Kxng Davxd was born and raised in Orlando, Florida and has been in the acting industry since the age of 4. He began his career as an actor and has appeared on commercials for Nickelodeon, Universal Studios, Florida Tourism and many more over the years. He found his love and passion for creating music in 2016 when a good friend introduced him to the music scene. Instantly he fell in love with the ability to create music and has recently decided to pursue a career in music. Kxng Davxd has just dropped a banger entitled “Family Straight” in collaboration with singer Shashee and producer Kidocean. As much as some rappers hate to admit it, the search for the perfect hook or chorus to go between every 16 bars is as much a delicate craft as penning the verses. Now and then you can get away without a chorus and make a hit. But generally, you better be ready to sing or shout or sample something catchy as hell, or hire someone who can, to get your joint into heavy rotation.
In the 21st century, as hip-hop has become more collaborative, ‘hire someone’ is the most popular route, as emcees began outsourcing the task of writing and performing hooks. Every now and then something extraordinary comes out of the hat.
There are those moments when inspiration strikes and someone you’d never expect comes up with the anthem and hook you end up shouting about. “Family Straight” is unusual because it brings Shashee on the hooks and chorus, and then shows off her rapping skills on verse. This gives a neat contrast to Kxng Davxd’s flow and rhymes, giving the track depth and diversity.
When Kxng Davxd and Shashee go back and forth on “Family Straight”, they literally just take turns reciting their own personal refrain, first her and then him, with no call-and-response interaction or even gender pronouns to reverse.
And it works wonderfully, because they both have different, equally fantastic ways of ripping into the track’s unique cadence, which leaves no empty space between words. All throughout the track Shashee never abandons her facility for melody, and it works with incredible efficiency.
Rap hooks often rely on a simple, sing-song melody not unlike a nursery rhyme or jump rope song. Here on “Family Straight” it’s given a whole new twist – extended and precisely non-repetitive. It is the perfect melodic foil to the more aggressive rhymes by Kxng Davxd, who in his own right, throws a couple of melodic twists into his flow.
Over the years, R&B and hip-hop artists have joined forces to produce some amazing songs. Even though the line between the two styles is often blurred today, the gritty urban feel of hip-hop and the smooth melodies of R&B can come together on a single track with incredible results.
While artists from both genres often collaborate with one another, some duos simply work out better than others. Kxng Davxd and Shashee deliver a whole new experience. I doubt that their eclectic mix of styles could have been done better.
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