Being gay and fem in London’s Grime scene was never going to be easy but over the last seven years Karnage Kills has continued to break down boundaries and fill up the dancefloor with his music.

The London-based MC has just dropped some casual observations on his new collaboration with KDA, entitled, ‘Darkskin Queen.’ The track sees Karnage Kills speak some truths about the music industry (‘Where’s the money for the darkskin queens?!’) over a banger of a beat from KDA.

Loverboy talks with the Londoner to find out more about his experience in the business, why the time is right for ‘Darkskin Queen’ and the support his community have always given him.

So, Karnage Kills, how did you and KDA first meet?
Okay. So I suffer from Covid brain, but I believe we met through a mutual friend for dinner one night at his apartment. It was very early in my career, like a year in or so. I was about twenty years old at the time. I’m twenty-six now. We quickly started hanging out on our own and built a bond. Smoking, drinking, gossiping about gay culture and always making plans for the future. It’s funny because for the longest time, we never even made any music together, at the time I couldn’t rap over dance music, I was still a beginner. Kris very quickly became that older brother figure and never rushed me to get anything done. He would always tell me that he would have a label one day, and that he would sign me.
Once I found my feet with dance music, things really started moving. We have a song called ‘Run me my money’ it’s the first song created all them years ago, and it still feels like we could drop it tomorrow. The music we’ve created together is timeless, and I think it’s because of our relationship at its foundation. As well as both of us being very skilled at what we do, he really gives me the platform to say whatever I want to say.

You come with a strong message on ‘Darkskin Queen.’ Did you have the idea before you both decided to work together or was there something in the beat/the moment that brought the lyrics out?
Kris had always told me that he wanted to make THAT track. You know the type that people would hear and there would be no question that it was a hit. That’s the type of song we always spoke about making. Funny story, ‘Darkskin Queen’ didn’t become that track until the last minute. For the longest time there was another song we spoke about releasing as the first single. Then Kris sent me a song I had previously written (‘Darkskin Queen’) with an entirely new beat over it. It was undeniable after that, this was the song we were looking for.
I think a song like ‘Darkskin Queen’ is so necessary, especially now. There’s this taboo, this unspoken rule that we all know of but never want to talk about, and that’s the fact that having lighter skin makes you more visible.
I think the beauty about getting older, is that the truth becomes more and more clear as you go through life. So having the platform that I have to speak, I only want to speak the truth and about things that are important to me. More black, darkskin visibility is definitely top of the list.

Can you tell us more about situations where you’ve not been treated equally? Do you see things changing? I feel like people ask you this but the reality is that maybe they are not.
Here’s what I’ll say about change. Change only happens when you commit to it. “I wanna change my eating habits”, “I wanna wake up early in the morning”, “I’m not gonna mess around with toxic men”. Unless you’re actively staying on top of the changes you’re trying to make, there’s a very big risk of falling back into familiar habits.
The same applies to changes in the community, and society as a whole. If we want something to change then we have to be the change we want to see, and actively stay on top of it until it becomes second nature regardless of what others are doing. I think ‘cancel culture’ really proves how oblivious we can become as people.  A lot of the time it’s done with very limited information, and it quickly turns into bullying wrapped in ignorance and no one can actually tell you the full story of what’s happening. I call it herd mentality, it is a sickness and needs to be eradicated immediately.
Don’t be ignorant. If you don’t know something, it doesn’t mean you can’t do the research and find out…THAT GOES FOR EVERYTHING IN LIFE.
In terms of being treated equally, I will never be treated equally. The worst thing I could do for myself is spend time crying over that fact. I make my own opportunities to get me closer to my end goal, I learn and teach people lessons along the way. Healing ignorance is not a job for the weak!
}Life is not fair, and people a lot of the time have their own ulterior motives, it’s just about finding the right people and staying focused. 

LGBT audiences often have a hard time supporting LGBT acts. Part of the fault here lies with the media. But do you feel the community is more supportive than it used to be?
I think the gays sometimes forget that we are often the only ones rooting for us to win. People love gays, we’re the best type of entertainment. I just sometimes wonder if people actually take us seriously as contenders. My community has always supported me. One crazy thing throughout my time as Karnage Kills is that people have always mentioned me in conversation around Queer Rap in the UK. Someone new coming up or any interviews going on, people have always brought my name up and given me my flowers. So, managing to engrain a little name for myself wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my community.
I remember when I first started, the buzz around this new grime rapper who was gay and fem. Lol. It showed me that people really need this. This type of representation is really important to people and to me.

What’s this we hear about you being a tailor too?
Yes, HA! I have been sewing since I was 15 and went to college for it, as well as having multiple alteration jobs of which I was either fired or left during my break. It’s definitely a hobby but something that is also a long-term aspiration of mine. I would love to be able to just sew full-time and focus on making some really sick pieces. I made a lot of my own outfits at the start of my career and will be doing that now in the form of Karnage Kills Clothing, so I am excited about that! I just need the space and time to be able to let the creativity fully manifest which isn’t right now as my schedule is too hectic, but I’m working through things and it’s coming soon.
I think because of fast fashion, the format in the way I drop KK clothing is really important to me, so I’m taking my time with it and enjoying every moment.
I used to like making anything that showed off as much skin as possible. Haha…now I’m the opposite and often find myself thinking ‘How can I still look sexy by showing as little skin as possible?’ Notice that my Mighty Hoopla outfit was near enough covered, but the fabric brought the sexy.

You were saying on Insta that you were coming out of hiding. Have you been keeping things quiet recently? What do you have planned?
For a long time I was tired of doing music. I had been waiting on the label release for minimum a few years. Plus I had encountered a lot of off-putting things along the way from the industry in general. I started exploring other career options but had left my music at a place where I knew things were bubbling. I moved out of London a year ago so had also been out of the mix, just remembering what life was all about again. Spending less time on my phone, organising my wants, goals, finances, getting into a routine.
On my birthday this year I looked at my life and for the first time I was really grateful, because I had achieved things that I had always wanted and had got it without realising.
Now for me life is all about juggling my music, with my other career goals. Continuing to build on the foundation I have laid down for myself and make smart choices.

Lastly we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001 and always ask what is your favourite Mariah track and why?
‘My All.’ I love this track because it speaks to my deep longing for love and commitment.

KDA Presents Karnage Kills – ‘Darkskin Queen‘ is out now.
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