KendallisLate is a rising luminary in the realm of hip-hop and R&B. Through poignant lyricism and dynamic vocal prowess, she crafts music that resonates deeply with listeners, leaving an indelible mark.
So, let’s talk about the name KendallisLate. What is the story behind your name?
Oh damn, you want to go right into it? It’s a proclamation like you didn’t stop me. Long story short, I went through a phase where I made a lot of mistakes. I had to take responsibility for my mistakes and one of those things was my punctuality. The people around me, I feel like had assumed that the flaws in me were going to keep me from gaining success. I made it my name because even though that’s how they see me, KendallisLate is going to be on buses. KendallisLate is going to be on billboards. It’s going to be everywhere you thought you wouldn’t see it. I’m still winning despite whatever you thought was going to stop me.
That’s very inspiring. After watching your videos, performing comes naturally to you. When was your talent first recognized?
I started dancing when I was seven. I’m not going to hold you; I was bad at it when I was a kid. However, there’s something about performing where you can be bad at it, but as long as you have confidence, you can create a connection where people will always want to applaud you. I just kept on developing that. I am 26 years old. I have been an entertainer for nearly twenty years.
You are among a few rappers who can truly sing these days. Do you prefer doing one more than the other?
You know what’s crazy? I actually don’t think I can sing. I don’t think I can rap either (laughing). I feel like I just be getting by. People tell me they think I’m fire when it comes to singing and rapping, but you know what I think it is? I always compare myself to the best singers. Like Jennifer Hudson, that bitch can sing. Me? I can’t hold a candle next to shorty. I feel like I’m alright (laughing). I can hold a little note and whatever. As far as what I prefer, I feel like my style is doing both. It’s not either or. When it comes to my songs, I feel like I do both at the same time, all in one breath.
With new artists emerging every day, what would you say sets you apart from the rest?
I am who I am. I can’t really explain it. It’s just something that you’re just going to feel. If you are asking me to describe myself, I’m a fuckup. I make mistakes all the time, but I can laugh at myself and use my experiences to make art. I feel like what sets me apart from the rest is something that you will have to just tune in and feel. I can’t put it in words. It’s not worth words, it’s a feeling. Does that make sense to you?
It makes perfect sense. Let’s talk about your creative process. Is there a particular vibe you look for when writing your songs?
One, I have to be smacked off the rip. Are there going to be kids reading this (laughing)? I need some type of Mary Jane to get me into that mode. I don’t know… When I hear a certain kind of beat; I know. It hits me like this is the one. For the most part, my best work comes from heavy emotion. A lot of the time it’s pain. Sometimes, it’s stagnation, especially when I feel I’m not doing enough. I get mad at myself, put on a beat, and write something. That’s what inspires my creative process. Sometimes, it’s love. I have a few songs about a couple of niggas. That’s pretty much it. Do I have any happy songs? No (laughing). I have songs about sex and stuff, but do I have songs like ‘I’m happy’ (mockingly singing)? I don’t make songs like that. The beats that I pick may have a ‘happy’ vibe to them, but then I will write about being unhappy on them (laughing). It will be a really happy vibe and I am rapping ‘fuck you’ on the beat (laughing). It’s just how I create.
As far as rapping, your delivery is flawless even at high speeds. Is that something that you developed over time?
Absolutely, I will be in my bedroom, saying the same shit over and over and over again before I even record it. If you were to look in my phone right now… My phone is full of videos of me saying the same thing multiple times. I literally run out of space every month because I record the same thing so many times. I absolutely practice perfecting my flow. When I rap, I have to perfect my annunciation, especially with the most challenging lines. It’s something I do for myself before anyone else gets to even hear it. Before you hear it, I have said it 50 million times.
That’s how rappers like Jay-Z compose their lyrics without writing them down on paper. It really aids in delivering the most complex or complicated bars.
It’s clockwork for me now. I practice my delivery so much, that it’s not even a thing to remember my lines or how to deliver them. Once I know the feeling, the words just click.
There’s a creative brashness in the way that you deliver your bars. You pick up the pace and slow it down, or you will suddenly shift to a higher or lower octave. Yet, it always fits melodically. Is this something that occurs to you at the moment?
Absolutely, it’s just me being myself. My bars are 100% something that I have said in the past and probably 100% something I will say in the future. What I say and how I say it is 1000% percent me. I have a hard time collaborating with people because there is a certain type of sassiness that has to be in everything I do. If it’s not a little bit sassy, ‘Me can’t do it’ (with a Patois accent).
Be’n Original
