Kid Sister

Describing her Chicago roots to the BBC,
Melissa Young — better known as Kid Sister —
said, “There’s a culture down there that’s very unique. It’s sort of ‘hood, but it’s sort of wholesome.” The conflation of ‘hood and wholesome is a fair description of Kid Sister’s music, which melds electronic hip-hop and Chicago house music. The Kanye West protégée drops rap-world references (“Henn,” “stacks of money”), but she also makes sly, positive allusions that subvert MC culture and expectations. On “Let Me Bang,” from Ultraviolet, Kid Sister explains that she’d like to rap more about some normal girly shit rather than bump-and-grind. This “girly shit” includes nail polish, doughnuts, bills, student loans and laundry. If her attitude is more down-to-earth than that of her fellow hip-hop artists, it’s a testament to hard work and Young’s humble beginnings. But don’t let all this fool you. Kid Sister still brings the bangers.