In an era where R&B is losing originality and passion, it’s easy to find indistinguishable melodic artists. I'm here to tell you that there is a hidden underground gem meshing realities from his life and city, bringing a hopeful spark to this dull era of R&B. Tee-Kay-V (TKV) has dropped his EP Ghetto Popstar, a conceptual piece inside the mind and life of a rising NY star, establishing himself as one of the upcoming artists you MUST LISTEN to.
“My motivation behind Ghetto Popstar was just my REAL life experiences, I grew up in the ghetto and music is my passion. I wanted to combine my street life with my pop music.”- TKV
The thirteen minute tape Ghetto Popstar allows us to enter the life of the New York creative. On stand out track “Stuck On Me” TKV has an introspective conversation over a chime ridden melody, singing about his recurring feeling of falling for a girl that may not reciprocate those feelings. Here he lets his guard down, inscribing full feeling and emotion into the track.
“The track selection process involved my girlfriend and my sisters, so it definitely helped from a female perspective to understand a placement of songs for the project.” - TKV
TKV is an artist that is constantly attempting to improve and put the best art out. For Ghetto Popstar it was being able to better understand the perspective of a female music listener. One thing I feel the Albany native has on lock is being able to cater to various different audiences as there truly is a song for everyone to enjoy on the project.
“My favorite songs gotta be ‘I Know’ and ‘Curious,’ ‘I Know’ because it gives me the most energetic feeling i've ever gotten out of a song, ‘Curious’ because it’s the most/only real ‘Ghetto’ song on the ep, I always picture that songs visual and can’t wait to bring it out.” - TKV
Floating over the guitar riff melody on “Curious” TKV sends warning shots that he’s a top dog in the NY underground scene. The multifaceted ‘Popstar’ steps from his normal rhythmic melodies and decides to take an in-your-face delivery, sending chilling bars like, “I heard they killed ya mans and even left the chain on, I could make a call and have em stepping on your grave stone…”
The upcoming creative has cultivated a Solo EP that’ll leave you wishing the tape had more that six songs. In Ghetto Popstar we have a concise and refined sound from TKV, filled with accounts from real life tribulations, letting the listeners into the life and mind behind the artist that many are dubbing the underground “King of R&B”. MORE FROM TKV BELOW: