My buddy Alan was the one who put me up on Kali Uchis. He sent me a link to a song called “Ridin Round” back in 2015. Alan has always had great taste in music so when he sends me a link I always listen. It might not be immediately but I always find a time to listen. I listened to “Ridin Round” at work and had to stop all of my work to focus on the song. From this song I knew that Kali Uchis was special. I didn’t know her background or anything but heard that voice and vibe and I was all in. Here is “Ridin Round” for you to check out. There are actually 2 versions of this song and the one I was first sent and the one that I’m into is the non-album version.
This song took me right to Kali Uchis’ EP, Por Vida which was also released in 2015. I couldn’t believe the producers she had on that album. How did she make that happen? Producers included Tyler, the Creator, Diplo, Kaytranada, and BadBadNotGood. Wow… Quite the lineup. They all delivered too. Kali Uchis was now 2 for 2 in my eyes… Dope song making great first impression (CHECK)… First listen of one of her full releases (CHECK). The artwork on the EP was the first time I saw Kali Uchis too. She gave me a Amy Winehouse type feel with her look which is never bad. Here is the cover to the EP.
Now I was officially a Kali Uchis fan and was ready to listen to any song she dropped or any feature she had. That’s how I roll with artists… If you catch me at first listen and you deliver on an album I become a hypebeast for you. I start sharing songs to homies… I started putting you on playlists… I check to see when you are touring. I start researching your background to find out where you’re from and what possibly inspired you. I support you 100% because I love good music and feel others need to hear your music too. When musicians go all in on their craft they need support. If they are dope and they don’t get the support they might give up and the world will forever miss out on their potential talent. Here is Kali Uchis performance from A COLORS SHOW.
I had no idea where Kali Uchis was from. I wanted to say LA because of her Tyler collaborations but then I started hearing her Spanish songs and got really thrown off. And the jazz vibes in some of her music? Kali Uchis couldn’t be placed in only one genre and you couldn’t guess where she came from. Kali Uchis has global vibes and that’s why I truly believe she is about to become one of the biggest musicians in the world. This girl from Alexandria, Virginia with Columbian roots who can play the piano and saxophone is special. She even played in a jazz band. I’m not sure what music was being played in her home growing up but it had to be all over the place. Here’s Kali and Tyler on the jazz rap tip. Even have a Bootsy feature which is fire.
Kali’s new EP drops tonight on all streaming platforms. I think Kali is a mix of Amy Winehouse, Madonna, and Rihanna in one. I know that’s a big statement but I stand behind it. Kali Uchis has everything it takes to be a star. As of right now she hasn’t truly blown up so I wanted to put these words down because her time is coming quickly. Below is my Spotify playlist to celebrate her catalog of music prior to the release of her new EP, To Feel Alive. I can’t wait to hear the new music and I can’t wait to let you all know about it through my playlists. Props to Kali Uchis. Keep doing you. You are special.