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Getting a foothold in the Chicago hip-hop scene can be difficult if you didn’t grow up in the city, but African Kitty Jones has proven it’s definitely possible. The Ohio-to-Chicago artist quickly proved to be a musical force with the talent to truly make a name for himself in the Windy City.From connecting with artists like Joseph Chilliams, SiSi Dior and L inus to making great tapes with them SupaX, Jones has been making all the right moves. Her smooth R&B style vocals are full of emotion, thoughtful songwriting, and solid instrumental playing. We had the chance to ask her what it’s like to be in Chicago, how she became so musical, and what to expect from her future. Take a look below.
You are a versatile artist who plays multiple instruments. How did you get into music? What made you want to learn so many different instruments?
I’m a composer and this is what I want to do! So, in order to create and diversify my sound, I had to pick up several instruments. Once you learn one, the rest are easy to learn. Yes, as a songwriter I play a lot of instruments effectively, but I would say I play pretty well. Ha ha! Like most band kids, my first instrument was the piano. I took about six classes and I finished the last class kicking and screaming and vowed I would never come back. But luckily I got the basics down and was able to incorporate piano phrases into the songs I write now. Like the last track on my EP, “My Llama,” I played the piano part in the background, but, really, I’m a trumpet player through and through. I started playing trumpet in sixth grade (about 11 years old) and took private lessons and more. I am classically trained but also spent a lot of time studying jazz. I was in all the bands…yeah, that means I was a band kid. I say band boy, not band nerd, because band was a big thing at my school and it was cool to be talented and know how to play an instrument. I studied guitar in college. Which, in a funny story, because of how I got my first guitar…haha, I won’t get into that, but in college I started experimenting with rock influences and joined a group in Columbus, Ohio A small rock band called “Fingers”. I play trumpet on Fingers, but I also get to learn guitar techniques and stuff from the band members. The band was going great until I picked it up and also moved to Chicago for grad school. Anyway, Chicago is where I learned my last instrument, voice.
The variety of sounds on your new tape Supa X highlights your talent. What/who are your inspirations that lead to so much diversity?
Well, thank you. Well, yeah, so as a songwriter, I try to think of an artist when I’m writing so I can practice my craft and create something that the artist wants to buy into. For my tapes I wanted to show how versatile I am with my writing…I do take some influences…like on “Rearview Love” it had influences including one of my favorite songwriters Sia and Daniel Caesar The influence of artist combinations. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the melodic “bite” of Caesar’s “Get You” and the lyrical bite of Sia’s “Chandelier” in the first verse. But if I’m doing my job as a songwriter, you can’t really tell the first time you hear it. Other tracks like “My Llama” reminds me of Rihanna and “Worm Ass Niggaz” is partially influenced by Chance, especially the second verse. However, the one who influenced me the most was Erykah Badu. I grew up listening to her stuff and whenever I had writer’s block I would play one of her songs and it would keep me on track.
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Not only are you an artist, but you’re also pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. How did this experience influence your art?
Interesting question. Well, music is about the human experience, and in my training I’ve seen about 130 patients, and they all have unique stories and pieces of their lives to share. Sometimes their stories are filled with joy and love…and sometimes they are filled with sadness and loss. Those are the things I try to capture in my music, real life people and real life experiences, and I think that comes across on tape and what makes the music pop and relevant. I actually wrote some of Love in the Rearview at the clinic where I worked.
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You’re originally from Ohio, but have been in Chicago for a few years. How has Chicago influenced your music? How about Ohio?
