Kin4Life: Duo pushes lyricism, advocacy and independence in hip-hop

Nor and I.Q., the rap duo known as Kin4Life, grabbed my attention the moment I watched their freestyle on Thisis50.com. In that moment, I knew the era of asking what happened to real female lyricists was finally shifting.

Kin4Life: Advocacy and Identity

Since then, their presence as proud LGBTQ artists and outspoken advocates has only deepened my interest. Over the years, I have followed Kin4Life’s journey as they pushed for visibility, equality and authentic storytelling.

Meanwhile, Unheard Voices has featured their music at key moments. Hailing from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and now based in Atlanta, the duo has hit the music scene hard for a decade.

Kin4Life: Roots and Meaning

Together for more than 15 years, Nor and I.Q. built a bond that shaped the meaning of Kin4Life. As a unit, they say they remain committed to restoring hip-hop glory to their hometown and respect to their genre.

Kin4Life: Noriq Records and Independent Vision

As young entrepreneurs, they launched Noriq Records in 2002. Under the label, they released Kin4Life Volume I and the EPs Rock Star and I Love KIN4LIFE.

Furthermore, their video for the hit single “Make Up Girl” held a spot on MTV Logo’s Click List Countdown for 11 straight weeks and earned a nomination for the Click List’s Top 10 Videos of 2009. Their single “Money Brings Trouble” later secured placement in the feature film Changing the Game, which premiered at the 2011 Hollywood Black Film Festival and opened in AMC theaters in 2012.

Additionally, Kin4Life’s music appeared in Black Womyn Conversations, M.I., Honor and Pride, The Family, GirlPlay and the Lovers and Friends web series. In 2012, the duo made their acting debut in an Atlanta production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.

Impact and Recognition

Through our partnership with ReverbNation, Unheard Voices honored Kin4Life for their LGBTQ activism, community work and unwavering individuality. Being women in hip-hop is rarely easy, yet Nor and I.Q. continue to excel with skill, purpose and undeniable presence.

Interview

Get to know Kin4Life in our interview below and stream some music below!

UV: When did you fall in love with music?
Nor: I loved music since I could remember especially Hip Hop. Being from New York,the birthplace of Hip Hop, I was exposed to people freestyling and beat boxing in the hallway of my building.
IQ: The mid 80s listening to mom play all herfavorite songs on repeat.

UV: How long have you been creating and performing
music?
Nor: I wrote my first song in 1991 and we’ve been doing shows since about
1995.
IQ: For 15 years and plan on going 15 more!

UV: Tell the Unheard Voices readers what your passions are and who or what motivates you to continue to strive in a cut throat industry?
Nor: I am extremely passionate about love, life and happiness. Everything I do is in the name of a positive outcome whether it be for me personally or something else.I want to make the world just a little bit better by sharing my talents and good vibes. My passion is my motivation. I love what I do so I will never stop.
IQ: I am passionate about the arts and music education in general. I know music saved my life. I am motivated to continue growing and creating so that every little girl knows there is a place for her in this cut throat industry.

UV: How would you describe your music?
Nor: I would let the listener determine that. There’s no one way to describe our music other than the fact that it’s dope and all ages and races rock to it.
IQ: It’s the struggle + fun movement.

UV: Do you compose and write your own music/lyrics?
Nor: Most definitely I have so much to say there’s no way someone else would be able to articulate what goes through my mind in the way that I do. I also love producing music. I have produced the majority of the music you have heard from KIN4LIFE for the last 15 years.
IQ: Absolutely we compose 95% of our music and write 100% of our lyrics.

UV: What`current projects do you have out or forthcoming projects in progress?Nor: You can enjoy all of our music on our site www.kin4life.com we have numerous mixtapes, albums and EPs that you can enjoy. Also we are sewing the last pieces to our new EP we got dropping this summer followed by a full length album which we are looking to release early fall.
IQ: Currently,you can support our album Money Brings Trouble everywhere online. We have all of our current and past projects available on kin4life.com. Our new project is so controversial I don’t want to release the name as of yet but watch out.

UV: What artists have the greatest musical influences on you and your music?
Nor: KIN4LIFE we are the standard. We compete with our own records and aim to get better with each creation. There are tons of great artists in the world of music but KIN4LIFE is my favorite.
IQ: Biggie!

UV: What or who influenced you to begin your music career?

Nor: My mom is definitely my biggest influence. She taught me how to write my first rhyme and she also was a recording artist. She would take me to the studio with her and I would sing background vocals and co produce tracks for her.
IQ: My mom playing my first demo over and over and the geek, myself, gaining respect from my peers because of my flow. It was a no-brainer.

UV: What advice do you have for other indie artists trying to succeed?
Nor: Be true to your own sound. Don’t try to make music that sounds like what the radio is playing. Be you do you no matter what. Use your immediate resources and make no excuses. You want it go get it.
IQ: Never quit, and do it for the love not the money.

UV:What is the hardest challenge you have encountered your fan
base?
Nor: I can’t say its been hard other than the fact that so many people are now competing to be in the limelight so the good artists may get lost in the shuffle. However, its a rewarding journey and we have been blessed to have fans that have rocked with us for our entire career and our fan base continues to grow and progress. Longevity is the key and we have had that.
IQ: Attention span is short, so you gotta keep em with new music and content.

UV: How in tune are you with your fans?Nor: Our fans are our family, our KIN, we love and embrace each one individually as if they were our own personal fr

iends or family. Any fan that meets us will be greeted with a warm smile and a lasting embrace.
IQ: We are very in tune. We could not be independent artists for 15 years without listening to our fans.

UV: Has anyone ever given you negative feedback on your music, if so howdid you react to it?
Nor: For all the positive feedback we have had on a our music the small amount of negative feedback seems like background noise.
IQ: Well, it was more like negative feedback on our look. AnA&R at Sony said we weren’t f–kable and it inspired us.. I have seen him multiple times in my career. I’m still KIN4LIFE, his job has changed several times.

UV: How important and how difficult is it to support your career with your own funding?

Nor: It is very important to invest in yourself and when you truly believe in yourself you will sacrifice everything to make it happen. It’s rewarding when you can take two quarters and flip it to a dollar. A lot of investments in this game are for the long term so one must be steadfast and not look at things as difficult, but merely as a vehicle to take them where they want to go.
IQ: It’s important and necessary. One must despise the free lunch.Anything worth having will be difficult
so just go for it!

UV: To date, what has been your best performance? When was it,where was it and why is it your best performance?

Nor: Definitely Idapalooza, the music festival in Tennessee.
It was in the middle of the woods with thousands of great earthy hippie type folk sleeping in tents. They showed so much love, we rocked a stage in the middle of a barn yard and I all remember is half naked women being thrust towards the stage (willingly)and men hanging from the beams in joy. Very wild and very exciting.
IQ: South by Southwest 2015 in Austin was my favorite performance. We rocked the crowd and left a huge impression on the industry and the offers are starting to pour in.

UV: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Nor: In five years I will still be making dope records and doing shows on a larger level. I plan to use my talents and celebrity to give back to my community and inspire a generation.
IQ: Doing music, touring,mixing, writing. All music, all day.

UV: In closing, I would like you to leave the Unheard Voices readers words of encouragement and inspiration, especially for those pursuing a career in music and entertainment.

Nor: The answers are inside you, listen to your inner voice and never quit. Be happy and do what you love. Everything else will fall into place.
IQ: I know you think you have to please people and go mainstream. You don’t– make music that makes you happy and that you are proud of. The mainstream will come to you.