Kye Colors

This man Kye Colors has been releasing a bunch of music over the past few months, and today he is back with yet another new track titled “Doggy”. I am expecting the Missouri native to be dropping a full length at any time now, he has released single after single of nothing but heat, so it’s only a matter of time before he runs out of singles and just gives us the entire tape. Each and every one of the recent records he has released have sounded similar sonically, and I am sure once I hear them complied together it’s going to sound sensational. - Lyrical Lemonade

KYE COLORS (@KYECOLORS): THE FUTURE
Age: 16

Home: Kansas City

The adage is that hip-hop is a young man’s game, but even that has an age limit. Hip-hop has almost always been populated largely by artists in their early to late 20s, occasionally by those in their late teens, and rarely by anyone younger.

This is what makes Kye Colors (J’kye Slatton) so fascinating. Barely old enough for an intermediate driver’s license, Colors is already making waves in KC as a well-respected hip-hop artist. This isn’t older guys being nice to the little kid, either. Colors has shown — through both his raps and production (he produces most of his material and has handled production for a half dozen other local artists) — that he’s not afraid of work.

He began writing raps as early as age 5, usually in crayon. It was this fact and his vibrant personality that helped him choose his rap name and the name of his label (yes, he founded a label, Good Colors, with fellow KC artists Farian, Mike2x and Donnell).

“I’d describe my music as very colorful and vibrant,” Colors says.

In truth, Colors describes everything in hues, even moods: “You can feel orange, you can feel yellow, you can feel brown. It’s like an emotion,” he says. “If you ask someone how their day’s going they can go, ‘Eh, a little purplish.’ On Mondays I feel dark brown. Fridays I might feel yellow in the morning, lightning blue at night.”

When Colors released the “00” EP early last year, the color around town was red hot or green envy. The nine-track project had such a wide scope of production, vision and lyrical content it was hard to believe it was made by a 15-year-old. Sampling funk and disco (Colors loves old school music “way more than the new stuff”), he tackled a range of topics: relationships, ageism, turning down record deals and the anxiety of trying to take his career to new heights.

A month ago he partnered with his label mate Donnell to produce the two-track “Unbreakable” EP, where he sampled ’70s soul singer Eddie Kendricks and rapper Ja Rule. The EP is short but flawless, showcasing just how much more Colors has grown in the past year.

“It takes me forever to write or produce a song, it’s frustrating,” he says. “But music right now is repetitive, and I don’t ever want to sound or act like anyone else.” - The Kansas City Star

This one was long overdue, folks. Kansas City rapper/producer Kye Colors sat down for a career-spanning interview (yes, he's only 19, but he's been releasing music since he was 14!) We talked about how his approach to writing lyrics, rapping, and producing music has changed over the last few years, all the fussing with his 2017 mixtape "Milk Is Nasty," being approached by Def Jam Recordings, his recent singles, how the palette of mainstream music listeners has been shifting, updates on the Caviart camp and observations on Kansas City's hip-hop scene, and his upcoming project "Juvenile." - Shuttlecock Magazine

I meet Kye Colors at Joe’s Barbershop on an overcast, late spring day. His father runs the business, which is located in a plain strip mall off the Paseo, on the south side of Kansas City. The shop’s walls are painted a dark red and plastered with sports memorabilia. An episode of Family Feud is blaring from a television at the center of the room. Kye (born J’kye Slatton) doesn’t work here, but he steps out from behind the front desk to greet me.

His dad’s store is a convenient spot to sit and talk after Kye, 17, finishes his school day at Hogan Preparatory Academy. He tells me he’s been writing raps since he was in elementary school. Back then, his favored implement was a crayon — a preference that factored into his choice of stage name.

Kye has released two projects so far, the more recent being a mixtape called 00, issued when he was 15. That tape and the singles that followed it earned praise from a range of local artists, solidifying the young man’s place within Kansas City’s hip-hop scene.

He tells me that he plans to finish high school, then study audio engineering in community college — depending, he adds, on how far along his music career is by then. He’s just about to finish his junior year; he has time to weigh his options.

