Curve Magazine
July/August 2008
By Kristin A. Smith
In the golden age of hip-hop, women wore the pants—baggy, belted with oversized tee shirts, and the only thing tight were their rhymes. There was Queen Latifah, Bahamadia, MC Lite and Salt n Pepa, just to name a few. Fast forward fifteen years and you can add KIN to the mix of powerful ladies who own the mic.
While KIN is not the first female rap group to bust into the primarily male dominated world, they are the first openly queer female duo to enter the scene. Nor and IQ, best friends since elementary school (not dating, as is often assumed), have been crossing genres, crossing the country and changing minds with their music for the last ten years.
Born and raised in Mt. Vernon, NY, a small city known for its contribution to hip hop (Heavy D was born there and P. Diddy lived there for years), Nor and IQ hope to restore hip-hop fame to their hometown. “We definitely represent our city; we got that Mt. Vernon sound,” says Nor.
KIN’s sound is reminiscent of the old-school days of rap. “We are definitely influenced by the past, and hopefully we can bring that era back and make our own lane from 2008 and into the future,” says IQ. Nor adds that KIN is “not talking about rims, hoes and ice,” they are talking about their own experiences.
And it’s their own experiences that make KIN stand out both personally and musically. As openly lesbian, African American artists, KIN has had to overcome serious obstacles. “Every day that I wake up I’m a woman and I’m African American and I’m a lesbian and I have to deal with all three at once…and then I have to do it on the public stage in the music industry,” says IQ. Nor agrees that the process has been challenging at times, describing coming out to the black community as a “journey unto itself.”
The journey of coming out publicly was a gradual and conscious decision for KIN. In the beginning, they kept their sexuality separate from their music, and even today their sexuality is not the center of their songs, but neither is it hidden. “It wasn’t a forced decision,” says IQ, “we didn’t decide okay, now let’s be out. It was a growing process—how we grew with our sexuality, how we grew into our music and how we grew into women. It all happened at the same time.”
It is this mix of maturity, confidence and skills that are winning over fans across the country. KIN has developed a devoted following, especially among young women who look to Nor and IQ as role models for both the hip hop and queer movements. “We just hope that in putting ourselves out there, we continue to get the letters we get now saying that we’re affecting people who look at us and say, ‘I can relate to you,’” says Nor.
It’s not just the queer community that is packing KIN performances; the group has fans from all walks of life. While IQ concedes that most of their fans are women, she says, “it is not based on sexuality. It’s just female—straight, lesbian or anything in between.”
KIN’s popularity even extends beyond the hip-hop community. In 2005, they promoted their album, “Rock Star” to a number of events, including Ladyfest in New York. Because of the album’s name, the promoters of Ladyfest assumed KIN was a rock band and booked them for a show. KIN arrived at a venue filled with bands and packed to the brim with musical instruments, and all they brought were two mics and themselves. “So we decided then that we had to show them we belonged on their stage. And we rocked out,” says IQ. The promoters invited them back next year.
This is a typical story for KIN who are making connections outside of hip-hop venues. The duo regularly performs at The Knitting Factor, one of New York’s underground rock venues. Usually performing as a duo, KIN has added a backup band for some performances, completing the image of a “Rock Star.”
Despite their cross-genre appeal, the band has yet to acquire a major record deal. Currently publishing under their own label, NorIq (pronounced Nor-eek), the band has released three albums. Right now they are working on a new mix tape titled, “Street Rock,” a term KIN coined to describe their amalgam of R&B, rap and rock.
With little budget, KIN has managed to deliver three albums, but the work is not as polished as many mainstream albums. The songs are at times thoughtful, witty and comedic, but the quality of recordings doesn’t match their live performances, which are pure energy. The duo begins a Pride Festival tour in June, and has a smattering of performances on the East Coast this spring. See www.kin4life.com for more information.
KIN”s lack of national success could be attributed to the current role of women in hip hop and the industry’s fear of the powerful woman. Gone are the days when women wore what they wanted, said what they wanted and danced how they wanted. While there are a few female lyricists who represent the smart, sassy side of womanhood, the industry seems to have regressed since the early 90’s. KIN could be a group to help create a revival, but they’re going to need a lot more money and a little more experience to bring about a full resurrection of the golden age of female rap.