Sound Up! Cakes Da Killa

New Jersey-bred and Brooklyn-based rapper Cakes Da Killa, born Rashard Bradshaw, has released a steamy new music video to add to his collection of queer anthems.

In the new video for single “Luv Me Nots,” we follow Killa through the underground, queer club scene of NYC as images of cocktails and kisses are flashed on the screen. Pure sexuality is what we are being served in this three-and-a-half minute tune.

Killa is an independent artist who fuses genres of hip hop and electronic dance to create a soundscape that one can get lost in. Becoming a leader in the queer explosion of hip hop music stemming from New York in 2012, he is credited for the current trend of LGBTQ acceptance in urban dance music.

After releasing his debut album, Hedonism, in 2016, Killa saw success with tracks “New Phone (Who Dis)” as well as “Gon Blow.” He is currently working on a follow-up, full-length album and has released five singles between 2018-2019.

Related article: Sound Up! Demaro 

As Killa makes no qualms in presenting queer art with his signature fusion of music and fashion, he made his mark on TV while competing on the Netflix show Rhythm and Flow.

“(There is) the weird misconception that a lesbian can be a rapper, but a gay guy can’t,” Killa said to celebrity judges Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and TI. He points out the lack of representation of LGBTQ voices in hip hop, especially those of men of color.

Judge Cardi B coined Killa as the “gay rapper” from day one, and while his stint on the show was short-lived, he was glad to have a seat at the table.

“What people have to keep in mind is, these types of conversations are not new to me. I feel like it’s better to just have them and be done with it opposed to, like, being offended or causing an uproar because the only way you can educate someone is by being in the room,” Killa told NJ.com.

Now, turn that sound up and get to know the urban artist who is changing the queer hip hop scene.