Young and gifted, Kanii is an 18-year-old rapper from Washington who is ready to take the charts. In anticipation of his latest release, we had a conversation about his creation and what’s next for him as a multi-hyphenate artist.
Kanii started creating music at 12, inspired by the late XXXtentacion. Following his music career, Kanii would remember how XXXtentacion would encourage his fans to chase their dreams. Inspiring Kanii to do just that, he began learning, saying “I’ve always loved music, so I decided to start creating it on my crappy microphone.”
As a kid, Kanii’s grandfather introduced him to Motown artists, a sound that has stuck with him through his creation process. Often called a “genre-blurring” artist, Kanii will take styles and instruments from different genres to create a sound that is authentically his.
Beginning his career in 2020, with the release of his single, Aubade, Kanii quickly gained traction on TikTok with other songs like Attachment.
Authenticity and connection are two aspects of his music that he values, especially as support for him has shifted from purely online to seeing it in person. “I appreciate all the love I receive,” he tells us,” but [in person] you can fully see and feel a person’s intention and truthfulness face-to-face.”
Kanii is a confessional musician. His lyrics and music come from his life. “Usually, I take stuff that’s happened to me and the emotions it makes me feel into music,” he says.
The more he creates, the more he wants to create. Recently, he released his latest EP Exiit, and is already working on his third EP. His latest single Sins (let me in) featuring Trippie Redd shows that Kanii is ready to experiment and collaborate on his sound. He brings a sound that’s been labeled as metaphysical, with sturdy vocals and a powerful sound. Immersed in creation, Kanii is inspired and ready to release as much as he can.
His latest EP, it was nice knowing u is out now and cementing his artistry. The 8-track project features a variety of tones and sounds, including his new single and video for the moody, pretty photos. While discussing it was nice knowing u, Kanii said, “it’s a sonic step forward in my artist direction that ultimately encapsulates the familiarity of the older vibe and introduces the new vibe, making room for my following vision.”
Kanii is ready to evolve and make his mark. His new EP is now available anywhere you stream music.
