“It’s More Reassurance That I Have A Very Unique And Needed Perspective”- An Interview With Kadiata

Kadiata makes music for every season. Whether you’re trying to live your best life, settling into downtime through drawn-out summer nights or going back and forth with a flirtatious fling, the Pimlico resident is best known for his potent mixture of tropical melodies and braggadocious rap bangers. Take the intoxicating 2018 cut ‘When The Sun Comes Out’ where he paints a beautiful portrait of South London living, to the mellow, seductive joint ‘Onda’ which sees him dip in and out of Portuguese, spilling well-crafted metaphors and double entendres. Through his songwriting, production and rapping, the triple threat creative continues to form new territories for underground rap and has quickly risen to be one of London’s most dynamic storytellers.

Since his arrival from Angola at age four, Kadiata has ingested various, popular musical tropes which have allowed him to tailor specific aspects of his sound. Whether he’s fusing trap and experimental hip hop with ambient electronics or pairing alt-R&B melodies with flamenco-style rhythms - everything he does is to situate listeners in a dimension that is uncompromisingly his own. Lending his production skills to artists like Che Lingo, Sam Wise, Miraa May, JGrrey and many others, his identity as an artist continues to shine through, sharing his well-informed perspectives on relationships and observations of life.

With a strong collection of projects and singles to his name, Kadiata has kept listeners on their toes this year with a string of releases including the funky house-inspired ‘Enemies’ featuring London rapper Jords and Masego and the solo cut ‘Toxic Toxic’. The contrast of both offerings only proves his dexterous songwriting abilities and that there are no limits to the sonic soundscapes he chooses to create.

In the early hours of the day, Kadiata radiates a strong sense of bliss through our conversation as we discuss his upcoming album, collaborating with Masego, his approach to songwriting and more. Tune in below.

"As a producer, because I listen to so many different types of music, it’s always going to sound very different to what’s out there anyway."

NW: How’ve you been enjoying post-lockdown London now that everything’s open?

Kadiata: It feels weird but at the same time I’m just embracing it because we keep getting let out and then we’re locked up again, so I’m just embracing it while we’re still here. But fucking hell it’s expensive!

NW: What found you first, was it rapping or producing?

Kadiata: I think it was rapping but as I started rapping I didn’t feel like I was close enough to the music. I really wanted to have my stamp melodically and rhythmically so I just took up producing since I was 13.

NW: At the start of your journey, what were some things that helped you hone your identity as, not only a rapper but as a producer?

Kadiata: For the longest I was just experimenting because I loved different styles of music, I was seeing where it could take me and getting comfortable with different pockets and different genres. How I found my identity was a case of letting go of trying to fit in because I feel like in the UK especially, there’s always a few genres that pop and then the next one pops - that was going to be the way for me to blow by doing what people are listening to right now etcetera. But I feel like as soon as I stopped doing that - as soon as I just started talking how I talk and being myself, people started to take to it and that’s how I found my identity.

NW: What sort of music were you listening to that helped you grow into your sound?

Kadiata: I was listening to a lot of Kanye, a lot of early Afrobeats like PSquare and them man. I was listening to a blend of things but I feel like I get different things from different people so I really like the messages in Nipsey Hustle’s music, I really like the bounce in a lot of Afrobeats or the way Kanye comes across as very light hearted.

NW: You grew up in Angola for some time before moving here. How did that influence your musical palette?

Kadiata: I guess it was more the bravado behind my music because Angolans are very loud and in your face and I feel like they’re very vulgar as well and that shines through in a lot of my music.

NW: You also grew up in Pimlico and it’s one of the many areas around London that’s been affected by gentrification. Do you find that this observation trickles into your music in any way?

Kadiata: I don’t think so because I feel like Pimlico was always a very affluent area, I just happened to live in the council estates. Growing up, a lot of my friends used to live in other areas that are also like my estate, so Kennington, Stockwell and stuff like that so I always just used to be around those parts in South London. A lot of the time I draw back to that time rather than this gentrification because there’s always two sides to the story.

NW: You’ve got a lot on your production discography, so what is your headspace when producing for other people? Do you find that you have to separate your artist side from your producer side?

Kadiata: I feel like I do. As a producer, as much as you're working with someone you have to acknowledge that you’re not the face of the product, the artist is. So therefore you can’t necessarily call the shots - you can to an extent because obviously your style is going to come through but ultimately I feel like the artist is the one that has to feel comfortable with everything. So ask them for direction and take them there and get them involved in the production process as well.

