Kay Flock

Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper and songwriter. Beginning his musical career in 2020, he rose to fame through a variety of singles, most notably "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, which peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. He released his debut mixtape, The D.O.A. Tape, in 2021, and was signed to Capitol Records the same year.

Kay Flock
Birth nameKevin Perez[1]
Born (2003-04-20) April 20, 2003[2]
OriginThe Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2020–present
LabelsCapitol
Associated acts

Early life

Kevin Perez was born on April 20, 2003 in The Bronx, New York, which he described as "dangerous" while growing up. During his teen years, he would listen to Brooklyn drill artists, as well as King Von, as an escape. During his time at school, he attempted to play baseball and basketball; however, the sports would "fizzle out after school".[3]

Career

2020–2021: Early career

Following his release from juvenile detention in March 2020, and at the urging of his friend B-Lovee, Kay Flock released his debut single "FTO" in May 2020, which used the beat from 22Gz's "Blixky Gang Freestyle". Upon the song being posted to Triller, Lil Tjay shared it, resulting in Kay gaining followers in New York City. "FTO" was followed by "Opp Spotter", which featured B-Lovee and, as of December 2021, had 3.4 million views on YouTube.[4]

In March 2021, Kay Flock released "Brotherly Love" alongside B-Lovee and Dougie B; the song had 8 million views on YouTube and 3 million streams on Spotify as of December 2021.[4]

2021–present: The D.O.A. Tape and signing to Capitol Records

In July 2021, Kay Flock was signed to Capitol Records.[4] He released his debut mixtape, The D.O.A. Tape, on 5 November 2021, which peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart.

In August, he released "Is Ya Ready"; the song was named within journalist Jon Caramanica's top 28 songs of 2021.[5]

In September, Kay released "Being Honest",[6] which samples "Changes" by XXXTentacion.[7] The song was said to be "reminiscent of G Herbo" and was named within Pitchfork's top 38 rap songs of 2021 and top 100 songs of 2021.[7][8]

In October, he was featured on "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, which also features Fivio Foreign.[9] The song peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In November, he was named Billboard's Hip Hop Rookie of the Month.[10] During an interview with XXL, he stated that his style of rapping was compared to King Von and Pop Smoke,[4] with Asian Doll saying that Von would have been a fan of Kay Flock.[11]

In April 2022, Kay Flock released "Shake It" with Dougie B and Cardi B, featuring Bory300;[12] it peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track was leaked months prior.[13]

On December 23, 2021, it was reported Perez was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing 24 year-old Oscar Hernandez in Harlem, New York.[14] According to the New York Police Department, on December 16, 2021, as Perez walked past a barbershop near the scene of the crime, he opened the door, and asked Hernandez what he was looking at before walking away.[15] Hernandez ran out of the shop before allegedly being shot in the neck and back by Perez. Hernandez later died of his injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital.[16] After Perez was named as the main suspect in the investigation, he turned himself into the NYPD on December 23. He is currently facing first-degree murder charges,[1] and is being held on Rikers Island.

As of March 16, 2022, Perez is represented by Jeffrey Lichtman, who represented Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán at his US federal trial in 2019.[17]

Discography

Mixtapes
List of mixtapes, with selected details
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Heat
The D.O.A. Tape 1

As lead artist
List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[18]		 NZ
Hot
[19]
"FTO" 2020 —— Non-album single
"Opp Spotter"
(with B-Lovee)		 —— The D.O.A. Tape
"Speed Racing"
(with B-Lovee)		 ——
"Brotherly Love"
(with B-Lovee and Dougie B)		 2021 ——
"T Cardi"
(with Dougie B, Lil Skrap 1090 and Justo B)		 ——
"Being Honest" ——
"Is Ya Ready" ——
"PSA" ——
"Being Honest (Remix)"
(with G Herbo)		 —[upper-alpha 1]—
"Shake It"
(with Dougie B and Cardi B, featuring Bory300)		 2022 519 Non-album single
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[21]
"Not in the Mood"
(Lil Tjay featuring Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock)		 2021 61 Non-album single

Notes
  1. "Being Honest (Remix)" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[20]

References
  1. Bloom, Madison; Strauss, Matthew (January 4, 2022). "Kay Flock Arrested on First-Degree Murder Charge, Lawyer Investigating Allegations". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  2. Leung, Yasmine (December 24, 2021). "What is Kay Flock's real name? Question trends after rapper deletes his IG". thefocus.news. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  3. Hunter, Xavier (September 1, 2021). "KAY FLOCK - BEING HONEST". wyexpect.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  4. Seabrook III, Robert (December 1, 2021). "THE BREAK PRESENTS – KAY FLOCK". XXL. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  5. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (December 7, 2021). "Best Songs of 2021". New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  6. Pierre, Alphonse (September 1, 2021). "Listen to Kay Flocks "Being Honest": The Ones". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  7. Helfand, Raphael; et al. (December 13, 2021). "The 38 Best Rap Songs of 2021". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  8. St. Asaph, Katherine; et al. (December 6, 2021). "The 100 Best Songs of 2021". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  9. Espinoza, Joshua (October 23, 2021). "Lil Tjay Drops Video for "Not in the Mood" f/ Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock". Complex Networks. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  10. Panaligan, EJ (November 24, 2021). "Kay Flock: November R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  11. Zidel, Alex (January 6, 2022). "Asian Doll Snaps At Fan Who Says She's Embarrassing King Von". hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  12. "CARDI B, KAY FLOCK, BORY300 & DOUGIE B CONNECT IN 'SHAKE IT'". HipHopDX. April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  13. Kay Flock- Shake It (ORIGINAL FULL UNRELEASED), retrieved April 18, 2022
  14. Parascandola, Rocco; Moynihan, Ellen; Annese, John (December 27, 2021). "Rapper Kay Flock charged in Harlem slaying; NYPD got tip someone else was shooter". nydailynews.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  15. Coleman, C. Vernon (December 24, 2021). "Kay Flock Arrested For Murder". XXL. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  16. "Photo shows suspect in Harlem barbershop murder". ABC7NY. December 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  17. II, C. Vernon Coleman (March 19, 2022). "Kay Flock Hires El Chapo's Lawyer in Murder Case". XXL. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  18. @billboardcharts (April 25, 2022). "Kay Flock, @iamcardib, Dougie B & @therealbory300's "Shake It" debuts at No. 51 on this week's #Hot100" (Tweet). Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  20. "G Herbo Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  21. "Lil Tjay Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
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