She Will
KenTheMan pursued her imaginative and prescient and achieved success. After a significant tour and the discharge of her debut album in 2025, she continues to construct on her achievements.
Interview: Georgette Cline
Editor’s Notice: This story seems within the Fall 2025 problem of XXL Journal, on newsstands now and accessible on the market on the XXL web site.

Neglect about Las Vegas—the actual high-stakes recreation is betting on your self, and KenTheMan simply hit the jackpot. The Houston native accomplished a summer season tour with practically all sold-out dates. After navigating the challenges of the massive label trade over time, her option to pursue a solo profession as an impartial artist has clearly paid off, as evidenced by the sturdy demand mirrored in profitable ticket gross sales.

The loyal supporters at these reveals—stylishly dressed followers of all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations—eagerly recite KenTheMan’s songs phrase for phrase, together with her latest anthem, “First.” Watching the 31-year-old rapper carry out her empowering, reality-based lyrics appears like having a web page ripped from their very own diaries, as if she wrote the tracks only for them.

The Texas spitter, born Kentavia Miller, has been writing rhymes that resonate for over a decade. Initiatives like Kenny’s Again (2015), 4 da 304’s (2020), What’s My Title (2021) and Again to 304’n (2023) spotlight her energy with the pen—in all its sexually charged vitality. Whereas her journey hasn’t adopted a standard blueprint, that’s precisely how she likes it. Ken has dipped out and in of label signings; nonetheless, she in the end determined that the offers weren’t the correct match for her. She insists that by independently selling her music and investing in herself, she has achieved higher success.

Her debut album, Kinda Well-known, which arrived final March, was born not from label deadlines or calculated rollouts, however from artistic momentum sparked by the viral success of singles like “Loopy Bout Me” and “First.” Ken is at present in a distribution take care of Imperial Music, and as of late, has been constructing on the affect of her debut LP and enjoying her hand with confidence. Her Kinda Well-known (Deluxe) dropped in November whereas March will discover her hitting the highway on the second leg of the Kinda Well-known 2our.

Chilling at house in her Texas abode, after getting her 12-year-old son prepared for his first day of seventh grade, KenTheMan has a candid dialog on Zoom about discovering gasoline in being discouraged, listening to Lil Wayne and Eminem to get in her lyrical bag, holding mates accountable, getting wealthy off rap and extra.

XXL: First off, how are you feeling at the moment?

KenThe Man: I really feel superb. I really feel so blissful. I’m feeling extra blessed than I ever have, so I’m in a extremely great spot.

That’s lovely to listen to. So, what’s been preserving you smiling currently?

Properly, I’m blissful that I’m again from tour, however I used to be blissful that I used to be on tour. I simply love the truth that I’m again to get my home so as and simply residing. I like the conventional life. I like my day-to-day, simply chilling, understanding. So, I’m blissful to get again to my roots—being a mother, all of that.

Has understanding all the time been a part of your life?

I began September 2024, and I caught with it for a very long time, however in fact, I used to be type of like bullshitting with the consuming and all of that. So sure, it was very, very heavy till tour. After which it was like, I couldn’t mess my hair up, so I didn’t work out all tour.

Now, I simply haven’t labored out in so lengthy. It is so arduous to get again within the area, and I gained a lot weight, and I’m identical to, Oh my God, I gotta begin over. As a result of originally of [2025], I misplaced 15 kilos on my own. I understand how to work out. I used to be an athlete. So, I’m simply attempting to get again within the groove. I simply put a guess in my group chat, ’trigger I stated it takes a village. I stated, “Everyone wants to assist me. I have to lose 15 kilos.” I stated, “Matter of reality, I’m gonna give $1,000 to the primary individual that lose 15 kilos.”

You talked about you had been an athlete. In what means?