NW: What are some things you’ve learned from the artists you’ve worked with that you apply to your own creativity?

Kadiata: I think literally everything. Being a producer has been such a blessing as an artist because you work with all of these talented artists and each and everyone one of them has their different approaches and different techniques to how they do things and I feel like, unless you’re an artist that collaborates all the time with everyone, you don’t get that just being in a room with different artists and seeing how they work. So I’ve grabbed quite a lot from a lot of the artists that I’ve worked with so yeah it’s a blessing.

NW: How much do you think that’s played a part in you navigating the UK music scene?

Kadiata: I think quite a lot. I always make an effort to make sure that I’m still thinking for myself and having my own identity as you’ve said earlier. It’s definitely played a big part just because you kind of see what other people are doing - you know like if you want to start a brand, you would look at other brands and see how they’re doing it.

NW: Your recent single ‘Toxic Toxic’ is one of your more laid back tracks. Production-wise it’s similar to the track Onda in the sense that it’s very minimal and makes you pay more attention to the lyrics. Do you usually shape your songwriting to fit the production?

Kadiata: So previously when I used to write music and produce I would always produce first and then do the songwriting later. For most songs if you have a good beat, the lyrics can just be whatever, as long as the melodies are a vibe you don’t really care about what’s being said. I used to think like that but as time has passed I started realising ‘what am I actually saying in my music?’. So I guess my approach now is to half make a beat and then think about the stuff I’m trying to say and the melodies from really early on before the beat is even finished just so I’m not completely relying on the production. Even when I work with other producers such as Sokari for ‘Toxic Toxic’ I would start writing immediately as they’re creating just so we’re both bringing our best foot forward to the product.

NW: What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work?

Kadiata: Literally everything. I feel like I lean more towards speaking about stuff that’s deep within our minds. Sometimes I make party music, of course - everybody does, but a lot of the time I lean towards stuff that’s been happening in my mind. So a difficult situation or an interpretation of a situation or just a general view on life which you guys will hear when the project drops.

NW: What else can we expect to hear in the album?

Kadiata: I lived by myself throughout the majority of lockdown and it put me in a different space mentally and it made me get in a different kind of bag. This project is a lot more introspective, there’s a lot more themes and different perspectives that I’m drawing out that’re going to be in the project that’s coming out in July. There’s going to be freestyles as well - just general content because I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer as being a producer, an artist and an all round creative as well. Even the ‘Toxic Toxic’ video I co-directed with Fin Frew and I’m also co-directing a few of the next videos so just as a creative I’ve got a lot happening.

"I was thinking if I don’t fucking go hard on this song there’s no reason for me to be on it."

NW: ‘Enemies’ with Jords and Masego is another one of your recent tracks. One of the themes is celebration so what does this track mean to you and what does it reflect about where you are in your journey today?

Kadiata: That was such an interesting song to work on so Jords literally said ‘yo I’m working on a song that I want you on’ and then he sent his verse and the empty beat and I was like ‘yeah this is sick, I’m gonna work on it but I think we should link up so I can write to it so I know exactly what angle to approach it from’ and then when I got there he was like ‘oh yeah I’ve got Masego on it by the way’ and I was like oh okay and then it dawned on me. I was thinking if I don’t fucking go hard on this song there’s no reason for me to be on it. I don’t even think my verse is about celebration, I guess it’s just fun you know, there’s a lot of wit in there and general bants and vibes.

NW: Masego is probably one of the biggest collabs you’ve had so far. How did you guys connect and what was it like bringing this track to life?

Kadiata: It was sick, funnily enough I met Masego 2019. I had this birthday party and I invited loads of people down and one of my good friends Neela was like ‘oh yeah by the way a friend of mine came down from the US, is it alright if I invite him’. I was like yeah go ahead and then I got so waved that day when he actually came down I didn’t even know it was him, I didn’t even deep it until my bredrin told me and I was like what? That was an interesting full circle moment.

NW: Who else would you like to collaborate with?

Kadiata: That’s an interesting question because everybody always asks me this and I never know what to say. You know what it is, I’ve collabed with a lot of people in this country that I rate already such as Knucks, Sam Wise, Jesse James Solomon - a lot of the people that I actually rate whether I know you or not I’ve already done some work with them so it’s a blessing. I think who I want to collab with is a lot of the new Afrobeats and Afro fusion artists that are coming up. I feel like the sound that they;ve created over there is just so sick and I feel like it’s starting to take over. That’s some of the best music coming out right now.

