Q. Good day, Kemo! We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. The first thing we want to know is, how did you come up with your artist name, and what does it represent to you?
A. In grade school (middle school), I used to have a high top fade, and it was this guy on YouTube that used to dance, named Lil Kemo. People said my looks resembled him a bit, so they started calling me Kemo.
Q. What has your journey as an artist been like up to this point?
A. Throughout my music journey. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs somewhere along the line of music and creativity, I felt like I had lost my way because I had no inspiration. The music we listen to today doesn’t carry a lot of substance, so instead I felt like I had to restart from scratch, creating an entirely new sound and wave that I could gravitate towards. In doing that, it was a lot of hard work, late nights, and dedication.
Q. What makes your music different from what listeners might hear from other artists in your genre?
A. Since my music appeals to the underground more, I’ve blended styles such as rage and trap to its peak but not dissociating from the technical aspects that make music what it is. I can also gravitate towards punk/rock music, also adding a flare of rap to it to create something new. My music nor my voice sounds like anything you’d hear in the underground right now. It’s a breath of everywhere, and I think no one can “clone” me, so to say, because my artist view is infinite. I can really do any type of style.
Q. What was the moment that made you realize you wanted to pursue music seriously?
A. For the longest time, my family has always been musically inclined. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. For the most part, it was just an outlet for when I was going through things. It came easy, and I had the ears to know what was good music and what wasn’t. In all honesty, I never really wanted music/rapper to be my career; it was too saturated. Everyone was doing it. I wanted to be a doctor, something I could do to help people, just do my part in society, make the world a better place. But I got to college and freestyle, and they kept pressing me to do it, so I did, and the rest is history.
Q. What message or energy are you trying to bring to listeners through your music?
A. At this point, I’m trying to find my people who understand me and my image, trying to change the world. That sounds naive to say, but at a time like this, I feel like my music is something that could alter or change people’s minds to get us to be together and not individuals.
── Kemo is that of an artist who has grown through exploration, doubt, and reinvention. His story isn’t one of a straightforward rise, but rather a process of rediscovering direction after moments of creative uncertainty. What stands out most is how naturally music became part of his life, even when he didn’t initially see it as a career path. Despite early intentions to pursue a more traditional profession, his environment, experiences, and personal expression gradually pulled him deeper into music until it became something he could no longer treat casually. Artistically, Kemo presents himself as someone focused on individuality and experimentation.
