Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper. Hailing from the Bronx, he began his musical career in 2020, he rose to fame through a variety of Singles, most notably " Not in the Mood" by

Lil Tjay Tione Jayden Merritt (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2017 with his song "Resume", and then the release of his breakthrough song "Brothers" which led h ...

, which peaked at number 61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He released his debut mixtape, ''The D.O.A. Tape'', in 2021.

Early life

Kevin Perez was born on April 20, 2003 in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York. He described his home as "dangerous" while growing up.

Career

Kay Flock began his music career in May 2020; other songs that he released following this included "Opp Spotter" (featuring

B-Lovee Qwayshawn Cannon (born December 12, 2000), known professionally as B-Lovee, is an American rapper. Born in Maryland, he began his music career in 2015, pausing it until 2020, when he released his debut EP, ''Courtlandtbaby''. He went viral after ...

), "Brotherly Love" (featuring B-Lovee and Dougie B) and "PSA". Kay Flock released his debut mixtape, ''The D.O.A. Tape'', on November 5, 2021, which peaked at number one on the

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart. In August, he released "Is Ya Ready"; the song was named within journalist

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

's top 28 songs of 2021. He later released "Being Honest", which samples "Changes" by

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...

. The song was said to be "reminiscent of

G Herbo Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper from Chicago. G Herbo is signed to Machine Entertainment Group. He has released the mixtapes '' Welcome to Faz ...

" and was named within ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s top 38 rap songs of 2021 and top 100 songs of 2021. A remix of the song, featuring G Herbo, was released in November. In October, he was featured on " Not in the Mood" by

, which also featured

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...

. The song peaked at number 61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In November, Kay Flock was named ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Hip Hop Rookie of the Month. During an interview with '' XXL'', he stated that his style of rapping was compared to

King Von Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was signed to Lil Durk's record label Only the Family and Empire Distribution. Early life Benn ...

and Pop Smoke, with

Asian Doll Misharron Jermeisha Allen (born December 7, 1996), better known as Asian Doll, Asian Da Brat, or simply Asian, is an American rapper. A Dallas native, she was the first female artist signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Eskimo Records. Early life A ...

saying that Von would have been a fan of Kay Flock. In April 2022, Kay Flock released "Shake It" with Dougie B and

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

, featuring Bory300; it peaked at number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The track was leaked months prior, although the leaked version of the song featured

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

rapper Mula Gzz, whose verse was replaced with Cardi’s.

Legal issues

On December 23, 2021, it was reported Perez was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing 24 year-old Oscar Hernandez in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York. According to the

New York Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

, on December 16, 2021, as Perez walked past a barbershop near the scene of the crime, Hernandez ran out of the shop before allegedly being shot in the neck and back by Perez. Hernandez later died of his injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital. After Perez was named as the main suspect in the investigation, he turned himself into the NYPD on December 23. He is currently facing

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

charges, and is being held on

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...

. As of March 16, 2022, Perez is represented by

Jeffrey Lichtman Jeffrey Harris Lichtman (born June 5, 1965) is a New York-based criminal defense lawyer. Early life and education Jeffrey Lichtman was born on June 5, 1965, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. He grew up in Clark, New Jersey. He attended Emor ...

, who represented

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera (; born 4 April 1957), commonly known as "El Chapo" (), is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate. He is considered to have been one of th ...

at his US federal trial in 2019. Perez's first court date was November 29, 2022, his next court date occurs on February 23, 2023.

Discography

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Kevin Rappers from the Bronx 2003 births 21st-century American rappers Living people Bloods