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Though 2021 has seen its fair share of hip-hop titans dominating headlines with their newest projects, the most exciting records are arguably coming from the culture's newest artists. Heralded as the next protegée from the school of Kanye West, KayCyy returns this week with his new single "ASTK!," a deft showcasing of his unique style of rapping, writing, and producing that has helped him acquire a burgeoning yet devoted fanbase. To say that KayCyy's upcoming project, currently titled WHO IS KAYCYY?, has fans excited would be a severe understatement, but luckily the Kenyan-born polyglot's newest single is sure to tide over hungry fans until then.

"ASTK!" is not your average pre-album release single. It's a six minute epic where listeners take the backseat on KayCyy's experimental hip-hop voyage. Its opening moments are synth-heavy and ambient, sounding borderline cinematic once KayCyy enters armed with an arsenal of vocal effects and a style so brooding that listeners spam vampire emojis as the track progresses.  

"Too many lost souls in L.A. gotta find my way out, yeah" KayCyy sings, "I see too many similar faces when I’m outside, yeah." "ASTK!" makes it abundantly clear why he's a favorite in West's camp. KayCyy's effortless artistry has one foot in hip-hop's time-tested conventions, and the other knee-deep in psychedelic and forward-thinking ingenuity.

Quickly building momentum, "ASTK!" reaches its breaking point once oscillating sirens become incorporated into the mix. The beat switches into an off-kilter bass-heavy banger, featuring production from ADP, where KayCyy never misses a step while thriving over the track's futuristic distortion. His performance is tightly-written, and his effortless affinity for melody and flow become apparent as he spends the second half of the track reminding us why he's next up.  

KayCyy's versatile artistry is just as intricate as it is understated, with every moment of  "ASTK!" providing listeners with something refreshingly novel yet familiar from the young multi-hyphenate. KayCyy's fans have plenty to be excited about, from his appearances on West's Donda  to his upcoming project, it's looking like it's finally KayCyy's time to shine.  

Listen to  "ASTK!" below: