If you don’t know who Kamaiyah is then you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last four years. Hailing from the Bay area part of the west coast, Kamaiyah has been having the entire state of California plus the rest of the country on fire! She first popped on the map in 2016 with her mixtape A Good Night in the Ghetto spewing records “How Does It Feel”, “Fuck It Up” and “For My Dawg”. Thereafter, Kamaiyah earned major recognition featuring on YG and Drake’s platinum record “Why You Always Hatin?” which eventually gained her a spot on XXL’s 2017 Freshman Class and a Sprite campaign with Lebron James in 2018. Last year, Kamaiyah had the summertime on lock the Mustard-produced track “Addicted To Ballin” featuring Schoolboy Q and now she returns for the second year in a row with “Windows” featuring Quavo and Tyga. Is it really a Hot-Girl Summer or truly a Kamaiyah summer? Read our interview backstage at the Once Upon A Time in the LBC festival below to find out:
Catrise J: Hey Kamaiyah! You just shut down the stage per usual! Let’s get into your new record “Windows” which is fire might I add.
Kamaiyah: Thank you! Let’s get it.
CJ: How did Tyga get on the record?
K: I pressed play on a bunch of records and that was the one he fucked with! Tyga is the homie so it was super organic.
CJ: Was it easy getting this record?
K: As soon as I sent it to most people they were ready. There is actually another version with Rich The Kid on it. I’m still determining if we are going to release the remix or not.
CJ: Ahhh, come on! You gotta put out the remix!
[laughs]
CJ: Tell me about the music video?
K: Everybody pulled up! My homie Damien Sandoval directed it. It’s like some bad boy, Oakland, Black Panther, going up type shit.
CJ: I’m from Dallas and we fuck with you like before I moved to LA I would hear you all the time at different functions in the city.
K: That’s dope. Yeah, Dallas was actually one of the first ones to fuck with “How Do You Feel” on me!
CJ: Do you have any influences by Missy Elliot? I feel like you probably get this question a lot.
K: No, you know what I do get this a lot but I feel like it’s because I’m so different but I don’t intentionally ever try to get compared to her. I just think it’s just the way I dress and because you can’t compare me to nothing else. And, I feel like that’s a great conversation to be in. I would rather be in that lane than anywhere else.
CJ: For sure. I saw Cardi B shouted you out after Jermaine Dupri made those comments about women rappers. What were your feelings on her shouting you out?
K: That is the homie! I felt good about that. And, it was funny to me because I was just fucking with her at the BET Awards so I was like “awwww, you really love me.”
[laughs]
CJ: That’s what’s up! So your album. When is it dropping?
K: Next month.
CJ: Alright so August. Do we have a date?
K: Next month.
[laughs]
CJ: I’m really excited! What can we expect on the album?
K: I got YG on a record with me and Snoop [Dogg]. It’s a lot of people just be in for a surprise it’s like a big ass gangsta party.
CJ: Ain’t nothing like a gangsta party! I’m sure every song on the album is your favorite but what is one song that you feel like is going to go crazy?
K: “1-800-I’m-Horny”. That’s going to be the one I got Too Short on there. We’re sitting right by his trailer that’s funny.
CJ: Is there anyone else on this line up that we can maybe see on your album?
K: Too Short, YG, who else is on this lineup? I can’t call it but just wait on it.
[laughs]
Great Interview Catrise