I ask him about his new single, “House Party.” Kye wrote and produced the song, as he did with the rest of the material on his upcoming tape. The track features hints of gritter hip-hop — a signature Kansas City style — as well as West Coast G-funk bass lines. Kye says it’s unlike the rest of his new stuff. It’s also unlike his old stuff. Previous singles of his, including “Sweet Chin Music” and “Get Right,” consisted largely of Kye all but shouting at his listeners. This track finds him more composed, confidently riding the song’s groove and crafting a memorable chorus.

The lyrics tell a story of a night out partying with friends — an outing that ends in gun violence. It plays like Kye conveying a cautionary tale to himself, even as it also demonstrates an obvious increase in focus since that first release. To hear it is to root for Kye to stay in school, graduate and then learn to fully master the recording studio.

The rest of the tape, he says, will showcase his version of soul-sample-based production, following in the footsteps of Kanye West and other acts that gained attention a decade ago for pioneering that style. Now that trap-style 808s dominate the modern hip-hop landscape, Kye’s sampling flashback could be a canny way to set himself apart from the competition.

The name of the new tape also seems destined to leave an impression. Kye is calling it Milk Is Nasty — an absolute truth, as far as he’s concerned. (He harbors a schoolboy distaste for the drink, unless it’s strawberry flavored.) The phrase has another meaning, though: It’s a reference to a teacher of his who is leaving the profession because his students didn’t want to learn. Here again is Kye the appreciator of a good education: He says he wants to feed hip-hop fans something new.

Other material on the tape covers personal issues, Kye says, experiences he’s had growing up in Kansas City. One song is about educating non–Kansas Citians on the slang term boosie (meaning fraudulent). Another song clarifies that the “Colors” in Kye Colors is not a reference to the LGBT community, as some have apparently assumed.

I point at his plain black T-shirt and mention that he isn’t dressed too colorfully.

“Black is a color, bro!” he says with a laugh.

Kye aims for Milk Is Nasty to help him attract a larger following, but he doesn’t expect to become famous overnight. He already has a vision for his debut album (and a title: Roy G. Biv), which he hopes to release in 2020. By then, he says, he’ll have had time to save up a bigger recording budget and find at least one big-name collaborator.

“I always wanted to work with Tyler, the Creator,” Kye says. “For just one song, man, that’s it. One song.”

I ask Kye if he sees himself becoming an artist with a niche fanbase or would rather be a Top 40 act. He doesn’t have to consider his answer long: “Top 10,” he says.

He pictures a Drake-like future: “Everybody knows, if they just see my face, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s Kye Colors.’ If I’m about to drop a song, the whole world will just stop and listen to it.”

Not that Kye lacks a Plan B. In a less Drake-like world, he says, he’d try his hand as a singer. Failing that, he’d move to producing and engineering full time.

Regardless, he plans to give back to Kansas City artists.

“When I do work on the album and it turns out good — like, successful things happen for me, for the people around me — then I feel like then it’s going to have to get bigger than this. I wanna have to start helping out people in the community, like younger artists that don’t get to get heard, and I could mentor them to be better.”

The first step toward a more Color-ful community: Milk Is Nasty’s online availability in late June. (Plans for Milk T-shirts and an outdoor concert called Jammy Jam are also in the works.)

Before I leave his dad’s shop, I ask Kye what he wants listeners to hear when they play his new tape. We’ve talked awhile, and I’ve heard him at his most verbal, but this answer is another shorty that’s sharp and obvious.

“They gon’ say: ‘Damn. Play it again.’ ” - The Pitch Kansas City

It’s been a little minute since the last time I have heard some new music from the young goat Kye Colors, but he is back this evening with his brand new joint titled “After Party”. Kye is one of the silkiest rappers when it comes to floating over soulful instrumentals like the one provided here, he paid homage to a classic hip-hop jam that you just might now, and he killed it if you ask me. Along with the release Kye Colors left us with a few words saying: “something special coming to you soon”, I suspect a possible full length project on the horizon from him. - Lyrical Lemonade

Following the release of his last single “Nights” and re-releasing his mixtape Milk Is Nasty, Kansas City based rapper Kye Colors returns with his new love-struck single “Sweet Thang.” Colors reflects on building a relationship with that special someone and falling in love. The self-produced track is reminiscent of something you’d heard in the early 2000s; the subtle yet hard-hitting percussion and lush layers of synths is a solid backdrop for his poised lyrics and catchy melody in the chorus. - bydthesound

Hip-Hop artist, Kye Colors, recently ensured you won’t be able to overlook the 17-year-old artist when it comes to the Kansas City music scene.

