Kfromkway is a 22-year-old multi-genre artist from Oxford now London based, ASBO asked Kfromkway 15 questions to find out more about who he is, his debut mixtape and everything else;

Who are you?

 I’m kfromwkay, a music artist and all around creative.

Why the name ‘Kfomkway’?

K is for Kasim and the from kway represents where I’m from Oxford, as it’s kway out in the sticks.

When did you decide you wanted to make music?

I decided I wanted to make music when I was about 8, I grew up in a musical family. My dad is a guitarist, my mum would sing in cover bands and write poetry, my uncle on my dads side is a jazz pianist and all my family as long as I can remember have immersed me and my sister in music since we were babies. But I know at 8 I really thought to myself this is what I wanna do forever.

What do  you think you bring to the fairly saturated uk hip hop scene?

Versatility, I can go from 140 bpm to writing an indie pop song on guitar to a jazzy ballad on piano pretty easily. 

How would you describe Kfromkway to an Alien?

The future of Black British music. 

Oxford or London?

I have to say Oxford, as Oxford is home but London is like my second home and I love the city. There’s way more opportunity for me here being an upcoming artist as this is the heart of music in Europe.

How long have you been working on your debut mixtape ‘The scars you cant see’? 

Around 8 to 10 months. It’s gone through a few name changes and taking away/adding tracks. I was working on 2 different projects simultaneously as this one which you’ll hear in 2024.

Favourite live performance you’ve ever done?

Would probably be Cargo in Shoreditch 2021, it’s a shame that venue is shut down now though.

Favourite song on your new project ?

Right now it’s definitely ‘Release’. We’re about to shoot the visuals for that one but I love them all, they’re all like my kids, you don’t wanna say you have a favourite kid you know.

Which current artist are you most influenced by?

Kanye West, I feel like throughout his career he has experimented and been able to constantly reinvent himself, ‘Graduation’ Kanye doesn’t sound like ‘Yeezus’ Kanye and ‘Yeezus’ Kanye doesn’t sound like ‘MBDTF’ etc. That’s something I admire and aspire towards in my music for sure, I like keeping people on their toes, not knowing what to expect from me.

What artists are you influenced by that no one would expect?

Prince, a multi instrumentalist and a true musical genius in every sense of the word. Wrote, produced, sang, played and was a great performer. Again, he’s one of those guys who could seamlessly transition from rock to pop to funk, to even some hip hop beats in his later career, songs like ‘Black Sweat’. He definitely inspired me to know that you don’t have to box yourself into doing one thing, he let me know you can be eclectic and be great at many things.

What artist dead or alive would be your dream collaboration?

Phyllis Hyman, my mum loves her and that’s how I heard her music very young. But she just had an incredible voice and tone, her on a hook would be just crazy, i defo want to sample some of her records in the future.

What moment in your career has been your favourite so far?

Definitely releasing my debut tape. Giving people a small taste of what I can do artistically and in the space of rap music, finally being able to put something full length into the world is a dream come true.

What can people expect from Kfromkway in 2024?

Consistency, innovation and elevation. I’m looking to really push the boundaries of what a rapper is in the 21st century. After I break the mainstream audience I know the game is going to be very different, now it’s still not the norm to rap, play guitar, sing, play piano, produce, songwriter etc. I’m gonna inspire the next gen to realise you don’t have to pick a ‘sound’ and only do that, if you want to be great! But you can be genre blurring and push boundaries. There’s no rules to this. I’m gen Z, we grew up with Spotify where you can go from drill to Tame Impala in a click. We’re the most eclectic generation taste wise, we should reflect that in our art.

In 5 years time, where would you like to see Kfromkway?

Everywhere. I’m going to be everywhere. Writing songs for other people, creating classic projects, collaborating with brands in fashion. There’s so much creatively to do in these next 5 years for me and I can’t wait to do it.

Kfromkway’s debut mixtape ‘The Scars You Can’t See‘ is available to listen to now.