Today we’d like to introduce you to KCO.
Hi KCO, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My story is one of grace, transformation, and boldness. I have always had a passion for music and would often freestyle all throughout middle and high school. I saw this rap thing as kind of a hidden talent that was entertaining, but nothing more. I grew up listening to Eminem, Tupac, and many other mainstream rap artists. Little did I know that these artists were planting seeds in my mind that led to aggression, violence, and paranoia.
In 2015, I found myself in my darkest valley. I was jumped by four guys, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in middle of a street with my jaw split in two. This led to me having emergency reconstructive surgery, which, in turn, required me to have my jaw wired shut for three weeks. During those three weeks, I was forced to reflect on the decisions that led me to that point in my life and started listening to what God’s purpose for my life was. During this time, I was also introduced to Christian Rap artists like Lecrae and NF. This sparked the idea that I could use my talent for good. I didn’t have to rap about money, sex, drugs, and violence. I could use my gifting to speak to people in an impactful way while sharing my testimony.
It wasn’t until 2020 that I decided to release a few songs just to test the waters. Right before these releases, I started performing at open mics around Dallas to seek validation and determine if this was really the path I was chosen for. At my first open mic over at Green Elephant, I blew people away and got an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the crowd. This was all the confirmation I needed to answer this calling and officially put out music as a rap artist.
In 2022, I got married to my beautiful wife, and we had our first child in August of 2023. Career-wise, I was a highly successful Supply Chain manager and had been promoted a few times since 2021, so my music was on pause for about four years. In January of 2024, I felt God calling me to leave corporate America to focus on music full-time and raise my son. I am now committed to this journey and plan to release 14 new songs in 2024.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all. In fact, I almost gave up on this venture. With the barriers to entry being so low in the music industry, it is a challenge to differentiate yourself and get people to actually care about your craft. It also takes patience and consistency to break through this industry and make a living as an artist. I have to remind myself daily that this will not be an overnight success story.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a rap artist who is Christian. I don’t like to put myself in the box of being a “Christian rapper” because I feel like my music is for everyone, not just Christians. I think my strength is definitely my writing ability. I love being able to construct lyrics that tell a story and are poetic in nature. I take my rhyme schemes very seriously and try to outdo myself every time I write a new song. I see songwriting as both an art and a science. In 2020, I was told that I needed a lot of development vocally, so for the last four years, I have been working with a vocal coach and lead worship at my church in Dallas to strengthen what was once identified as my weakness.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
Capcut is very good for quick video editing. This comes in handy for social media content.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kcorap.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kco.rapmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kco.rapmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kco.rapmusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kcorapmusic
