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Here Kitty, Kitty

Honesty in young Florida rapper's work is compelling
7261mondaymagKITTY_LOREN_WOHL
Kitty brings her candid rap and sense of humour to Club 9ONE9, Sun., March 24.

By Clorisa Simpson

arts@mondaymag.com

 

“I’m so pumped to come to Canada. I heard the drinking age is like 18 or something!” says an enthusiastic 20-year-old Kathryn Becwyth. She is better known as Kitty (previously known as Kitty Pryde), a rapper from Daytona Beach, Fla.

I politely correct her, letting her know that the drinking age is 19 in B.C. “Oh, well that works too,” she replies.

Kitty has a unique brand of hip hop where rapping about her obsessive love for Justin Bieber or being uncool is OK. Listening to her is like reading a suburban teenage girl’s journal entries. While they may seem frivolous and trivial, there is something so honest about them that they become compelling.

She got noticed the way anyone does these days, by posting videos on YouTube. While this instigated her success, it also brought out a supply of people who absolutely hate her.

“I think the people that take me seriously are the people that don’t like me,” offers Kitty. “You definitely need a sense of humour.”

It’s clear she has a healthy attitude towards the negative feedback her music receives, but she’s more focused on the good and lets the bad roll off her.

“Everybody that I meet that’s an actual musician is really supportive of me, but everyone I used to be friends with at home hates the shit out of me now. I think I’m better off anyway, cause I’m not from a very nice town.”

She divulges more about a story one magazine from Orlando did that was none to kind to her when she started out.

“They literally wrote an article about how I’m the worst artist to ever come out of Orlando, which sucks cause Matchbox 20 came from Orlando, so, ouch.”

However, she got to exact her revenge this year.

“I’m on the cover of their next issue and they made this girl interview me for like ever, and I called her out on it a lot, so I can’t wait to read it, it’s going to be so funny.”

The flippant attitude she exudes is endearing, and possibly what has been the key to her success.

“I don’t take anything too seriously,” she explains. “If I took this industry seriously, I would have fucked it up by now ... It’s easy to turn into a huge butthead.”

After her show in Victoria on March 24 at Club 9ONE9, she will be preparing for her U.S. tour with Danny Brown.

“Shows stress me out because I kind of have stage fright still and my lyrics are really embarrassing, I just kind of have an anxiety about it. The idea of a show every night for a month is just crazy to me, so I’m kind of scared, but like whatever.” M

 

 

Kitty

Sun., March 24

Club 9ONE9

Doors at 9pm

With Hyperlinx and DJ Generic

Tickets at Wolf/Sheep Arthouse )1215 Governement)

Lyle's Place, Ditch Records and the Strathcona Hotel