Kion, an independent hip-hop artist from Forrest City, Arkansas, is ready to shake things up in the new year, starting with a new name to headline his upcoming projects!
Kion was born in New Orleans on March 13th, 2000 and has been making music since he could speak. However, it was not until he was fourteen years old when he recorded a remix to Kendrick Lamar’s “m.A.A.d city” that he began to fully realize his gift and passion for music.
For the past seven years, Kion has been writing, recording, and engineering his music, even occasionally producing his own beats. His songs are inspired by his love for God, his resilient mother, and the genres he enjoys listening to including Hip-Hop, R&B, and Pop. As Kion has grown in his creativity, he has realized the value in being able to provide for himself as an independent artist but is still open to the opportunities that signing to a label could offer for his career. Whether signed or not, Kion desires to pursue music full-time and to have a transformative impact on hip-hop culture.
His latest releases include a double single titled Double Trouble that includes the songs “My Dogs” and “Down Bad.” Kion has collaborated with artists and producers such as Xay Hill, Livewre, Encore, and Wavy SZN. He has an upcoming feature with hip-hop artist, L.Dejuan, scheduled to release sometime in the new year. One of Kion’s biggest shows was for a crowd of about a couple hundred people in Fayetteville, Arkansas. “I was crazy nervous,” he says. “Nevertheless, the people loved the show I put on and I met some dope people.” Kion is continually encouraged by his greatest supporters which include his friends, family, and his girlfriend.
Like many artists, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted Kion’s creative journey. However, Kion emphasizes that while it negatively impacted his streams, he believes it changed his career for the better. “It opened my mind to a lot of things I was doing wrong,” he says. “I was too focused on meeting fans in the real world when they were right there on my phone. When we were on lockdown, my career took a huge hit ‘cause my fan base was not strong enough on social media.”
In the new year, Kion hopes to make his music and his online presence more personal, starting by changing his pseudonym to “Reem,” a childhood nickname. The roots of this desire for a more intimate connection with his audience are evident in his music video, “Cherry St Freestyle”, which includes shots in his neighbourhood with his family and his close friends. The video welcomes audiences into Kion’s life, inviting them to relate to him.
Kion has big dreams for the future of his career. He hopes to work with artists like RealestK, Montell Fish, and Lecrae. The latter is an artist that he would love to tour with if he had the opportunity. “I went to his tour in Memphis and it was crazy dope. I would love to experience that as an artist and not just a fan.”
With a new vision and approach to his music career, Kion is ready to take on twenty-twenty-two. He’s certainly an artist to keep on your radar this year!
To keep up with Kion and learn more about him, follow @_thatboyreem_ on Instagram!