KenTheMan Details

KenTheMan's road to rap began through trial and error. She was a Houston high school student who tried everything from doing makeup to singing in girl groups as she searched for something she was really serious about. In 2010, when she was in the 10th grade, Ken got her clue when she began rapping with her friends in cars after school or when they cut class. Outside of an early interest in poetry, back then nothing signaled for Ken that she would turn into a rapper. However, those casual rap sessions turned into a pathway for a potential career.

That momentum was halted after she had her heart broken by her rapper boyfriend (who she does not name) in 2014. For the next year, writer's block and her responsibilities as a mother kept KenTheMan away from hip-hop. During this time, she spent time praying that God would allow her to access her first and only passion again. After watching a Nicki Minaj documentary and engaging in marathon Lil Wayne listening sessions, she got her magic back. The first song she ever dropped was a freestyle over G Herbo and Nicki Minaj's "Chiraq" beat. It was a diss song against her ex-boyfriend, who ironically was the first person who took her to a studio. Soon after, in 2015, she dropped her first mixtape, Kenny's Back, a project she completed in just two weeks.

Ken, now grown, told her father she needed two years to get her rap career up and running, and if it didn't work out, she'd go back to school. Once she got her father's blessing, things began to move quickly. Her first viral moment came in 2017. That's when she dropped "Deserve," a dancehall-infused reflection on a failed relationship and the pain that comes with it.

Ken's next major moment came courtesy of her sexually-charged song "He Be Like," a track that took off in mid-2019. It was a change from her previous, more freestyle-structured songs, but it worked. Ken's commanding voice, honesty and ability to say whatever she wants on wax won people over, leading to the song going viral and racking up nearly 4 million streams on Spotify. The song was birthed while Ken was driving for DoorDash. While working, she was inspired after a record label failed to get back in contact with her after a meeting. Knowing that she had the talent to make it, KenTheMan pushed herself and came out with the biggest song of her career.

Now with her debut EP, 4 Da 304's, (type 304 on a calculator and flip it over) out and receiving positive reviews, nothing is out of reach for KenTheMan.