I ran monitor in center and highschool. I jog rather a lot, so I do between two to a few miles, I might say, a day or each different day. I all the time should cease and stroll, so I didn’t assume that I had the most effective endurance. However once I went on tour, it did assist me. So, the miles are working.

And the tour, congratulations on that. Fourteen out of the 16 stops had been bought out, proper?

Sure.

Once you’re on the market performing, what sort of message would you like your followers to obtain?

I feel they’re receiving confidence and manifestation, and sturdiness and vanity, just a little bit. Typically we beat ourselves up, and it’s like, you possibly can go placed on a tragic track, or you possibly can placed on one thing that makes you’re feeling like a bada*s bi**h. That’s the vitality. It’s like, “You make me really feel like I’m that woman.”

Are you that very same kind of individual in your private circle?

I’m the pal that you simply in all probability inform final since you don’t actually wanna hear the reality proper now. I’m the final cease. If you happen to’re a part of your drawback, I’m not gonna be like, “No, everyone’s flawed.” You need to be accountable and like your piece in it, and how one can be higher. And typically it would come off just a little bit harsh, however you don’t want a bunch of yes-men. So, I’m the “Decide-your-f**king-self-up-bi**h” pal. Get the f**ok up.

You’ve actually change into a strong illustration of the impartial artist. Is that the way you see your self?

Yeah, completely. This was my final finish objective—to be impartial. So many individuals advised me it was inconceivable. I nearly believed it as a result of it was so difficult to be this individual. However I knew I had a calling to be this.

What do you discover is the advantage of your journey on the indie route?

I like having the smaller staff as a result of it’s much less noise and fewer opinions. It’s extra imaginative and prescient. These are individuals which might be doing it with you versus individuals who say, “That is the way it’s completed.” I prefer to have artistic freedom. Labels didn’t attempt to make me not be who I’m, however they only needed it a sure means. They needed who I used to be to roll out this manner, needed to be excellent. And I���m not excellent in any respect.

Typically I simply wanna drop a track once I wanna drop it. I didn’t need individuals telling me why I shouldn’t versus individuals to inform me why I ought to. Assist me work out the ought to, not the shouldn’t, ? So, that’s why it feels good to me. Having the ability to stand on a second once you’re prepared versus when everyone else assume you’re prepared.

Rewind a bit. In 2023, Again to 304’n was your final venture earlier than Kinda Well-known. Between 2023 and 2025, you had been nonetheless energetic and doing issues, however earlier than this album got here out, did you’ve a sure expertise in that point—optimistic or damaging, setbacks or in any other case—that motivated you to make Kinda Well-known?

I might say no. The motivation is as a result of I had no intent to make Kinda Well-known. I didn’t plan, like, I do know I’m working in the direction of this venture. I started engaged on a venture, however then it was a lot happening. I didn’t put it in my forefront. I used to be like, OK, I’m simply gonna drop singles. The singles grew to become huge as f**ok, like “Loopy Bout Me” and “First.” So, it was type of like, OK, these singles type of put me on a artistic path.

Then I simply began making good songs and I used to be like, I ought to in all probability make a venture ’trigger these songs are fireplace. And I all the time inform individuals, like, “I’ve songs on there that’s a yr outdated, I’ve songs on there that was per week outdated, I had songs on there that was a month outdated.” So, it was simply type of me doing it unintentionally.

Then I noticed, I received some bangers that may create a venture. I was so hesitant to name it an album as a result of I needed my first album to be particular. And it got here out, and it confirmed me why it was my first album, and the way particular it was, and the way good it made me really feel, and the way a lot I believed in it.

You talked about that there was rather a lot happening once you first began serious about the venture. What did you imply by that—like, life stuff, business-wise?

I’ll say it was rather a lot simply with my enterprise, type of attempting to department off. Simply reground and focus, and identical to, , get again in a optimistic house. ’Trigger in 2024, I had a really sluggish yr. A whole lot of stuff modified. It was only a huge ready recreation. And it was a tad bit discouraging. However I all the time say, once I’m discouraged, it offers me ammo. It offers me gasoline. It’s not like a, Oh my God, I’m so discouraged. I wanna cease. It’s like, I’m about to shit on everyone.

