“April showers bring May flowers,” Kenilworth Katrina reminds us, “but what happens in June?” She knows that listeners can put in work and watch it blossom — but if they’re hungry for something more than a modest bloom, there’s no road map for them. They’ve got to follow your ambition and make their own rules.
The Washington, DC-born, Bay Area based artist assures us on “Fashionably Late,” her newest single. On a track animated by productive impatience, the rapper packs an essay’s worth of ideas and meaning into two and a half minutes of hard rhyme. She’s tasted success, but she wants more — and even though she faces obstacles, she knows she’s got the talent and drive to overcome them. Everything about the single broadcasts the emcee’s determination to be heard and her frustration with the impediments that all emerging artists face. With “Fashionably Late,” Kenilworth Katrina recognizes that we’ve all got a limited amount of time to make our mark, and she’s reclaiming hers with both hands. Of course, she’s also testifying to her freshness. No matter how late she shows up to the club, she assures us, she’s going to look fantastic and steal the show.
The creative directors at New York City animation house Negative Kitty concur. This year, they held a contest to find an undersung artist to create a clip for, and Kenilworth Katrina took the prize. They’ve matched the emcee with a video that reinforces the song’s themes and amplifies the artist’s leftfield sense of humor. Kenilworth Katrina’s cartoon avatar is energetic, impertinent, and tough not to cheer for, especially when she’s stuck in beachside traffic on the way to a gig. She wants a lane for herself, but there are obstructions in the way. What’s more, time erodes all things: the wind nearly sweeps away her prize scarf. Yet she’s got some tricks up her sleeve, and abilities that the average driver can’t even dream of — and when she puts them into practice, the night comes alive.
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