‘You gotta come flash’: The Rapper Kidd Kenn Dishes on Soft Boys and Style
Photo courtesy of Kidd Kenn
Kidd Kenn is a fiery 16-year-old rapper from Chicago with 90,000 Instagram followers and the brash confidence of a rap veteran. The high school sophomore would probably be prom king, in fact, if he wasn’t homeschooled or busy working on his first album, Childish, which came out this past August. For our March Salad Pages, the musician and producer Joey Labeija caught up with the kid to discuss clout-chasing, fashion, boys, and if White Castle is an acceptable location for a first date.
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JOEY LABEIJA: So you’re 16 and a Capricorn.
KIDD KENN: Yes.
LABEIJA: I was going to ask where your confidence comes from, and now I don’t need to.
KENN: Exactly.
LABEIJA: Where do you get your sense of fashion from?
KENN: I get my style from my mother, really. She used to dress me when I was young, and then I caught on and started dressing myself.
LABEIJA: What are your do’s and don’ts when it comes to boys?
KEEN: I can’t deal with ugly boys. And I hate friendly boys.
LABEIJA: Do you block boys a lot on the ’gram? What gets a boy blocked?
KENN: When he starts talking about my music.
LABEIJA: Then you know they’re chasing after something. Your generation is kind of wild with clout-chasing and all that mumbo jumbo. What works for you?
KENN: You have to be able to dress. I like flash.
LABEIJA: If he’s really cute but he can’t dress, are you into helping him find his style?
KENN: I want you to come through ready. When I see you pull up and hop out, I wanna be sure. You gotta come flash. And I do not like soft boys at all. I love hood, thug boys.
LABEIJA: If you’re going on a first date with somebody, are you waiting for him to pull out his wallet?
KENN: Anytime a guy takes me out, they know from the start that they’re paying for the whole thing.
LABEIJA: And if you don’t have a whip, you gotta get the Uber.
KENN: Yup. And I like to have fun like if I’m going on a date. Movies. Skyzone. Go-carts. A cute little restaurant.
LABEIJA: White Castle?
KENN: No, you’re not taking me to White Castle.