Ohio is the land! However, I don’t miss it too much, only when I want to do country girl things like camping or shooting…I love Chicago. Chicago is new land and definitely the place I call home (sorry, Mom!) Chicago has been a big influence on my music, I did a lot of folk music, acoustic music, etc. before I came here. When I came here I lived in the North End and spent time with a lot of my friends from school. I was really unhappy at the time, and it wasn’t until I made local friends, got familiar with the city’s music scene, and spent some time getting acclimated to the South and West sides of Chicago that I started to really understand the sound and culture of Chicago. . That’s when I started pursuing music in a more professional way. I met a lot of dope artists in the beginning, just by chance and luck – it was crazy the way I met these people, but once I met the right people, I was able to explore the real Chicago, you know, what happened in Chicago things on the streets and in the homes of people who have lived here their entire lives. This in turn affected my sound. Chicago has an avant-garde quality—a unique style that’s hard to predict. I’ve learned a lot about this and am confident in developing my own voice.
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What’s your favorite song on Supa X? Why is it your favorite/what was it like recording it?
My favorite song! ? Oh my God! I don’t know, they’re all so good! Haha, but it’s really hard to choose because there are so many different sounds on the tape and there aren’t any repetitive genres. “Limitless” by Joseph Chilliams and SiSi Dior is probably one of the most popular songs. Which is cool because the way the song was put together is very atypical. First I put in the trumpet, and then my producer L inus is amazing, he has a crazy ear for things, so he chopped up the trumpet and created the sound you hear on the hook. Then I played the drums on the trumpet solo in the middle. King Said helped arrange the music. I love “Limitless” because it features the trumpet that I play a lot, and I was actually the last person to write a verse for the song. It’s crazy, Joseph was on tour when he recorded his verse, but it all worked out. Love with Rearview is probably my favorite, though. This is my favorite because it’s so real and means so much to me personally, and the background music is so simple (guitar, cello and trumpet) and it’s so beautiful. The most fun thing about the production process was “My Llama,” because I didn’t really go into the studio with something already written and freely write all the lyrics, which is usually not how I approach music.
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You’ve successfully collaborated with some great Chicago artists such as Joseph Chilliams, Sisi Dior, Qari and Na$im Williams. How did you connect with those artists? Was it difficult to get online at first?
So, it all happened by accident. At that time I met a very important person named DJ. I had just been going through some personal stuff and spent a lot of time praying. I once asked God for help with music to help me get my voice out because I was having a hard time finding a studio or musicians. Then one day in the spring of 2017, I sat next to a guy (DJ) and said, “Hey, can I ask you a weird question?” I then proceeded to ask him to tell me which Instagram photo to post. Haha, anyway, long story short, he was affiliated with 406, a music garage studio, and there I met OnGaud, a producer who is very famous in Chicago, especially for his work with Mick Jenkins. Through OnGaud and DJing, I met Qari, Lucki, Plu20 Nash, Slime, Cangelosi and Mulatto Beats. They are all a group of cool and “hot” people. But I didn’t really realize it at the time. I’m just there to kick it and create the atmosphere. I’ve been called the “weird” Ohio girl, but that’s okay. When I met Mick Jenkins he said “Oh I’ve heard of you” which was cool and I thought it was funny. Anyway, after that I ended up meeting my producer L inus, who has one of the most unique voices in Chicago; He is classically trained like me, except on five instruments! He works closely with artists such as Monster Mike and Na$im Williams. Through Linus, I met Sisi Dio, Moussa and others. His studio, Big Wet Studios, is growing and I can see it becoming a big thing in Chicago and a very important platform for artists. Overall, I’m grateful to DJ and something that led me to him. I am very grateful to my 406 friends. I think this is the start of a lot of cool things.
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What can we expect from you in the future?
You can look forward to me completing my PhD (another year!) and more great music! I’m already working on something and you can expect more from me and Sisi Dior. I’m trying to do some collaboration with Show you bad, so hopefully that works out. I’ve always wanted to work with Alex Wiley and I’ve been seeing him a lot lately, so who knows!
Thank you for reading this Q&A! I hope you learned more about Africa Kitty Jones and how she prepared to be a starring role on the Chicago stage.give her attention Twitter is here And keep an eye out for more from Jones.
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