You’re a scholar of the sport in terms of lyricism. Do you do something to sharpen your pen?

I used to hearken to battle rap. They’re the wittiest of anyone as a result of their job is to interrupt their opponent down. I additionally hearken to lyrical individuals like Lil Wayne, Eminem. That kind of lyricism. Not like a straightforward peasy, , like enjoyable track. It’s like I’m going and I dig and I’m like, Lemme placed on some Meek Mill. He be spitting. Folks that really have that ache and that zeal in they voice, ?

You and Kaliii are proof that the rap girlies could be mates, be BFFs, and make dope music collectively like “I Acquired Questions.” What do you get pleasure from about your friendship together with her, particularly with each of you being rappers?

I feel it’s cool as a result of she’s truly very regular. She’s all the time actually candy. It’s such a breath of contemporary air as a result of she don’t should be candy, ? A whole lot of women aren’t candy. Like, they’re simply type of like no matter. However she’s truly considered one of my favourite rappers. She is hard—and I’m not saying it ’trigger we mates.

From the surface wanting in, 2025 looks like the yr the place the whole lot’s falling into place for you. Why do you assume you’ve been in a position to get to that place now?

I assume simply consistency. And doing what I like. And simply staying certain about myself and having an awesome staff. I’ve been rapping—it’s my eleventh yr. So, [2026] might be my twelfth yr of rapping. I’ve put in plenty of work. So, I’m so blissful that I’m nonetheless assured sufficient to do it. It’s been a really lengthy journey. It feels good to lastly be like, Wow, I’m actually chilling. Like, rapping is admittedly my profession. That’s so loopy.

That’s a significant milestone. Is there one thing you’re most pleased with or really feel actually completed about?

One huge one is that even my mates are like, “Wow, we by no means would’ve thought you’ll be a rapper. Like, you’re a rapper. We’re going to your live shows.” One other huge accomplishment for me is, I received out of Texas. Texas is admittedly huge, and plenty of artists are like, regionally widespread. I began off like that.

And now, I’m being booked in a number of states. That’s superb to me. It feels completely different than your hometown reserving you. Once I’m in random locations like Minnesota, Indianapolis, Kentucky, even L.A., New York, it’s like, individuals know me. And other people go to New York to alter their life. That’s loopy. Additionally, shopping for my first home with my profession, that’s tremendous lit. Simply getting wealthy off rap is loopy.

What’s your imaginative and prescient for the subsequent period of KenTheMan?

I feel it will be that visible side, and identical to extra of portray the image. I wanna inform the story just a little bit higher. I drop music, however I don’t prioritize promoting the story. So, I might simply say being extra visible as a result of lots of people know my title and never my face, ? So, that will be one thing.

And I don’t know. I might by no means predict. My life is simply so random. It’s like I might say I need this, I need that, nevertheless it’s all the time unimaginable. I’m simply wanting ahead to no matter is for me.

Hearken to KenTheMan’s Kinda Well-known (Deluxe)

The autumn 2025 problem of XXL journal that includes KenTheMan’s interview is accessible to buy right here. The problem additionally contains Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s cowl story interviews, conversations with Likelihood The Rapper, Rob49, Curren$y, Hit-Boy, Wallo267, Bay Swag, Hanumankind, Babyfxce E, Ghostface Killah, Hurricane Knowledge, Conway The Machine, Pluto, TiaCorine, Isaiah Falls, comic Josh Joshson, Vice President of Music at SiriusXM and Pandora Joshua “J1” Raiford, a have a look at the change in album rollouts over time highlighted by Clipse’s Let God Kind Em Out album and extra.

See Pictures From Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s XXL Journal Fall 2025 Cowl Shoot