Chicago-based rapper Kaycee Ortiz dropped a stunning and deeply personal mixtape titled Beach Street last year and is gearing up for a new release in the near future. Her deeply personal and hard-hitting Southern rap gives a fresh spin to a beloved genre. Ortiz's lyrics deal with growing up in poverty and her journey as a trans woman – but she's hoping her music can act as a beacon of hope for those who need it.
We chatted with the rapper about her beginnings, Beach Street and her plans for the future. Hop to the next page to read the full interview.
Hometown: Mobile, AL
Homebase: Chicago, IL
When did you start rapping?
I got started when I was 17. I saw Foxy Brown on MTV and I was like, 'I want to do that!' I wrote more for fun – I never thought anything would actually come of it.
Who are some of your influences?
I would definitely say Missy Elliott. Lil' Kim, for sure – she's my rap idol. Lauryn Hill and Eve, too. I look up to all of them.
Right now I really like Future. I like Kanye a lot. I really like The Migos and Gucci Mane. Drake as well, of course.
Hip-hop has a reputation for being a homophobic and transphobic genre. Is this something you've experienced?
I haven't experienced it yet! Most of my gigs have been in gay or queer environments. That's not something I'm scared of. If you're talented that will always come through in the end, no matter what obstacles you may face.
Young M.A. for example is knocking down the door. She's an artist I'm really excited about; she's proving that no matter who you are as a person or what you believe in – you're talent will shine through. I'm really grateful for her. Her talent is so undeniable.
Your first mixtape, Beach Street, deals with a lot of really personal subjects. Was this something you struggled with when you were writing?
At first I wouldn't put anything personal in my music because I didn't want people to know the struggles and hardships I've had. I started realizing – when I was going through a really hard time in my life a lot of rap song's like Kanye's “I Wonder” where he's just going crazy thinking about if [fame] is ever going to happen for him – when I had difficult moments that song helped me. On days when I feel like I can't keep going, Eve's “Make It Out Of This Town” really helps. Those songs make me feel so strong, no matter what I'm dealing with. My mom used to say to me, “Those rappers made those songs and where are they now? They made it!” So why not pass that along?
One of the main characters in Beach Street is your grandmother. Can you tell us a little bit more about her?
My grandma – she really made me a believer. The significance of the whole Beach Street thing is this: my grandma had five kids, she lived in the projects. She just always told herself that she didn't want to live there. She bought her first house on Beach Street and for me – her buying that house is like me trying to get my record deal. Right now I'm in the projects but I know I don't want to live there.
My grandma taught me that if you feel something in your heart and you know it's there, don't give it up! Believe in it. My musical background comes from her: she's a singer, she played the piano, she was in charge of the children's choir when I was growing up. She would take Bible verses and turn them into cool songs and that's how we would remember them. A lot of my music comes from her.
When I came out – I was like 13 or 14. I told her I was gay. She didn't talk to me for about a month or two. She is very Southern Baptist and she just didn't believe in that. I later told her that I made it up because I wanted attention; I couldn't deal without having her in my life. She's come around now, she's even apologized. She said that she didn't know anything about this stuff, she just knew what she was taught. She told me that no matter how anyone else feels that I should just live my life to make me happy, you know?
Do you think of your work as political?
Not really. I know some of my lyrics are explicit. I try to talk from a lot of different view points. When I first started writing music a lot of my fans were younger gay guys. I started wondering if people who didn't come from that experience would be able to relate to my music, so I started talking about treating everyone fairly. There's plenty of songs that I hear in the clubs where I don't really hear what they're talking about at first but when I go home and google it I learn something. That's something I try to do with my music.
I try to focus on bringing people together. I feel like if you focus on that, all that other stuff – racism, homophobia – all that stuff will eventually fade out. I grew up in Alabama. Back then, I didn't know anyone that wasn't black. When I joined the military and I was in basic training I opened my eyes and learned what I should say or shouldn't say about other people. My point is that when you bring people together and you learn to respect them more then you don't need to have a divide.
Tell us a little about your next project.
I wrote for a very long time before I finally recorded my first mixtape. Something that Lauryn Hill said was that as a writer you have to take time to get new experiences so that you can have something fresh to talk about. So since the summer I've been jotting stuff down, trying to see what kind of vibe I want to go with. I think my next project is going to be a five track mixtape. I want it to be short and sweet and I'm going to try and have it out before spring.
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