Kidd Upstairs
| Kidd Upstairs | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Kidd, Derek Pope |
| Origin | Oakland, California |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap, Dip Hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, hip hop producer |
| Instruments | D.A.W., vocals, synthesizer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Empire Distribution, Top Floor Music Group |
| Associated acts | Hippie Sabotage, Demrick, Sir Michael Rocks |
| Website | KiddUpstairs.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| D.A.W. | |
Kidd Upstairs is an American rapper and hip hop producer from Oakland, California. Based in Los Angeles,[1] his music incorporates genres such as trap and indie. Since 2011 he has released a number of singles and albums, including the LPs Window Seat (2011) and DMNDS (2012), which was released in 2014 as DMNDS Deluxe. His 2013 mixtape KVSHMIR is set to be followed by KVSHMIR II, with a due date announced for late 2015. Currently signed to Empire Distribution, Kidd Upstairs has had two music videos released on VEVO. He tours periodically on the West Coast.
Early life
Kidd Upstairs[2] was born and raised in Oakland, California. While still young he started learning to rap,[3] and later began learning how to produce his music as well. Using the alias Kidd Upstairs, Derek Hurd began rapping over his own instrumental tracks, incorporating diverse genres centered around hip hop.[3]
Music career
2010-13: First releases
Kidd Upstairs released several singles in 2011, as well as a music video for his track "Bleed My Soul," uploaded online in July 2011. On November 25, 2011, Red Nine Music released Kidd Upstairs' debut album Window Seat. His sophomore album, DMNDS, was released half a year later on July 1, 2012. About the latter's title, Kidd Upstairs has explained that "I coined the term DMND as an extension of the word dime. It’s the highest quality of woman that exists, beautiful in both appearance and psyche, independent and not easily accessible. Rarely flawless yet always unique, I wanted to chronicle this breed of women that deserve to be highlighted separate from the usual hoes and bitches rap references.”[4]
In 2013 he released several singles, producing and rapping on tracks such as "Amanda Bynes," which was released on Top Floor Music Group on May 9, 2013. A music video for the track, made in collaboration with XO, was released in May 2013. The video splices footage of Amanda Bynes with performance shots, and Complex called the video "fun."[5] Noisey wrote that the song was using Bynes as a metaphor for cocaine, "whose troubled present seems all the more grave given her past of giving us ridiculous amounts of joy as children."[6] About whether it was intended as a diss track, Kidd Upstairs explained that "I don't believe Amanda Bynes has done, or is doing, anything wrong. She is expressing her desire to change and grow...this video isn't here to judge."[5]
| "Backed by a trap-influenced backdrop produced by Matty G, which has hard hitting kicks and deep 808's beneath a piano line that almost borders on creepy sounding, [in 'Andrew Wiggins'] Kidd compares himself to Wiggins, as...they know that all the time and practice they put into perfecting their craft will pay off in the end." |
| — Earmilk[1] |
On August 27, 2013 Kidd Upstairs released KVSHMIR, a mixtape hosted by DJ Cos the Kid. Among the producers who contributed to the project were New York producer Harry Fraud and producer/rapper Pete Rock.[1]
In January 2014 he released his single "Andrew Wiggins," which refers to the Canadian basketball player Andrew Wiggins, who played for Kansas University. Wrote Earmilk, "'Andrew Wiggins' is another track that shows Kidd trying to show kids growing up that hard work and dedication pays off, which is certainly a breath of fresh air in the current hip hop climate."[1] The original promotional art for the single, which depicted their mascot smoking a blunt, was changed after a cease and desist order from Kansas University. The story received some play in the media, and was picked up by FOX Sports.[2]
2014: DMNDS Deluxe
| "['Pockets'] harbors a soulful horn sample sure to remind you of old school hip-hop. He modernizes the track with his catchy sung chorus, and the result is a tune that you'd expect college kids to rally around." |
| — Prefix Magazine[7] |
By 2014 Kidd Upstairs was touring throughout California, opening for Nipsey Hussle in San Diego early in the year.[4] On February 18 he released the DMNDS Deluxe version of his former album on Top Floor Music Group. He produced fourteen of the eighteen tracks, and several were featured as New or Noteworthy on iTunes.[3]
He released a music video for the DMNDS track "Pockets" in May 2014. Prefix Magazine wrote the video "finds Kidd getting lifted with friends while also experiencing haunted hallucinations of a female in the room, who doesn't seem to actually be there." The song was produced by Kidd Upstairs, with Michael Parades directing the video.[7] According to a review of the deluxe version of DMNDS in ThisisSongSlaps in 2014, "I don’t really like to make comparisons, especially in Kidd Upstairs case, but honestly the Kidd reminds me a lot of Alchemist and Curren$y in terms of work ethic and the quality of his music."[8]
