August 27, 2021

Kota the Friend | The Immeasurable Power of Working Through It

by Lauren Castro

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While taking a mental vacation in our neighboring beach city of Malibu, CA, Kota the Friend created the second installment of his project, Lyrics To Go, which kicked off the start of a great year for the artist. Born Avery Marcel Joshua Jones, the 28-year-old rapper and singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York releases mixtapes at the beginning of every year in order to reflect his current mental state.

The mixtape project has now become a series of its own, and provides listeners with a peek into the talented artist’s consciousness. “I’m proud of my little minute videos that have amassed over 50 million views,” Kota shares. “People, places, stories, and vibes inspire my videos. It’s simple ideas that create such simple yet impactful art. Each volume is different simply because I’m a growing person.”

Kota—who cut his creative teeth as a cinematographer—has an innate appreciation for the marrying of visuals and lyrics. “Lyrics To Go Vol. 1 comes from the beginning of my career when I didn’t have much money to shoot videos,” he explains. “I wanted a simple video where the focus was the lyrics. It was also important to me as a visual artist.”

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One banger off Lyrics To Go Vol. 2—“Emotionally Dumb”—hits closer to home for the rapper, who claims he has to put in the extra effort to be more emotionally intelligent. “I think very simply,” Kota says, “I’m not a person who overthinks anything, and that’s part of my authenticity. This song is really part of an epiphany I’ve had—and it’s important to me.”

The artist shares that opening up this intimate aspect of his life encourages listeners through each episode, as if it’s a conversation between old friends. “It’s OK not to have it all together,” Kota reminds us. “Life is a work in progress. But you have to try to be better.” In heated anticipation of his third studio album, out later this year, and the allure of the stage following this remarkable period of uncertainty, Kota the Friend looks forward to creating, digging deeper into his psyche, blessing fans with electric live shows, and consistently “being a better person than the day prior.”