Never Normal Records is constantly expanding as a collective and through our sound. There is an infinite amount of space to bend waves and musically and spiritually. Like a Soundsystem, all the noise that we make will come booming out of your loudspeakers whether you’re prepared for it or not.
One of the newest members of the Never Normal collective, is KHX05 (pronounced “Chaos”), a queer/trans rapper and multi-disciplinary artist with Gullah-Geechee cultural roots. They are a force that is strong, fierce, and not to be fucked with. KHX05 has a lot to offer musically and won’t take no for an answer. Their exact words, “I’m here to fuck shit up. I’m already in hell and there’s nowhere to go but up.”
From a young age, KHX05 was exposed to hardships because of who they were. “There was a lot of insecurities and anti-blackness,” they shared. “I grew up a Black kid in America not really learning about where I came from… I took it upon myself to figure out who I really am.” And they did! “I’m a Santa Muerte devotee and a hoodoo practitioner,” says KHX05, “and hoodoo folklore inspires me.”
Musically, KHX05 developed a love for Jay-Z, Ruff Ryders, M.I.A., “all the femme queer rappers” as they put it. “Femme and queer rappers have always been more innovative and creative than most men in hip-hop, in my opinion.”
You can get a sense of KHX05’s personality, spirituality, and style from their most recent project, ‘BLXCK KXT,’ which hit over a thousand streams on Spotify and Apple Music before the end of 2020. KHX05 says, “BLXCK KXT is a character I created. It was a push for the rest of my new project… All the music I make is rebellious and embraces fierce energy, even my family is strong and fierce as well.”
‘BLXCK KXT’ is an unapologetic feminist club banger with a dark edge, and you can’t forget the verse Lord Narf blessed us with on the remix. The track transcends our expectations and we’re excited for the EP that will soon follow. Though not as excited as KHX05, “it’s going to be a little bit of everything, packaged in a chaotic way. Of course, it will include electronic and house elements, but also punk-rock. The project is pretty much done and I am super stoked!”
There are many other artists from Never Normal Records who display the same type of energy as KHX05. A change is coming in the dance music community and Black-queer/trans artists are at the forefront. Here’s what they had to say on the future of electronic music:
“We can all coexist within this industry… For people who look like me and get overlooked. No need for disrespecting [us] when it’s time to learn. We are not disposable. We are not here for exploitation. You are going to respect us. We in this bitch! We are the future and we are going to replace y’all slowly.”
Stream ‘BLXCK KXT’ from KHX05 on Bandcamp and the full EP is also available for purchase. Be sure to follow KHX05 on Instagram for updates and more!
