Kami (rapper)

Kene Ekwunife^[3] (born January 5, 1993^[1][2]), better known by his stage names Kami (sometimes stylized as KAMI)^[4] and Kami de Chukwu,^[5] is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.^[6] He is one half of Leather Corduroys.^[7] He is one of the founding members of Savemoney.^[8] He was included on RedEye's "5 Chicago acts to watch in 2017" list,^[9] as well as Fact's "10 rappers to watch in 2018" list.^[10]

Kami
Birth name	Kene Ekwunife
Also known as	Kami de Chukwu
Born	(1993-01-05) January 5, 1993 (age 31)^[1]^[2]
Origin	Chicago, Illinois
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper
Years active	2012–present
Website	www.survivetheflood.us

Career

In 2012, Kami released his debut mixtape, Light.^[11] In 2017, he released Just Like the Movies, which featured guest appearances from Vic Mensa, Towkio, and Joey Purp.^[12] It was described by Noisey as "the fascinating extension of rap's current druggy, emotive melodicism into the more extreme sonic possibilities".^[13] In that year, he also released an EP, Superstar.^[14] In 2018, he released an EP, From Me to You,^[15] as well as a collaborative EP with Smoko Ono, titled Very Slight.^[16]

Leather Corduroys has released two projects together: Porno Music Vol. 2 (2014) and Season (2015). Season received a 6.8 rating from Pitchfork.^[17]

Discography

Albums

• Just Like the Movies (2017)

Mixtapes

• Light (2012) (as Kami de Chukwu)

EPs

• Superstar (2017)
• From Me to You (2018)
• Very Slight (2018) (with Smoko Ono)

Singles

• "Home Movies" (2016)
• "Foundation" (2016)
• "Right Now" (2016)
• "Scene Girl" (2017)
• "Reboot" (2018)
• "Go Gentle" (2023) (with femdot & Holly)

References

1. Kami (January 3, 2015). "Damn my bday on Monday". Twitter. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
2. Kami (June 28, 2012). "and I'm 19". Twitter. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
3. Wilkins, Ernest (January 22, 2015). "Leather Corduroys keep it tight and loose all at once". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
4. Starling, Lakin (November 7, 2016). "Listen To KAMI Snap On His Spirited New Song "Foundation"". The Fader. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
5. Kaye, Ben (December 14, 2016). "KAMI joined by fellow Savemoney member Vic Mensa on new track "Right Now" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
6. Witcoff, Daniel (October 29, 2014). "10 Chicago Rappers To Watch Out For In 2015". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
7. X, Dharmic (March 10, 2014). "Savemoney's Joey Purp & Kami De Chukwu Form Leather Corduroys and Release "Dat Strong"". Complex. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
8. Madden, Sidney (October 20, 2016). "Vic Mensa and Joey Purp Star in Kami's "Home Movies" Video". XXL. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
9. Terry, Josh (December 29, 2016). "5 Chicago acts to watch in 2017". RedEye. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
10. Twells, John; Pierre, Alphonse (January 18, 2018). "10 rappers to watch in 2018". Fact. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
11. Galil, Leor (May 4, 2017). "Kami and Kweku Collins join a young hip-hop revolution with their new releases". Chicago Reader. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
12. Berry, Peter A. (May 2, 2017). "Stream Kami's 'Just Like the Movies' Album". XXL. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
13. Kramer, Kyle (December 16, 2016). "KAMI's New Wave Rap Is Rap's New Wave". Noisey. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
14. C.M., Emmanual (June 16, 2017). "The Break Presents: KAMI". XXL. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
15. Berry, Peter A. (February 28, 2018). "Stream Kami's 'From Me to You' EP". XXL. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
16. DeStefano, Mike (September 14, 2018). "Kami and Smoko Ono Drop 'Very Slight' EP f/ Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp, and Valee". Complex. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
17. "Leather Corduroys: Season". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-11-22.

External links

• Kami on SoundCloud