Kodi Shane is anything but boring. The 17-year-old is quickly growing a fanbase for her high energy music and unique sense of style. Kodi Shane was raised in Chicago but born in and currently resides in Atlanta. She is signed to Epic and is also the “First Lady” of Lil Yachty’s Sailing Team.
The young emcee feels quite comfortable on stage as she has opened for Travi$ Scott, Anderson Paak and Lil Uzi Vert in the past. At this year’s A3C Festival and Conference, Kodi Shane is slated to perform at four different showcases including Girl’s Love Hip Hop 2and Gryndfest. Recently we had a chance to chat with her about her career so far, her mission to empower kids and what to expect in the future.
How did you get into making music seriously?
One day my producer, back when I was like 13 or 14, he gave me a computer with a bunch of beats on it. So I just tried to write this song “Crown Me.” I wrote it and I liked it. I always knew I was going to do something with music. I just didn’t know. After I made that one song, that’s when I felt like this is what I wanted to do.
Why do you make music for the youth?
The reason I say I’m making music for the youth is because that is what it is about right now. It’s about making the kids feeling like they can do whatever they want to do and be whoever they want to be and where whatever they want wear and like whoever they want to like.
Why is so important to you to empower kids?
Because there are so many kids that get picked on and sh*t and they just can’t be who they want to be. So I feel like it’s really huge for us to make sure it’s known that it’s okay for kids to be whoever they want to be. That’s why I’m a really huge fan of Jaden Smith as a person because he’s trying to make kids feel like they can wear whatever they want to wear. I feel like it’s huge because there are a lot of kids that want to kill themselves because of that sh*t.
Do you feel like the artists out when you were younger did a good job of letting kids know they could be themselves?
I was coming up around the time of Laffy Taffy and Soulja Boy and sh*t. So Soulja Boy definitely had me feeling like I wanted to be an internet sensation. But I don’t think there were too many people pushing the whole “be yourself and do what you want to do” thing back then because there were a lot of trends. So it wasn’t really being pushed liked that.
What music have you been listening too lately?
Right now I’m in this zone where Frank Ocean’s got me consumed right now. But I love Kid Cudi. I’m fighting with him until the end. I love Travis Scott. I love Drake. Man. I love Yachty. But Frank Ocean right now. That’s like all I listen to right now.
Speaking of Lil Yachty, you just dropped a song with him and Uzi Vert. How did that come together?
Uzi had did that song a while ago and then I put a verse on it. And then after we made the decsion that it was going to be my song, I called Yachty and I asked him to hop on it for me and he sent it right back.
So you have a good relationship with Yachty?
Of course. Me and Uzi have a good relationship too but Yachty is like my brother. We have a real relationship beyond just the music. It’s not like we’re just cool because he is a rapper and I am rapper. We are cool because we see eye to eye. He get’s it.
Is it hard to tell who is just a friend and who is just a business acquaintance as you get deeper into your career?
That’s always hard but definitely harder now because you have more people coming around in your face acting like they want to be friends but really they just want some clout. It’s definitely a lot more of that than there was before. But I’m not tripping. I’m just happy to be hear.
What has had the most impact on your sense of style and fashion?
I just try to lead and not follow. That is my biggest thing is just try to be myself and not care if people like or hate it. That’s my biggest thing. I just want to be known for self. I want to be like that baby Rihanna. Like “wow. She just doesn’t give a f*ck. She is breaking the internet.” I want to be known for that.
Do you feel like your music fits into one genre?
I feel like sometimes. “Drip On My Walk” fits into that whole trendy genre. Which is something that I don’t ever want to do again. And then “Can You Handle It” is more of and R&B classic hit right there. It depends. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. But I’m okay with not fitting.
How did you grow from the release of 2060 to Little Rocket?
Just learning how to deal with criticism and negative things as a whole and just learning to not let things get time because people are mean as sh*t and it can get to you. Trying to be smarter about that. I can’t let things shake the boat. I can’t let a little bit of water sink the ship.
What can people expect when they come to a Kodi Shane show?
Just expect to turn up. Expect to have a party. My main rule is I feel like if you paid your money to get here. You paid your Uber to get here. If you did anything like that you deserve to have a good time. You deserve to have a party. That’s my thing. Let’s have a party. I don’t want to talk to much. I just want to turn up. That is it. That’s what you can expect. Turn the f*ck up.
You’ve kept a steady pace of releasing music this year. Do plan on keeping that up?
Well, I don’t want to drop anything until it’s 130 percent perfect. But I’m definitely dropping something soon. I’m dropping a project called Zero Gravity. It’s going to be exciting. It’s dropping around A3C time.
So are you going to give us any juicy exclusive details about it?
All I can say is that you won’t be disappointed. It’s going to be f*cking exciting. It’s f*cking lit is all I can say about that sh*t. It’s lit. You won’t be disappointed.
Are there any goals you are particularly motivated to reach in the near future?
I just want a million dollars. I don’t have everything that I wake up everyday and say I want to do. . I just want to make great music. I want people to know my sh*t. I want people to sing my sh*t. I want people to feel something when they are listening to it. I don’t want too much though. I’m just focused on the music. Nothing else.
