| June 29, 2022 – Kidd Kenn – the 19-year-old Chicago hip-hop sensation who made history as the first out gay male rapper in the 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher – officially wraps up PRIDE Month by dropping his new single “Want Not A Need,” featuring Baby Tate available today via 4TH & Broadway | Def Jam Recordings. “Want Not A Need” is the newest single from Kenn’s upcoming EP project GROWN, arriving this summer 2022. The official music video for “Want Not A Need,” is set to drop on July 7th. ““Want Not A Need,” is a song to remind the girls these are wants– not needs. You never NEED anything or anybody.” says Kidd Kenn. Kidd Kenn continues “I wanted Baby Tate on the track because she truly shows the world how much they need her, not just want her. Baby Tate’s music is creative and she’s versatile– she raps, she sings, AND she dances. She gives more than many other new artists. I love that she’s on this song because she bodies the definition of “Want Not A Need.”” Kidd Kenn celebrated PRIDE earlier this month with the exclusive Complex video premiere of “Body,” the first single from GROWN. Kenn followed up a week later with “At It Again,” his aptly-titled reunion with Sacramento rapper Delli Boe. (The two first hooked up last year for the viral hit “Freestyle”; watch video here). 2022 is turning into a breakout year for Kidd Kenn, the critically acclaimed MC who has established his own unique path as an artist, and has created a safe space through his music for himself and his fans. To support the release of “Body,” Kenn played a round of live dates around Memorial Day weekend, including the So What Festival in Arlington, Texas, WeHo Pride in West Hollywood, and Taking Black Pride In Seattle. “Body,” “At It Again,” and “Want Not A Need” mark the first new music from Kenn since his provocative “B4” (Remix) featuring Saucy Santana (November 2021). The remix was preceded by the classic high energy “Get Lit” (August 2021, featured in EA’s Madden ’22 videogame soundtrack). Prior to that came the raw, hard-hitting Problem Child (June), a 6-song EP whose single + video releases spanned nearly a year: “Freestyle,” Kenn’s viral collaboration with Delli Boe (watch video here); “Gold Digger” featuring Dess Dior (watch video here); “Moves” featuring Rico Nasty (which was synced in the Apple Watch Series 6 online ad); and “Good Day.” “Good Day” was featured in last summer’s Target x NY Pride ad, supported by Kidd Kenn’s gala performance at the Youth Pride/NYC Pride virtual festival sponsored by Target. In addition to the City Girls #PussyTalkChallenge), Kenn has received support and co-signs from Grammy®-winning artists Cardi B, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lil Nas X, along with Chance The Rapper, Saweetie, Young M.A, Kehlani and more. The momentum has not let up since Kenn was first brought onstage by Kehlani at the San Francisco Pride Festival in June 2018. As reported by BET, “Kidd Kenn’s verse during the Hip Hop Awards’ ‘Digital Cypher’ was a crowd favorite, so much so that a snippet of the verse went viral.” Kenn appeared as the first openly LGBTQAI rapper to perform in the elite Cypher, alongside LaKeyah, Toosii, and Symba. The influential annual all-star cypher collabo always draws tens of millions of views. Kidd Kenn made headlines when he was selected for GLAAD’s prestigious list of “20 Under 20: Young LGBTQ People Shaping The Future of Media and Activism,” presented by Teen Vogue. Check it out HERE He was later nominated for a GLAAD award for “Outstanding Breakthrough Artist.” Kenn was also included in OUT Magazine’s influential OUT100 List. Check out that feature HERE. The buzz behind Kidd Kenn has been explosive, with PAPER, Fader, XXL, Hot New Hip Hop, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Office Magazine, Interview Magazine, and other tastemakers all rallying behind the young artist. Nylon called him a “rap phenom,” and Fader dubbed him “Chicago’s Next Teen Sensation.” Summer 2019 saw him perform at multiple virtual Pride festivals including MobiFest, Wynwood Pride, Pride South Side and more. Kidd Kenn’s huge organically grown web following includes over 280,000 Instagram followers, over 2 million video views on YouTube, over 536,000 followers on TikTok, and over 600 million likes. Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, 19-year-old Kidd Kenn (Dontrell Smith) discovered an unparalleled joy for performance at an early age. His viral freestyle videos quickly gained him local notoriety and an influx of fans online racking up hundreds of thousands of views. With the mission of encouraging young people to be comfortable in their own skin, Kidd Kenn approaches his music with a passion and hunger that cannot be denied. He’s a pioneer in his hometown and pushing the boundaries of hip-hop as we know it. As more and more artists embrace their authentic selves, they will continue to look to Kenn to lead the pack in breaking the mold. His debut mixtape Childish dropped in September 2018, followed by the Child’s Play EP (February 2020), and Problem Child (June 2020). Kenn’s buzz continues to grow with tastemaker support and co-signs from Grammy®-winning artists Cardi B, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lil Nas X, along with Chance The Rapper, Saweetie, Kehlani, Young M.A and more. KEEP UP WITH KIDD KENN: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD |
UPCOMING GROWN EP ARRIVES THIS SUMMER 2022; FEATURES “BODY,” “WANT NOT A NEED,” AND “AT IT AGAIN” REUNION WITH DELLI BOE