2014-present
On May 19, 2014 his single "Went Down" premiered on the website This Song is Sick. The single was a collaboration with Hippie Sabotage, a production duo, who according to This Song is Sick "have offered their chilled out production style packed with unreal vocal sampling, synths and feel good vibes. The foundation is perfect for Kidd Upstairs to spit some effortless, yet confident flow on the beat."[9]
 "Ashin In My Cup" Music Video on VEVO - Feb 5, 2014 | |
|
"40 Different Worlds" Music Video - Mar 25, 2014 |
Earmilk wrote on August 12, 2014 that singles such as "Amanda Bynes" and "Andrew Wiggins" were "all helping cement Kidd's status as one of the West Coast's finest up and coming talents."[10] About the track "Insta Gram$," released in August 2014, Earmilk wrote the song "focuses on women who will do anything and everything to score some freebies. With a typically banging beat produced by Portland beat-wizard Stewart Villain, Kidd really goes in hard, delivering some clever lyrical prowess alongside an incredibly concise flow."[10]
He has a new mixtape titled KVSHMIR II due out in either late 2014 or 2015. In the summer of 2014 he released a number of promo singles for the mixtape, including "Bridge Burners" in June, "Descent" in August, and "Feel Right" in September. Kidd Upstairs was a featured guest artist on the September 2014 track "Tone It Down" by the rapper Demrick.[11] Kidd Upstairs is signed to Empire Distribution.[3] He released his most recent EP, To Crown a Child, in May 2015.[12]
Personal life
As of 2014, Kidd Upstairs is based in Los Angeles.[3]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Window Seat |
|
| 2012 | DMNDS |
|
| 2014 | DMNDS Deluxe |
|
| 2015 | To Crown a Child |
|
Mixtapes
| Year | Album title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | KVSHMIR (hosted by DJ Cos The Kid) |
|
| 2015 | KVSHMIR II |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Believe" | DMNDS | July 1, 2012 |
| 2013 | "Tom Chambers" | Single only | Red Nine Music (Feb 1, 2013) |
| 2013 | "Amanda Bynes" (with XO) | Single only | Top Floor Music Group (May 9, 2013) |
| 2014 | "Went Down" (ft. Hippie Sabotage) | Single only | Top Floor Music Group (May 19, 2014) |
| 2014 | "All About It" | Single only | Top Floor Music Group (Jul 23, 2014) |
| 2014 | "Insta Gram$" | Single only | Top Floor Music Group (Jul 31, 2014) |
| 2014 | "Ashin' In My Cup" | DMNDS | Top Floor Music Group |
| 2014 | "Bridge Burners" | Promo single for KVSHMIR II | June 11, 2014 |
| 2014 | "Descent" (ft. Uptown XO) | Aug 14, 2014 | |
| 2014 | "Feel Right" (ft. Young Gully) | Sep 27, 2014 | |
Guest appearances
| Year | Single name | Primary artist(s) | Album | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Tone It Down" (ft. Kidd Upstairs) | DEMRICK | Promo single | |
Further reading
- Interviews and biographies
- "Kidd Upstairs". Empire Distribution.
- "Here's "Amanda Bynes," the New Music Video from Kidd Upstairs and XO". Noisey. May 8, 2013.
- "Kidd Upstairs Proves He’s The "DMND" In The Rough". The Source. February 3, 2014.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Kidd Upstairs - "Andrew Wiggins"". Earmilk. Jan 2, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 Keeler, Sean (Jan 14, 2014). "KU sensation Andrew Wiggins is the subject of a new (and very NSFW) rap song". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Kidd Upstairs". Empire Distribution. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 "Kidd Upstairs Proves He’s The "DMND" In The Rough". The Source. February 3, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 Nostro, Lauren (May 8, 2013). "Watch: Kidd Upstairs & X.O. "Amanda Bynes"". Complex. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- ↑ "Here's "Amanda Bynes," the New Music Video from Kidd Upstairs and XO". Noisey. May 8, 2013. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 "Watch Kidd Upstairs Hallucinate In "Pockets" Video". Prefix Magazine. May 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- ↑ "Kidd Upstairs - DMNDS". thissongslaps.com. February 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
- ↑ "World Premiere: Kidd Upstairs x Hippie Sabotage – "Went Down" : Chill Electronic Hip-Hop". This Song is Sick. May 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- 1 2 "Kidd Upstairs shows us those "Insta Gram$", on brand new banger". Earmilk. August 12, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- ↑ Lyons, Patrick (September 11, 2014). "Demrick - Tone It Down Feat. Kidd Upstairs". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
- ↑ To Crown a Child at iTunes
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kidd Upstairs. |
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