TKC SUNDAY SPECIAL!!! MEET KANSAS CITY RISING STAR RAPPER: RAYNE!!!

Recently, we introduced an important new local artist who brings a great level of skill to the Kansas City hip-hop scene.

In a masterful single, Rayne demonstrated his ability with his latest track: The Worst.



And so . . .

TONIGHT WE'RE FEATURING A TKC EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH A KANSAS CITY RISING STAR HIP-HOP ARTIST!!!

Hip-hop in Kansas City always takes more than a few hard knocks among readers in this blog community. However . . . Just take listen to tracks from Rayne and his talent is undeniable to even the most strident rap music detractor.

His story is even more fascinating, Rayne is a 19-year-old raised in KC, then to Belton who recently moved to the neighborhood around Van Brunt in Kansas City's urban core to pursue his hip-hop ambitions and after a bit of shakeup among his family and also to be close to this town's music scene.

Check his interview, and you'll find him to be be exceptionally insightful and honest about his hip-hop ambitions:

What inspired you to start a hip-hop career? - I listened to a lot of Eminem, 50 Cent, Outkast and then I started educating myself on other artist like Public Enemy, Pac, Biggie, LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow, etc but I'm not sure what exactly sparked my mind to say like "I should rap". I was just so in tune to how the process went down like the beat, flow, lyrics and everything that one day I just started writing lol

How would you describe your style? - I'm not sure how to describe my style. I would just say "Real". I'm not tryna gas myself up but I speak my mind and I'm not faking anything. I speak real sh*t from love to life problems and situations. I'm just writing my story in hopes someone will hear it and relate. I don't rep a set or act a certain way, I'm just me and if people like it great and if they don't, oh well.

Please describe your approach to creating a track. What is your process? - Umm, see If I hear like real dope beat or something, I'll just start writing and right after I'm done writing I'm recording it right then cause once your mind is in tune with something, you don't wanna just sit and let that energy go to waste, you gotta use it for your recording process and everything cause later on if you wait, It won't be as special cause that energy and hype to the topic is gone and wasted.



What's the most important thing people should know about Rayne? - The most important thing they should know is that I am ME. You can watch a video of mine and think I'm acting or whatever but this is all me. I've never once acted like something I'm not. No, I don't rep a set. No, I don't sell dope but this is ME. You can dislike me for whatever reason you want but I'm being ME. When you have a passion for something, you gotta go for it. I've been writing since I was 13. This has always been something I loved. I'm not jumping on this train for the money or fame. I'm here cause this is what I was made to do.

What do you think about the Kansas City hip-hop/rap music scene? - I think the Kansas City hip-hop scene has a lot of dope talent but we lack a lot in that same aspect because everyone wants to get on. Everyone wants that record deal so they're not struggling, ya know? So with all that, brings something else…Jealousy. Everybody wants to be the next best thing but for the light to shine this way, we gotta be a city and not 500 different people making music living in the same city, ya hear what I'm saying? You look around and see The Bay Area and Atlanta and these other musically talented areas and they are walking with one another and uniting their dope artist. You look at Kansas City and its like a brawl. We hitting each other in the mouth and killing each other to be the first one to the top and thats just sad. I know this unity thing sounds like a broken record because people have talked about it for so long but thats what It boils down to. Put it like this, would you rather get a handshake or have someone give you the cold shoulder and act like you aint sh*t? thats what it is.



Do you give any consideration to being a white rapper? - Naw, not for real. I mean if people base my music off my skin color then I guess thats their opinion but to give an honest opinion about something you have to have an open mind. My music is dope. It speaks for itself and I know a lot of people see my videos and because Im a white artist, it automatically means my sh*ts whack lol Its crazy cause when I showed my music to Stat Quo, he was in shock and he stayed in contact with me but thats a different story, they'll see. Anyway, I don't carry myself differently knowing I'm a white rapper, I just go with it. I'm just a lyricist. I don't promote the fact I'm white cause you can see I am lol I'm just an artist man. Just another artist that is dope and grinding for a better future and hopefully I can open some ears along the way.

What can we expect from Rayne in the future? - You can expect new music, new videos and I got merch in the works and I'm also working on a new mixtape. I will never stop. People can dislike me for whatever reason they want but I know the talent I possess and I'm running with it. Like I said earlier, this is ME. I know I was born to do this and no one can tell me different. Im not waiting for that "I told you so" moment because thats not why I'm making music. I'm making music to be happy and to wake up everyday knowing I'm doing something I love. You only have one life to live, so live it how you wanna live it. Every moment counts.
#########

For more of music from this young artist. Check out Rayne816 on Soundcloud.
###########