Kuda shares brand new EP

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, 24-year-old artist Kuda is making an impact with his unique and compelling sound. Describing his music as “hurt hustler music,” Kuda blends autotuned southern trap flows with synth-based production, crafting a style that feels at once defiant and reflective. His work often explores themes of overcoming past trauma, grappling with internal and external doubt and striving for success in the face of struggle.

Drawing inspiration from artists like Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller, Kuda has been steadily building a name for himself in the alternative hip hop scene since his debut in 2019. Kuda made his entrance with his debut single “Touchdown” and followed up with his breakout sophomore track “Low Low” which has clocked almost a million and a half spins on Spotify. Sharing a string of well-received songs over the years since, he now brings us his most ambitious release to date with his debut EP titled 52 Blue.

The EP’s title is a reference to a famous whale that communicates at a frequency no other whale can understand, a fitting metaphor for Kuda’s own feelings of isolation and alienation. As someone who’s struggled with mental illness and often feels like an outsider in social settings, Kuda channels these emotions into his music, creating a body of work that is both personal and relatable.

52 Blue is a powerful distillation of the duality that defines Kuda’s life by exploring the contrast between his lonely, pained inner world and the outgoing exterior he presents to the world. The result is a five-track collection of songs that presents the perfect run through of his original sonic vision.

Opened by “Lift Off,” the EP starts with the fuzzy sound of softly buzzing instrumentation and filtered percussion before the arrangement comes into sharp focus as Kuda’s slick rapped flows riding above the snapping beat and stabbing instrumental elements. Crafting an uptempo hip hop sound, it’s a gripping track that grabs your attention from start to finish.

On “Get Hiya,” Kuda links with Stephen Jailon to deliver an atmospheric sound of pounding trap bass and rattling drums as smooth vocals drift above. Threading catchy melodic hooks, the pair take turns on the mic to serve up an enthralling modern rap cut. “It Ain’t No Gift” delivers an anthemic sound of airy instrumental textures and intricate beats capped by emotive vocals, resulting in a sound that’s as moving as it is energising.

Collaborating with Stephen Jailon again on “Roll Tha Dice,” the two artists lay down engaging vocals above a bouncy rhythm of subtly thumping beats as varied instrumental elements fill the arrangement with an enveloping sound. Closing the EP with “Nothin2Lose,” Kuda offers an elegant blend of laid back vocal delivery that glide over the gentle synth tones and mellow punch of the beat to cast a mesmeric and memorable finale to his sensational debut EP.

Listen to 52 Blue below