Kleyn Kutt is a Louisville native with ambition. His ultimate goal is to make quality music with a message, not just a good hook—a goal that he has already reached with his new track, “Damn Shame.”
While it’s evident in his music that he is a perfectionist, his approach to writing “Damn Shame” was to “set intentions, have an outline, but let things flow organically and manifest.” It’s a process that clearly works for Kleyn Kutt: “I entered a competition by [Damn Shame’s producer] Custom Made out of Chicago, Illinois. A stipulation was you had to go to his website and use a beat from his website. I spent a couple of hours listening to his catalog while at work, and a track really caught my attention. When it started playing I immediately stopped what I was doing and said, ‘It’s a damn shame.’ I wanted to make something with a message. With everything going on in the world/social media and in my life, the rest just came flowing out.”
The track will immediately catch your attention, and the instrumentals will keep you listening. But the lyrics are what truly shine, and demonstrate exactly how the artist feels about bringing quality and genuine artistry back in a big way. Example: “It’s a damn shame how they create a façade, do it all for the likes and the round of applause.”
It is a shame indeed how a barrier to the music industry has become how many followers an artist has on social media. “I understand numbers mean a lot. A large following equates to a possible large amount of sales, but I think it’s ruined A&R. Ruined it to the point where talent and skills are not necessarily required. It’s more of an emphasis on your ability to garner attention, whether it’s positive or negative. The upside to this is it has now required artists to focus on more than the artistry; it’s required us to also understand music business.”
With his musical gift, business savvy, and ability to adapt to a situation, there is no doubt that we will be hearing more from this artist. Get to know him a bit more below.
Q: What do you want listeners to take away from this song after hearing it for the first time?
A: Be yourself! Don’t get too caught up in approval from others. Just live your life the best way you know how. You only get one life, so live it the way you want.
Q: Is there a recurring theme/philosophy across all your music?
A: I have a motto, 4LDM. It stands for “Living Life, Loving Life, Doing Me”. It’s all about being honest with who you are, and staying true to yourself. People gravitate to what’s genuine. If you’re genuine, people will gravitate towards you!
Q: What’s your ideal gig?
A: My ideal gig actually happened on October 3. I performed at an event in my hometown of Louisville, KY, presented by local activist and retired policeman Ray “Sir Friendly C” Barker, WGZB 96.5, and blog Dope Tho ran by Amoré King. It is called the Live Hard Celebration. It’s an event meant to bring healing and the community together after the Breonna Taylor case and David McAtee incident. It is meant to show the youth of our community in Louisville that there is still hope and a lot to live for in life. When it’s for a good cause, I’m always willing to participate.
Q: What else should your fans know about you?
A: I am also a member of The Immaculate Ones. We are a dope group of artists based in Kentucky and North Carolina. You can find our site at www.TheImmaculateOnes.com
Check out “Damn Shame” on SoundCloud, and follow Kleyn Kutt on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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