The Opener: Dani Kiyoko has their finger on the pulse of SoundCloud rap

The Opener is The FADER’s short-form profile series of casual conversations with exciting new artists.

Dani Kiyoko is beyond tapped in. Scroll through their SoundCloud likes and you’ll find a true portrait of hip-hop’s digital underground, from key figures like xaviersobased and skaiwater to up-and-comers with double-digit followers. The 23-year-old is an accomplished rapper and producer in their own right, but Dani’s true superpower might be finding your next favorite rap song before you do, if they aren’t busy recording it themself.

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That voracious musical appetite is mirrored by Dani’s hyper-prolific output over the past few years: they’ve released 10 solo full-length projects to major streaming services alone since the start of 2024, not including loosies and collaborations. And while you could categorize a large swath of their more recent output as “rage rap,” no two Kiyoko releases ever sound quite the same; they’ve even got a four song Christmas EP featuring zayok and yujin.

In previous eras, they planted the seed for VampPlugg and spearheaded some of the swag nostalgia that’s peaked in recent years with Rich Kidz samples and the unwaning popularity of TisaKorean; their November album #LASTYEARDYING tapped slayr, ezcodylee, and Lucy Bedroque in pursuit of soaring, supercharged catharsis. On the surface, Kiyoko’s work can seem overly familiar, but they’re always tilting and refining their flows and approaches – these incremental changes keep their music feeling distinctly Dani, always veering a touch stranger than their more mainstream peers might dare.

Nowadays, gearing up for the release of an as-yet-untitled album, Dani’s recent snippets have felt harder and grungier, part OPIUM Cartinese, part Deftones wall-of-sound. There’s a bit of REST IN BASS-era Che in here too, especially on lead singles “POPPIN TAGS” and “GREEN BEAM,” but Dani doesn’t want to sound like anybody but themself. “I”m healin’ some trauma / I feel like Madonna,” they chatter on recent single “NARCISSIST,” transmuting a poignant flash of vulnerability into an irrepressible flex.

The FADER caught up with Dani Kiyoko over email to chat about misunderstood lyrics, his favorite fashion, and the rapper they think has the ideal level of fame.

What’s the coolest thing to do in your hometown?
Coolest thing to do here in my opinion is go around and try all the different food places. We got the best food in the U.S., and sometimes it can be very diverse.

Tell us about the first album you bought and why.
I didn’t really start buying albums til late in my life not gonna lie, but Kanye West Graduation was the first one I bought. That album is really special to me because of the amount of creativity he put in at a time that felt like many others weren’t stepping out the box like that.

What was the last movie you watched?
The last movie I watched was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. That movie is underrated to me, it’s a pretty good nostalgic movie. I really just enjoy the vibes of it all, and I really love the small moments the characters share with each other. Overall I give it a solid 7.5/10.

When you’re not making music, how do you spend your free time?
I enjoy talking to my friends, playing games, watching movies, reading, or finally getting around to catching up on sleep.

What’s a motto you think everyone should live by?
It’s very simple “either way, I'm confident” I love that quote a lot because I come from a past where I spent a lot of time not being confident in myself till I decided to change that one day. And I’ve been keeping up that confidence as best as possible ever since.

Explain a lyric of yours that people misunderstand.
I get asked a lot what I mean when I say a girl got a “widebody” in my songs lol. I literally just mean she got a big butt.

What’s a song you’d want to remix and why?
I wanna remix “Comfortable” by Lil Wayne or just doing a song that’s very similar to it. That’s such an amazing song that instrumental is literally one of the most beautiful beats ever to me. And I love the Bobby V feature on it.

What’s the best thing you’ve bought for $100 or less?
I’m sure everyone has seen them both but it’s a hard pick between my spiked leather jacket or the black spiked shoes I have.

Tell us about your favorite accessory.
I don’t wear it much cus I don’t really have a lot I think matches with it but my fav accessory is this Pochacco Kakashi keychain accessory that I put on my belt loops.

What’s the ideal level of fame and why?
I’d be very satisfied if I reached Black Kray level, like everyone knows who he is but he’s still able to nicely walk outside and enjoy his life.

Describe your perfect afternoon.
My perfect afternoon is just vibing listening to music or watching YouTube video essays.

Describe the best concert you’ve attended.
Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever been to one, crowds aren’t really my thing, but the best live event I’ve been to that wasn’t a concert was when WWE came to my city.

What’s the last thing you wrote in your notes app?
The last thing I wrote was lyrics from my songs.

Best advice you’ve gotten?
Best advice I’ve ever gotten is to be selfish sometimes. I struggle to stick to it but I do my best with it.

Worst advice you’ve gotten?
Worst advice I’ve gotten is to stay quiet when you feel like speaking up on things against someone that is in a bigger spotlight than you.

What’s something you’re looking forward to?
I’m super looking forward to showing the world everything I’ve been working on.