Previously dropping several projects and music videos, Colors has been growing his hip-hop resume. This includes his song “Midas” which sports over 16,000 plays on Soundcloud, popular music site.

Colors was featured in a local cypher music video last year resulting with a write-up in the Kansas City Star. Fast forward to this summer, he was featured in The Pitch as he prepared for his debut release. With all of the well-deserved hype surrounding him, he has released a nine-song project that lives up to what people have been waiting for.

“Milk is Nasty” explores Colors’ life as a 17-year-old rapper who holds the attention of the city right now.

He raps about growing up, his relationship’s, being counted out, and more. With such an interesting title, I wondered if it was a metaphor.

“It’s not,” said Colors “I just don’t like milk.”

This statement alone should urge you want to listen.

Endorsed by popular Kansas City based Hip-Hop artist Gee Watts—notable for his collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Tech N9NE—Colors has been pushed to the forefront of Watts’ CaviArt music crew, the first artist to release a project from the crew.

In addition to rapping (and being a pretty complete artist for his age) he’s also a producer, as he mixed all but one beat on the tape.

Complete with storytelling that would make The Notorious B.I.G. smile, Colors captures the hearts of local hip-hop fans with slick-talking wordplay, metaphors, samples and more.

The intro track, “Special,” opens up with clip of two men talking about a 16-year old music prodigy who makes them feel old. Kye then opens up about being a Black male who grew up in a two-parent home, his dire to be great through the outlet of music, and the various traumas he’s experienced in his young life.

This leads to the most notable song on the project (besides “House Party,” which was the single released three months before), “Warning.”

Warning is a catchy underdog anthem that announces he’s arrived. “Niggas thought it was a drought, I thunderstormed you niggas/everybody had doubts but I warned you niggas.”

He continues to show and prove why listeners believe the hype.

Along with the self determined attitude in “Raygun,” the thrilling story in “House Party,” the relationship battle in “Places and Things,” and Kansas City slang laced “Boosie” featuring Gee Watts, the mixtape is a very solid listen—lyrically impressive.

It’s length is perfect as it provides a variety of styles and content in just nine tracks, though it leaves you wanting more.

Milk is Nasty does have its flaws. Some of the mixing from track to track doesn’t flow and it makes some lyrics hard to hear. But won’t find a better project from a 17-year-old artist like Colors. Especially in Kansas City, the place where his colorful art is about to take off. - University News

A few days back Kye Colors released a new record and that left me with a thought that this may be apart of a bigger release, a possible full length tape, and today he doubled back with a brand new joint titled “Freaky Deaky” featuring Daduworld. Just from taking a glance at the title you can probably guess where this one is going, but Kye and Dadu definitely created an ear pleasing melody that sounds like something you might have heard blasting out of a car in the 2000’s due to the great production & overall sound. Actually now that I think about it this new joint would make sense to be on the same project as his prior song, they both have the same vibe so I will be impatiently waiting for a full length tape for Kye to arrive hopefully sometime this summer, for now just press play below. - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is a 19 year old recording artist / producer, born and bred in Kansas City, Missouri, who has been making music in his parents basement for five years. Kye’s freestyle rap style blew us away when we met him, and we knew immediately that he had to be part of our campaign, not only for his incredible potential and talent, but also for his love of his city. “Kansas City is my heart. KC is my baby. The experience, atmosphere, I embrace it all. So, I feel it’s my purpose to nurture and take care of it. We never got the attention, or much respect to outsiders who’ve never really been here to understand us, so that underdog mentality has always been instilled in me.” - Lee Jeans Denim

When you think of the US and its creative hubs, Kansas is probably not one that comes to mind. But, a little known fact is that the Sunflower State city is home to denim manufacturers Lee Jeans, which has been headquartered there for 130 years. With such a strong connection to the city, the brand has turned its attention to Kansas and teamed up with its creative-minded locals for Fall/Winter 2019.

