For North Carolina native Leandrea Caroll, known best as her moniker “Kidd Lee,” it hasn’t always been as easy as she makes it look. From winning the “Step up to the Mic 2020” contest, sponsored by Triller, and the release of her debut single “Champagne,” featuring Quavo, the now 19-year-old rapper has become a true overnight sensation.
But as sudden as the win might seem, it’s actually something Kidd Lee has been preparing for her whole life. Though rapping started as a funny activity with her cousins when she was just a child, Kidd Lee quickly learned she had a gift for it, and she’s been studying the greats ever since, namely Lauryn Hill, Lil Wayne and Tupac Shakur to name a few.
An introvert with chronic depression and a hot temper, Kidd Lee found herself getting into fights and hopping from school to school, finally dropping out in early high school. Rap acts as a respite to her during that time, but after she left, rap became her lifeline. Apart from shifts at the local pizza shop, her music consumed her over the next year. Then she saw an ad for a Triller rap contest. “I was like, ‘God, if this is for me, let it happen.’”
Following her jump into the industry, she began to tap into a deeper purpose, which can be heard throughout her brand new EP “Different But Gifted”. Tackling mental health issues through her complex flows and her humble, tomboyish charm, Kidd Lee is not your typical artist – she’s a spokeswoman for those who are left behind, underappreciated, and underrepresented. Rapping with both the empathy and fire in her words, Kidd Lee is Gen Z’s most exciting new rap star. Recently having teamed up with The L3 Brand for this new leg of her career, the future has no limit for Lee, and she’s just getting started.
