If sex and violence sells then Kala Chanel might just have some RIAA plaques coming her way.
Once Atlanta’s Kala Chanel catches fire with The Bome Up mixtape (dropping January 15, 2017), mainstream media’s immediate, knee-jerk reaction will probably be to compare her to a few familiar female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Remy Ma, and to sexualize her. But it’s deeper than that. Kala’s sound is not in the same vein as Nicki or Remy. Her musical influence is more likened to the wave of Chicago drill rappers in the early 2010s. The beats bang. Kala’s lyrical content is melodramatic, yet bouncy. It’s menacingly violent and full of energy yet at the same time Kala’s delivery is completely calm and in-pocket – a signature characteristic of drill music. At times, Kala’s voice sits in-pocket into the beat so well with the aid of a voicebox, that you forget you’re listening to a thick 5’something brownskin stallion spit these bars to you. And there’s not much you can do to sexualize Kala more than what she’s done herself.
On her Instagram, Kala proudly embraces her body for her followers to see, showing off her redbone qualities in a variety of leggings, track shorts, and crop-tops.
Kala’s musical following is modest right now, just 78 followers on Soundcloud at the time of posting but that will quickly blossom after this. Most listeners know Kala Chanel mainly for her viral Twitter pictures, where she freely exercises her 2nd amendment right-to-bear arms while rocking a blood red bandana blouse.
In the past month, Kala’s released a few songs and freestyles including “Draco” and “No Options“. These short, 1-2 minute songs are almost short enough to be snippets, but serve as teasers to Kala’s upcoming The Bome Up mixtape and style.
One minute songs like “Run It” leave listeners yearning for more. Each song is like a short story with it’s own distinct vibe and style, reminiscent of MF DOOM and Madlib’s underground classic Madvillainy where DOOM and Madlib whipped up a 22-track album that runs only 46 minutes long, each song maxing out at about 2 minutes. This short-song technique works because it doesn’t allow the listener to grow tired of the artist. And the artist is only responsible for one 16 bar verse, allowing her to write and record only her hottest shit.
KALA CHANEL IS BC̶OMING