Review: "31" EP by Kiilanda
In 2020, the face of female rap is going to be way more complex than Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. Netflix’s "Rhythm and Flo” (read our review of the show) shows that we’re going to see all styles, from genre-benders to new branches of conscious rap.
One of the emerging faces that stand out to us is Kiilanda, formerly known as Sneek from the 209 Central Valley region in California. Her debut EP, “31”, is a melting pot of sound. It includes a sweet, melodic melange of Gospel, RnB, Hip Hop, and Soul. Many of the tracks on “31” speak to Kiilanda’s experience grappling with what it means to be a millennial, along with the everyday heartbreaks and joys that come her way.
Some of her care-free tracks remind us of Chance the Rapper (especially in her catchy hooks) who Kiilanda cites as one of her biggest influences. This becomes crystal clear in the EP’s second track, “Mid-Life Crisis” featuring DempseyRollBoy, which was also co-produced by Kiilanda.
We can see the inspiration in Kiilanda’s work without it getting derivative. Her flow is dynamic with some serious range, bringing to mind some of the latest greats like No Name Gypsy. Kiilanda could easily hang with MC Lyte, as well as Princess Nokia. Her instrumentals are like velvet against her voice - in lighter tracks, listeners are hit with a hard but buoyant percussion. In more serious songs, she slows it down with an angelic choir and some acoustic guitar.
Her samples and beats, combined with smooth lyricism and a killer flow, bring us back to the ‘90s. At DCWS, we always appreciate some body positive female rappers, but it’s refreshing to see an artist bring such a vibe to her music and seamlessly integrate political content, which has been previously dominated by male artists like Kendrick and his label Top Dawg Entertainment.
People like Jermaine Dupri can try to put female rappers in one category, but artists like Kiilanda are proof that women rappers are leaders of thinking outside the box. If mainstream artists are smart, they’ll scoop this underdog up for a feature before she becomes their competition.