Kansas City’s Hip Hop Infrastructure is Taking Shape, Thanks to a New Generation of Artists

Phantom Pesos, May 1st, 2024 Kansas City, the birthplace of Tech N9Ne and, more recently, the SleazyWorldGo entourage, still flies under the radar compared to hip hop giants like Atlanta, Chicago, and New York. However, the city boasts its own powerhouse talents, including Cinco, the official DJ for Funny Marco, who recently sold six records to rap superstar NBA YoungBoy. Despite this, Kansas City’s contributions remain largely overlooked on the national stage. Poster of Conductor Williams via Pinterest Another KC-based producer, Grammy Award-Winning Conductor Williams, has singlehandedly carried the sound of pure-hip hop production for the past decade, including producing the lead single on Drake’s most recent album, productions for J Cole, Tyler the Creator, and producing entire projects for underground legends Mach-Hommy, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and more. Much of KC’s lack of spotlight can be attributed to the fact it’s often not viewed as a destination for artists. Many aim to come up in the city, but view “making it” as moving to a larger entertainment market like LA, Atlanta or others. This exodus has contributed to a lack of Hip Hop infrastructure that can be found in many other flourishing hip hop markets.& This migration drains the...