Lakisha Kimberly Robinson (born May 10, 1990), known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist.
Early life
Kilo Kish was born in Orlando, Florida, on May 10, 1990. She attended Glen Rock Elementary School in
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Winter Park High School.
Aged 18, she received a scholarship to attend the private art college
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...
in New York. While taking a year off, she worked multiple jobs before enrolling in the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
for textile design, from which she graduated in 2012.
Kish began to pursue a musical career when her roommates, Smash Simmons and Mell McCloud, decided to set up an in-home studio, starting a project called the "Kool Kats Klub". It was through this exposure that she initially met Matt Martians of the neo-soul band
The Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, and collaborated on
The Jet Age of Tomorrow
The Jet Age of Tomorrow (formerly The Super 3) is an American production duo from Atlanta, Georgia and a sub-group of hip hop collective Odd Future that consists of producer-singer Matt Martians, and producer-rapper Pyramid Vritra. According to Ma ...
's "Want you Still" and The Internet's "Ode to a Dream".
Career
2012: ''Homeschool''
Kilo Kish's debut EP, '' Homeschool,'' was released on April 2, 2012, and was well received by critics, being labeled as one of the best albums of 2012 by
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
. The EP was produced by past collaborators such as
The Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
The Jet Age of Tomorrow
The Jet Age of Tomorrow (formerly The Super 3) is an American production duo from Atlanta, Georgia and a sub-group of hip hop collective Odd Future that consists of producer-singer Matt Martians, and producer-rapper Pyramid Vritra. According to Ma ...
, who also provided guest vocals on the project.
On July 31, Kish released "Watergun", a song produced by The Internet, via
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
.
On September 17, "Navy" was released on The Blue Rider record label. The release also contained a remix of "Navy" by
MeLo-X
Sean Rhoden, known professionally MeLo-X, is an American disc jockey and record producer. MeLo-X co-wrote two songs for Beyoncé's ''Lemonade'' album in 2016: " Hold-Up" and " Sorry".
MeLo-X is one half of the electro/dancehall/reggae duo Electric ...
. A video for "Navy", as directed by Kish with Ben Rayner, premiered on
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
the same day.
2013: ''K+''
Kish released the mixtape, ''K+'' for free download on February 7, 2013. It featured artists including
Childish Gambino
Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glov ...
A$AP Ferg
Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...
of
A$AP Mob
ASAP Mob (stylized as A$AP Mob, ASAP being an acronym for "Always Strive And Prosper") is an American hip hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers (most of whom carry the "ASAP" moniker), record producers, ...
,
Earl Sweatshirt
Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), also known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, ...
OFWGKTA
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...
. In December, Kish released ''K+ THE BOOK'', a behind-the-scenes digital art
zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...
, in extension to the mixtape.
2014–2015: ''Across''
Kish's second EP, ''Across'', was released on July 8, 2014, in collaboration with the fashion and record label Maison Kitsune. In the following year, Kish released ''Across Remixes''.
2016: ''Reflections in Real Time''
Kish's first studio album, '' Reflections in Real Time'', was released on February 29, 2016. The song, "Taking Responsibility", from the album was featured in the third episode of the HBO teenage drama television show
Euphoria
Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and d ...
.
2017
Kish features on "Out of Body" from the deluxe edition of the 2017
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
Big Fish Theory
''Big Fish Theory'' is the second studio album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on June 23, 2017, through Blacksmith Records and Def Jam Recordings. Featuring an avant-garde style that leans toward electronic club music genres su ...
'' by
Vince Staples
Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records.
Staples rose to ...
.
2018: ''Mothe''
Kish released the single, "Elegance", on August 26, 2018.
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 ...
named the song "Best New Track", with Sheldon Pearce commenting that "it is the best Kilo Kish song by a considerable margin, and it hones in on what makes her such an enchanting and elusive artist, using her wispy raps to drift through a warped pop jam." The release of her EP, ''mothe'', followed on September 7, 2018. On July 29, 2019, Kish released an alternative artwork for ''mothe'' which has replaced the old artwork on all digital platforms. The cover was shot by photographer Andrew Arthur, with whom she has worked in the past.
2019: ''Redux''
Kish released three singles over the course of two months, beginning in October 2019. "Bite Me" was released on October 17, 2019, and its music video was made available on YouTube the next day. Kish's next singles, "Nice Out", and "Spark" were released on November 7, and November 26, 2019, respectively. All three singles released with accompanying music videos, and were featured on Kish's EP, ''Redux'', released on December 6, 2019. Kish described ''Redux'' as 2018 ''Mothes "sister project," and has stated that the EP explores the theme of perseverance. This is also Kish's fourth collaboration with recurring producer, Ray Brady.
2021–2022: ''American Gurl''
On July 23, 2021, Kish released "American Gurl", the first single from her album of the same name. The video for the song was directed by Kish herself and Matt Cowen. "Bloody Future" was made available on August 20, 2021, and on January 28, 2022, Kish released her collaboration with
Vince Staples
Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records.
Staples rose to ...
, "New Tricks: Art, Aesthetics, and Money". She explained that the track “was inspired by the old quote warning never to bite the hand that feeds you. And though it provides, I feel yanked around by the players, trends, and expectations of our age and industry. Ever-wanting to bite, question, and change.” On March 25, 2022, Kish released the full album with 14 tracks featuring Miguel,
Jean Dawson
Jean Dawson (born December 22, 1995) is a Mexican-American experimental pop musician. Since 2018, he has released three albums and over a dozen singles via his own record label P+, and toured across the US and Europe with artists such as Brockha ...