particular, “Chandeliers” and the self title “Keys” song. But the entire album is Dope, probably my best project to date” when we asked him what his favorite records were. More to suffice from the aesthetic side of the project has been teased by the passionate proponent of self-improvement via financial health and business. “We took our time with Keys, and we don’t want to just conclude it here with music.” Hopefully, later this year, I’ll be able to release a seven-part Keys video movie series. We’ve actually begun manufacturing,” he says, noting that the tools haven’t been turned off yet. Stream the project here:
The multi-talented rapper, actor, and model’s fan favorite song “Out Fuh Blood” was recently featured on the premium & iconic basketball video game, NBA 2K22. The Chicago born and bred bonafide rising star has already started off this year with a spring to his step with the Bambino World-produced “Letta Go”.
Having a placement on a globally transcending artifact of culture such as 2K was the cherry on the cake but not the final cast of the stone to his potential, as he had previously been casted on Season 7 (2020) of drama TV series such as Chicago P.D as “Gang Member” and later 2021’s Faithless. Currently, he is among the integral faces serving looks and endearing men to self care as an ambassador of award-winning men’s grooming product Shea Moisture Men’s 2022 campaign, where he is a figurehead for men’s hair wellness – another one of his multiple talents being capitalized to good use. The deep-voiced creative hailing from West Chicago continues to apply himself in different forms of art, and playing his trade with intention & alignment as he becomes a staple in the music and entertainment industry among others. Remixd Mag caught up with the legend in the making on how he manages to be as great as he is, and what are some of his near ambitions we can keep tabs on. Enjoy: What city are you from/ Where are you based now?I’m from Chicago. Westside/Woodside. I’m still based in Chicago at the moment. What is your artist name? What is your real name? How did you get your artist name?My art name is Kay Eye. My government is Will Nicks III. My artist name, I chose myself.It means “Soul Vision/Soul Sight”. It came about back in 2017 when I was going throughthe process of rebranding and changing my name. I used to go by K.I.D Will, but I hadmade it to a point in my career where I felt like I had outgrown that name. It just didn’tresonate with me anymore. I went through a couple different name options before “KayEye” hit me right in the face. I pulled it from a combination of my spiritual & historicstudies. It’s a mix between Egyptian, Spanish, and English language. As soon as I put ittogether, it felt like the perfect fit for me. How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?I would describe my sound as unorthodox. Limitless. Unbounded by genre. Sharp lyricalraps infused with imprinting melodies. What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you?I’m passionate about music because it was my first love. Looking back on my life, musicpulled me out of all my darkest moments. It gave me a tool to create and express myown world free from outside opinion or judgements. “What’s next” is what inspires me.The fact that there’s still elements of my potential that I haven’t tapped into yet keepsme going. Knowing that I’m capable of much more that will unfold as I continue downmy path fires me up. I’m not stopping till I touch the heights of what music has to offerme. Who are some of your main musical influences?– Some of my biggest musical influences from childhood are Tupac, Michael Jackson,Prince, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Bone Thugz, Outcast, Kanye West, & Ludacris. As I gotolder and got into my teenage years, I got heavy into Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Drake, KendrickLamar, Rick Ross, Nipsey Hussle, and J Cole. I know that’s a lot of names but I belistening to hella music lol. Always been this way. I used to come home from school anddownload every song that had released that day no matter who the artist was. I justwanted to hear everything that I could. I got more too, but I’ll just leave it at those. Longstory short, my main influences come from Hip Hop/Rap, R&B, and Neo Soul.
What’s one project you are most proud of?My most recent project is entitled Thelostseries:lostTime. It’s the first installment of afour-part series. lostTime is the first timePiece installment of thelostseries.masterPiece. The inspiration behind this project was my perception of time. I had gottento a place in my life, where I wasn’t satisfied with how I was spending my time. This ledme to realize, that even though I was using my time to pursue the things that I thought Iwanted in life, I was ignoring my blind side. It was time for me to open my eyes to thebigger picture, redefine all the things that I truly wanted out of life, refine the way Imanaged my time, and most importantly identify the things I thought were a waste oftime and remove them. Just like that, lostTime was born, along with the rest of theseries that I won’t jump into until it’s time for the second timePiece. But I came up withthe whole concept for each installment at the same time. What is this project about in your own words?This project is about TIME. More specifically, my relationship with it. Some of mypersonal experiences that have shaped my view of time. Some of the ways I’ve utilizedtime, and some of the ways that I’ve let it take over me. The gains, the losses, the wins,and the lessons that I’ve lived through the hands of time. What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects we should be on thelookout for? Include some dates if you have them.– What’s next for me is the rest of “thelostseries” masterPiece. Before I get into thatsecond installment though, I have an EP that I’m working on called “timeEnds”. Thatalong with some singles that I have in the vault to bridge me over into the era of thesecond installment. I won’t say any concrete dates yet, but things will be kicking off thisSpring. What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from this project?Overall, from my music, I hope fans take away the idea that anything is possible throughthe mastery of self and thought. Every experience happens to teach us if we’re openand willing to learn, and to guide us to where we’re ultimately meant to be. I wantpeople to hear my music and be motivated to achieve their greatest potential and havefun while doing it. Conquer your fears and continue to evolve. As for this project, I wantpeople to take away the message that you can’t beat time. It was here before you were.The best route to take is to figure out how you can work together with time, becauseit’ll be here after you’re gone too. The key is to change your perspective of time fromnegative to positive. Where can we follow you on social media?– Kay Eye Dot Com (Website): https://kayeye3rd.com/ – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayeye3rd/ – Twitter: https://twitter.com/KayEye3rd – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy63T4MTwTMPsbOW-Nc4MnA – TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kayeye3rd – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayeye3rd – Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kay-eye/386858155 – Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ylvsDWlf3Zz15CcOqWRNS?si=9j2GLdt1TT-IfJYWXAQpAQ– SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kay-eye3
The musical NY stalwart shares new feel-good track that has summer written all over it, and highlights his singing prowess
Coming off a high of Canyon’s “In The Paint” music visual that was unleashed on the top of February, NY’s Canyon sees no let off with his first solo record – “Friends”. Exhibiting a sanguine vibe, the jolly tune sounds perfectly staged for the summer or a good time with friends. Wounding up an eclectic sound taking cues of pop, punk, hip hop, and indie rock, Canyon shows his range and vast musical taste on the record, even mustering some vocals on the chorus – a totally 180 execution to his boisterous record exactly prior to – “In The Paint” – a vivacious rap ballad. Inevitably, the song is a dreamy Utopian escape with wings that will take you to another world, much like being a genre-bending and ground-breaking attempt for the New York spitter. Speaking to Remixd Mag earlier, the auspicious rapper cum artist opened up on this record talking it up as “one of his favorites ever made” before unveiling his album will be dropping in early this year. “I’m gonna spend some time pushing IN THE PAINT and then I’ll be releasing my next record which is my first solo song” He hinted on “Friends” as his next single. “(It’s a)Fire song I really have high hopes for. One of my favorites I’ve ever made. I have my debut album on the way with a lot of incredible features in early 2022” he intimated to us. On this effort, Canyon opts for more vulnerability, creative ambition, alternative-lean, and a candidness that he has caged in previous releases that ultimately unfolds in the lyrics. “I really like your vibe, I’m trynna ride right side your tempo” he sings as he adopts a conversational style of song that’s more transparent in how he attempts to pursue a certain woman, he envisions as more than a “friend”. To listen to the song, and enjoy Canyon’s latest work, click the link below: