No one can tell Kimence that the hip hop world is a man’s world.
“When I first started, I didn't know any females in Adelaide doing [hip hop]. I just really had to tell myself, ‘You know what, if I'm going to do it, just do it’. And I had a real passion for it and could deal with the criticism; I just hoped that it wasn't too harsh.
“About two or three weeks ago I went to a woman's hip hop event in Sydney and I had an opportunity to go over there and perform, which was amazing for me, to go to a different state and see that the female hip hop culture was a lot stronger there than it was over here [in Adelaide]. It was really good for me and it was really refreshing for me to see so many talented, dedicated women doing their thing.”
Though Kim is happy with the support she has gotten at home, not everybody is embracing female hip hop with open arms.
“You know, I've definitely known people in the past who would say, ‘Look, I'm just going to be honest with you, I just don't like female rap’. And you know, that's just one of those things that I suppose not everyone is going to be into. I just have to accept it.
“I hope that I influence people. I think that there are a lot of females out there that are like, 'I wish I could do that!' When you first just step up and do it you really need a strong backbone, as with any sport and anything that you want to commit to and do. Just be prepared for criticism in a constructive manner.”
With a great love for music and hip hop in general, Kim believes that communities can benefit from a culture of beats.
“I think that music has a positive impact on anybody’s life. I think that writing positive lyrics helps. For example I had a friend who said that one of my tracks really helped her so much, a track called ‘Fallen’. The way I was feeling when I wrote it, she interpreted it very differently. I loved that she could relate to the words regardless and interpret them to her own life. She tells me now that she still listens to that track every time that she's feeling down and when she needs to get back on track.”
Kim started to lay her poems out to beats as a teenager as an emcee because, she says, “[She] couldn't sing for shit”. Building a studio was the biggest step she took to solidifying her career as emcee.
“I just feel like since I built a studio I have learnt so many things and I just wish I had done it earlier. I am ready for the next album. I enjoy making music and it's definitely a passion. I am already thinking about where I would like to hopefully get beats from and I even started writing it before [‘One View’] was released. I'm eager.”
Kimence's debut LP ‘One View’ is out now.