Meet KAANG | Painter, Rapper, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with KAANG and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi KAANG, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a creative path because it was the only thing I felt fit me.

Around toddler years I picked up drawing and pretended to rap in gibberish all the time, it just snowballed from there. I fell in love with comics and cartooning, thanks to my Uncles. I fell in love with music as a whole because of my mom. She is a performance artist, so I grew up in dance studios, learning the Djembe, and just being exposed to various forms of Black Art and Artists.

It just fueled everything. It impassioned me.

Nothing else really made me feel like that. I felt like I was finally in control of something. Drawing, and Painting; that was my portal to my own world, and the beats and the raps are the soundtrack.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My Art, is very emotional. My paintings are based off how I feel in the moment, My music is about how I feel over time, everything is contingent on feeling.

Personally, I’m very proud, that I still have the desire to create. No matter what situation I’m experiencing, be it tragedy, or success, I still find the inspiration and drive to make art. It’s necessity in my life, and I’m very proud of that. I hold tightly to the art, everything has either come or go.

I feel like having the insistent desire to create put me here today. I’m always making something, or learning how to add to what I’m already doing. I’m never really content in what I feel like I know, and I feel like wanting to always grow brought me so much out of life. This student mindset has brought me a lot of opportunity and connected me with brilliant artists.

As beneficial as it sounds, its kind of cumbersome, constantly wanting to improve. It isn’t easy. I find myself not moving on projects because I don’t feel like I know enough or have the wherewithal to handle the situation. I’ve been discovering ways to overcome it, but I don’t like to practice and preach. I can say I have to assess if my time is being used correctly when I find myself fiddling with new concepts.

Since everything up to this point as been trial and error, I’ve learned a lot when it comes down to trying to solidifying yourself in a space. I believe the first lesson I learned definitely is to show love the way you show love. Many of my opportunities as an artist, has come from me genuinely just f*cking with another artist. Either, they invite me to a show, and I perform because of them, or we’re linking on a creative business venture or hitting the studio. It’s never expected or an ask, but I’ve just had it happen because I really like an artist, and their message. I guess a better way of saying it is be the Authentic You. I’ve done nothing but and it’s brought a lot to me.

I want the world to know that my brand is built of the back of my struggle. and that it will always be authentic to me. I don’t believe in trying to match a stream of consciousness. I believe in self discovery and desertion as long as your process isn’t inherently bigoted. I feel Like my brand is Authentic, and being true to what you know about yourself, so I’d want people to align with the drive to discover themselves as I discover Myself. We can all do it together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So for favorite spots…. I’d say it depends on the type of homie.

If they a kinda regular, imma introduce them to something artistic they can digest, like LACMA, then we finna hit up this Somali joint called Banadir, or head to Lemerit for Ackee Bamboo.

If they a Visual Art homie, we definitely hitting the Broad’s new exhibition, MoMA, and MoMCA the same day. Then I might tour them around Lil Tokyo.

For my Music Homies, we definitely going to Lunar Labs in Inglewood, or Pirate Studios in Silver Lake, then we getting some Belizean food or Jamaican if we at Lunar Labs. Then we finna hit the Beach the next day and a few more studios.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shout out to my peoples: Yagi, Nick Heny, Jay Kwellyn, OneWooLong, Brandon Prince, Galassie, and Spamma

Shout to My Mom, Grandma, and Granddad.

I have to give a shout out to my blood, my soul, my brother: Yusef Inkosi Scott

and last but not least, a HUGE love filled shout out to the beautiful Gingerr Rust, My love, my muse, my lil devious superstar

Website: https://linktr.ee/ThaMightyConqueror

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaconqueror/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thaconqueror

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-Clu5NrI2pIx9wt_fW72A

Image Credits
Performance Pictures by Rah-San “Sage” Bailey ; https://rahtographer.com/ Photos in the Snow are Self Portraits.