Much like the brand’s founder Henry David Lee, the movers and shakers featured in the campaign are passionate about their craft and city. Spanning a wide range of creative fields from fashion to art and food design, the casting reflects the city’s often overlooked melting pot of talent. Among those featured in the campaign are hip-hop artist, Kye Colors, owner and head chef of The Russell restaurant, Amante Domingo, stylist, Amy Appleton Dreyer, and producer, Danny Santell – who’s also responsible for the music accompanying the video campaign.

Similarly to the cast, the locations featured in the shoot have been carefully selected for their historical significance. The city’s lively arts neighborhood known as the Crossroads was formerly the freight district from where Lee’s workwear would be distributed across the country. It’s also home to the first Lee Jeans building where the brand’s earliest designs were crafted including its signature Union-All overalls.
Alongside a look into Kansas’ creative scene, the campaign gives us a peek at Lee’s forthcoming denim collection. Standout silhouettes include the Whizz Coverall with belted waist and wide-cut leg, the Rider Jacket with its iconic frontal zig-zag stitching, as well as the workwear-inspired Carpenter Pant, and one of the brand’s longest-standing designs, the Loco Jacket, which first debuted in 1925. As some of Lee’s most iconic designs, each of these garments boasts several signature details that mark Lee’s continuous innovation over time. For example, the cross tacks on Lee Jeans’ back pockets were designed to replace traditional metal rivets, which scratched saddles. Meanwhile, it’s rust-proof gauge metal buttons are held in place with two-prong tack fasteners to avoid it from turning. - Highsnobiety

Scoring his sixth feature of the year with “Talk About It,” Kye Colors is becoming a regular on the LL pages; for good reason. With each release, he’s shown growth and diversity and now his busy year culminates in his best, most convincing offering to date.

For “Talk About It,” the KC native pulls double duty, impressing on the boards and mic equally. On the production side, Colors creates a unique ambiance with a snaring beat that has an off-kilter sample tucked into the framework. It’s the perfect accentuation to his vocal approach. He’s fluid and slick with his flow, but the way he drips a nonchalant, unbothered attitude–that is echoed in his callous bars– really what gives the song its special flavor.

Kye has made great strides in 2019 and has built himself a sizeable buzz in Kansas City. Still a relative hidden gem, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him reap the rewards of all his hard work and breakthrough to a bigger audience in 2020; he certainly deserves it. - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is a creative out of Kansas City, Missouri who I have been familiar with for almost three years now, I am a big fan of his material so when he was recently in Chicago for a performance, I invited him to the Lyrical Lemonade headquarters for a brand new visual/written interview for our website! Kye Colors is just barely out of his teenage years but you wouldn’t be able to tell with how good that his music is, he sounds like a seasoned veteran in the game but he’s truly just getting started. Kye Colors has the perfect mix of rapping skills & singing abilities within his style, not to mention that he produces all of his own instrumentals, this kid is a talent that you need to keep an eye on. Take some of your time to read/watch our new interview with Kye Colors, and if you enjoy his sound & style then follow him on socials below! - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is one of the most underrated emcees not only in his home state of Kansas but for my money, in the entire midwest! The first time I interviewed Kye Colors was way back in January of 2020, and today I am happy to give you our latest interview that we shot a few months ago! I spoke to Kye Colors about plenty of subjects in this interview such as his last album With Love By Faith, being a student of hip-hop, getting personal in his music, Mase + Jay-Z, overcoming COVID other Kansas City artists that he rocks with, and much more. - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is someone who I found on Soundcloud YEARS ago at this point, and he has become somewhat of a mainstay on our website. Today the young Kansas City native is back with a brand new music video for “1-800” featuring Southside Dame, and it’s essentially a player anthem, something that Kye has mastered. These two midwest creatives complimented each other pretty well on this one, matching their shit-talking rhymes and gliding over the silky smooth beat. - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is a rapper out of Kansas City that I have been covering on our website for some years now, he’s a young talent who has a mass amount of potential, and today he is back on our pages with his new short film/music video for “Children Of The Ghetto”. The first five or so minutes of this video are a short film that finds Kye acting through situations that he rapped about on his last album With Love By Faith, and the last three minutes are more of a music video for “Children Of The Ghetto”, but it all tied in nicely. My only complaint about this short film/video is that it’s not longer, I would have loved to see more of the story play out, but that’s a success because the whole point of a short film is to leave people wanting more. This was a nice creative piece of content by Kye + his team, much love to them, take some time out of your night to watch this new short film below! - Lyrical Lemonade

