I: SARA BARROW W: JOAO VASCONCELO

Cakes Da Killa isn't asking for permission so much as stating a fact. We’re sitting down for our interview following a marathon four-hour fashion shoot and a mandatory haircut. Between the demands of a packed European tour and a looming performance at Camden’s Jazz Café, coming between a man and his meal feels like a risky move.

Cakes is currently in the "purge" phase. Having just released the visual for "Gon Blow," he confirms what the fans have suspected: the Hedonism era is officially over. "You’re a smart cookie," he laughs. "It’s definitely the close of a lot of things. I’m rebranding. I’m even changing my name."

The transition is marked by the double single Shots Fired x Thirst Trap. The cover art—a cinematic nod to Quentin Tarantino—had fans wondering if he’d pivoted to filmmaking overnight. "I wanted it to look like a movie," he explains. "People were hitting me up like, ‘Yo, you really made a movie?’ Bitch, when did I have the time? But I have to do it now. Something very RuPaul, Star Booty."

While the new singles carry the sonic DNA of Hedonism, they serve as a bridge to a "malicious" new chapter. At 27, the artist formerly known as the 21-year-old rapping in a dorm room is evolving. "I don’t want to talk about giving blowjobs for an entire project anymore," he says candidly. "I’m older now. Fuck boys—I want real estate. I want money. The fun is coming to an end; you’ve got to get your shit together."

This newfound edge is fueled by an eclectic mood board of 90s angst: Hole, No Doubt, and Alanis Morissette. While he’s a "rapper that raps," his sound refuses to stay in one lane, drawing heavily from the club and dance cultures that many modern rappers have abandoned. It’s this genre-blurring energy that led to his collaboration with Peaches on the pulsating "Up Out Of My Face."

Despite the acclaim, Cakes remains vocal about the "double-edged sword" of being an openly gay Black artist in a fractured media landscape. He notes the lack of a level playing field, particularly in how gay media often flattens diverse experiences into a single note. "I just wish it were handled more delicately," he says. "Our experiences are way more diverse than that."

As he prepares to leap into his next iteration—joking that "Kelly Priceless" might be the new moniker—he leaves behind a legacy of unapologetic visibility. "When I was growing up, there was no Cakes, no Mykki Blanco, no Le1f," he reflects. "To be someone who just didn’t give a fuck, who just leapt and flew... if anyone takes anything from this era, it’s: Bitch, just jump."