Mavi was one of the first artists I reached out to when deciding to relaunch Kinda Neat, so it's only fitting he ended up as the last guest of this "season" before I take a little summer break. When I reached out I'd recently gotten hip to his triumphant debut, Let the Sun Talk. It turns out Mavi had recently decided to take a break from school to concentrate on playing shows and building on the momentous buzz of the record. Then the world came to a halt. I can't help but feel for all the young artists who were about to embark on their first tours when 2020 was stolen from them. Not being able ..read more

When ovrkast. came through last year, demahjiae came with him to the studio. I wasn't hip yet, but ovrkast. promised me he was next up. He was right!  demahjiae's 2020 release "And, Such Is Life." boosted itself right into my favorite albums of the year upon it's release. The self-produced opus features a litany of guests that stay in my rotation (Navy Blue, Pink Siifu, Zeroh, ovrkast.), thoughtfully cohesive production, and constantly inward facing lyricism. It's well worth your time and truly shows the potential for a long-lasting and impactful career.  Tune in to hear us talk abou ..read more

SG Ali was brought to my attention by a trusted source and I've loved everything I've heard so far. She has a deeply intuitive sense of melody, and consistently creates inspirational ear worms. Turns out she's been honing her craft since childhood.  Born and raised in Near North Chicago, in the Cabrini-Green Homes, she was lucky enough to be a part of a music education program in middle school called "Friday Crew" where members learned to make beats, make raps, and make music videos. While she was initially only excited to get out of class, she quickly realized she had vast potential as a ..read more

Travis Thompson and I go way back now. Even before his performance of “Need You” went massively viral back in 2017, he was following my friends and I online, and occasionally asking for guidance, as far back as 2011. He’s one of the friendliest folks to ever come on the show, and I feel a bit like a big brother (whether he wants me to or not). After “Need You” blew up, labels came calling, and he signed with Epic. His first release with them Reckless Endangerment admittedly didn’t do what he wanted it to, and he’s been looking inward since. While fans and followers continued to wonder — and oc ..read more

Been a Njomza fan for a long time now. After hearing about her way back in 2014, inviting her to perform on the show (I have an unreleased GEM of hers in the archives), and having her play one of my last shows back in 2015, I was thrilled to have her team reach out about performing the latest single on KN.  A theme of this episode is drive and ambition. Njomza learned she could sing very young, and by the time she was in junior high she held auditions to start a band. She began posting cover songs to YouTube in high school, where she was quickly discovered by Mac Miller, and eventually sh ..read more

Lou From Paradise hit it big in 2016 with a video that took him from never playing a solo show, to playing festivals within a matter of months. He was quickly swept into the major label system, and describes it as all being too much too soon. Feeling trapped by a machine that didn't want to see him grow and evolve, he asked to be released, and is now back on the indie grind feeling fully recharged. Lou's set to have a very busy year. With 3 releases already in the pocket, including the soon to be released tape produced completely by Statik Selektah, he seems set to have another big breakout ve ..read more

Was recently put on to Kear and intrigued by her innate pop sensibilities, confident delivery, and sensational ear for beats. The Philadelphia native was on her first trip to Los Angeles and it turns out she may never leave. After only working on music for a year, she has fully thrown herself into it, gathered a team, and made the trek across country to see if they can make it work. She seems to have all the right weaponry to achieve her goals. This episode contains a somber story of housing insecurity, constant uprooting, and overall uncertainty about even the most basic childhood needs such ..read more

I came across Airøspace in a Twitter thread. I asked people to put me on to new music, and out of the hundreds of responses, 2020's Senjougahara Hitagi, Vol. IV tape really stood out. His 2019 release Sorry to Bother You further solidified how asleep I'd been.  He lives in DC, and trying to arrange an episode of KN during the pandemic became touch and go due to the fact my wife was approaching her due date during the week he was in town. My wife was having contractions the evening we recorded the episode , but we weren't sure if was actual labor or not. We left for the hospital an hour af ..read more

Carpetgarden's latest EP, "The Way He Looks," blew me away. The songwriting is impeccable, the production is great, and their gently deep resonant tone really hits an emotional soft spot. I gush over their talent in the episode because I really do think they have hit-record potential. With such a wide range of influence and consumed media throughout their youth, Carpetgarden has a established a sound with crossover appeal to all sorts of music lovers. Growing up on social media and online gaming, they're truly a product of the internet with an intuitive knack for marketing that will surely bui ..read more

You're not going to find a lot of Clip's music on streaming platforms yet. Her underground hit "SAD B!TCH" sits alone on DSPs, but a quick trip to her Soundcloud page will show you why the industry is salivating over her. Her versatility and style is instantly apparent, and with the well established aesthetic of someone raised on the internet, it's only a matter of time until she and her gang Burn All Sex Dolls pop off something major.  Born in Brooklyn to scholarship athlete parents, and raised partly in Fort Worth, TX after the family relocated, her journey into music started when her N ..read more