Kye Colors is a young talent who I have been a fan of for a minute now, a few years to be exact, and ever since I first got familiar with him I have been eagerly awaiting a full-length project from him. Lucky for me, Kye Colors finally dropped a new project a few days ago titled “With Love By Faith”. I have had this project in heavy rotation on my speakers + in my headphones, it’s the best material that Kye Colors has made without a doubt, and it’s a well put together body of work. There are ten songs on this tracklist and the duration of the tape is just under thirty minutes in length, it’s just the perfect length if you ask me as Kye provided a closer look at what Kansas City music is all about. I loved this tape and I believe that you will too, stream it via Spotify below! - Lyrical Lemonade

Kansas City creative Kye Colors is one of the best artists out of the midwest, he’s still in the early stages of his career, but I believe when it’s all said and done, he will be one of the greatest artists from KC of all time. Recently, Kye Colors unleashed his new music video for his “Nike Boy Freestyle”, and it is simply amazing. The first thing that caught my attention on this joint was the soulful instrumental before Kye jumped on the beat and floated for two minutes straight. I am excited to see what 2021 has in store for Kye, hopefully, he can come by the Lyrical Lemonade office again for another interview, keep your fingers crossed! - Lyrical Lemonade

I have been a huge advocate of Kansas City emcee Kye Colors over the past few years, he’s an extremely skilled rapper who in my opinion is the star of his city, and today he is back on our site with the release of his brand new music video for “Talk About It”. This record was the single off of his recent album With Love By Faith, and it was arguably my favorite song off of that tracklist, so I was more than glad to see it get the proper visual that it deserved. I have a good feeling that 2021 will be a pivotal year for Kye, I am excited to see what he has up his sleeve. - Lyrical Lemonade

His mom is on his case (“I told you to have yo’ ass in this motherfuckin’ house 10 p.m. last night.”) So is his sister (“I know you was doin’ something you shouldn’t have been.“) And his teacher, too (a middle-aged white guy with “stank-ass breath,” upset that Kye doesn’t want to read his paper on systemic oppression.)

To boot, a friend’s gun sits hidden in his locker for the day (“It’s just a gun”).

Kye Colors’ new “Children Of The Ghetto” music video, directed by Kyla Cherry, is an eight-minute short film that dramatizes the stresses and pressures faced by a Kansas City teenager who dreams of escaping the confines of his neighborhood.

The acting chops of Kye and his co-stars surpass those of most music video actors and the video’s crisp, clean production allows viewers to focus on the narrative being communicated.

Kye raps in the school hallways, alone in the spotlight of an auditorium, and in exterior shots filmed outside of the boarded-up but brightly muraled Pershing School building in Blue Hills. The song’s lack of drums makes way for a g-funk bass groove (marking it clearly as a product of Kansas City’s interior) and a somber R&B vocal delivery. The keys are relatively low in the mix, but their presence (along with some snap percussion) evokes gospel-like energy that manages to make the song more hopeful than it would be otherwise.

We’re excited to premiere this video today. It’s worth being hopeful for. - The Pitch KC

Kansas City’s own artist/producer, Kye Colors, releases a new visual to his latest single, “Come Back Home”. The disco-loving wunderkind blends a strange mix of influences with some of the most infectious energy. The self-produced track gets brought to life by Kendu56 in a way that makes for an eye-catching display. This song will be apart of his forthcoming project With Love, By Faith, due later this month under Wasteland Records. Check out the new video down below. - Swidlife