NW: You can hear a lot of that in some of your music too. You briefly touched on this earlier, but what does your creative process look like when working on a song? And does it change when working on longer projects or when collaborating?

Kadiata: I feel like it’s changed a lot from back in the day, now my creative process is very - stop trying to make music and just live and then the music will come to you. A lot of my music are reflections of what I’ve lived so if I don’t really live and I’m just always trying to make music, I can’t think of anything to say. These days it’s literally just live your life and as you’re living life, write stuff down like ‘ah this girl said this thing to me, that was interesting’, ‘my man tried it that was interesting’. Just different things that you write throughout life but I feel like that’s the price you pay as an artist, you have to always be working. Even though I’m living life I’m always working, even when I’m just having a conversation or doing common things I’ve got to stay conscious of what’s going on so I can write it down and later look at all of the notes when I’m in the studio. In terms of projects I think these days I just keep creating and then usually what would happen is there would be one song that is like oh yeah this is very interesting and fresh and I’m going to base the rest of this project off of this sound - obviously still taking into account the different themes but I’m going to base it off of this song with this interesting sound.

NW: Your single ‘Art Hoe’ was featured on the HBO series ‘Insecure’. That track was also one of your early releases. How did it feel to not only see that your music was being heard beyond the UK but to have it featured in a series like this?

Kadiata: You know what it was, it was so interesting - I feel like ‘Art Hoes’ created so many moments for me just as an artist that I could never have planned. You know like when you just let things happen, even just shooting the music video at the Tate it was literally just off the back of the name ‘Art Hoes’ I was like what about if I get someone twerking in the Tate. I feel like people just connected with that song spiritually, the way people would come up to me and be like ‘bro that song…’ and it’s like oh rah I didn’t even think of it that deeply until they say it to me that way. The fact that it’s travelling overseas and people on a big calibre are like you done your thing with this one, I guess it’s more reassurance that I do have a very unique and needed perspective and yeah man it’s always just good to progress and let things happen organically. That only got on ‘Insecure’ in 2020 and I released it in 2017 so the best thing is to not even worry about the outcomes and just let whatever happens happen. Just do your best and let whatever comes, come.

NW: It’s beautiful to see because when you’re creating you don’t always have the intention for it to be as big as it is or to reach as many places - as much as you hope it would, you just have to release it and trust.

Kadiata: When you have a goal in mind too much, that’s when you stop being authentic. Just create what you want to create because you have something to say or you have something that you specifically want to create and not necessarily for the achievements.

NW: The UK music scene is overflowing with so many artists and producers who all add something unique to it’s evolving landscape. What sets your sound apart from everyone else?

Kadiata: As an artist I think it’s my approach to writing, certain people would take different things from it but I try to take a really deep thing and say it in a very lighthearted way so it’s like putting candy in the medicine.

NW: I hear that in a line from ‘Toxic Toxic’ where you say: ‘I ain’t a stranger to pain but I burnt plantain last night’

Kadiata: For the average person that doesn’t want to get deep, it’s fine like haha that was funny etc but then someone that does want to get deep, there’s an opportunity for them to do that too. I’ve realised that’s how I’ve subconsciously been writing anyway and for this project I’ve tried to take that style to the next level. Even stuff like ‘Art Hoes’ or stuff like ‘On Tap’ where I’m like: Fuck a white ting for my ancestor - it’s funny but there’s something being said inside of there so as an artist that’s what sets me aparat. As a producer, because I listen to so many different types of music, it’s always going to sound very different to what’s out there anyway. It’s mainly the fusion that I bring so ‘On Tap’ was like house fused with Afrobeats and trap, ‘Art Hoes’ was synth pop - you know like them mad keyboards mixed with trap. So bare things that I make are just fusions so that’s what sets me apart.

NW: So you’ve got the album coming in July, what else can we expect from you? Are you playing any shows this summer?

Kadiata: I need to double check with my agent because we were meant to have the two headline shows which both got sold out but they’ve kept getting pushed back because of Covid so that’s going to be October 12th and 13th. I guess now that they’re sold out and we don’t necessarily need to focus on them, I’m just gonna ask my agent if we could do festivals but who knows.