The Break Presents

KayCyy’s name, spiced up with two y’s for artistic flair, stands for King Confidence. Given the wins he’s achieved lately, between the rave reviews of his new EP, TW20 50, cosigns from artists like Drake and Kanye West, plus Grammy nominations for his work on last year’s Donda album, it appears that having an impenetrable mindset is really starting to pay off for the 24-year-old artist.

Growing up, KayCyy split most of his life between the areas of Kenya and Minnesota. His earliest memory of falling in love with music stems back to the church services that he would attend with his mother. The gifted singers who bodied the praise and worship section of the sermon are what stood out to a young KayCyy, and ultimately inspired him at the age of 13 to pen a gospel hook titled “Why Should I Fear Tomorrow When The Lord Is Already There?.” He would perform the chorus for his mother but never laid down an official track until years later with his homies. They would use the microphones from games like Guitar Hero and Band Hero to put their vocals on Mixcraft and eventually upload them on SoundCloud and YouTube until they got access to better equipment.

His 2020 project, Patient Enough, was an attempt to kick down the door of the music industry. Wavy slaps like “Flew By You” brought his sound to life the following year. As did “No Luck,” a song that also showcased his keen ear for sonics and captured the attention of Ye. That record led to KayCyy working extensively on Yeezy’s chart-topping Donda project in Wyoming last year. He has credits on hip-hop hymns like “Keep My Spirit Alive Pt2” and “24.” In addition to writing—a skill that also landed him credits on Lil Wayne’s Funeral cut “Big Worm”—and providing his spellbinding vocals, KayCyy assumed the position of an A&R as well, convincing Lil Baby to hop on the multiplatinum-selling track “Hurricane,” a record KayCyy originally laid down vocals for before The Weeknd. After obtaining millions of Spotify streams from those few tracks mentioned, Grammy nominations followed. This all wrapped up a productive year in 2021 that also saw the release of his Ups & Downs project.

This year, he's poised to take his career to even higher heights. KayCyy is still feeling the love from his latest EP, TW20 50, released in March. The effort is produced entirely by French producer Gesaffelstein. The project houses well-burning tracks like “The Sun” and “Okay!." The songs give a glimpse of what fans can expect on his upcoming debut album, Who Is KayCyy?, set to arrive later this year. Here, KayCyy speaks with XXL about finding his sound, being a student in the Yeezy School of Music, working with artists like Travis Scott and much more.

Watch KayCyy's episode of The Break Live below.

Follow KayCyy on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"The Sun"

"No Luck"

"Stay High" featuring Lancey Foux

Kanye West's "Keep My Spirit Alive Pt2" featuring KayCyy, Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn

TW20 50