Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper. Beginning his musical career in 2020, he rose to fame through a variety of singles, most notably "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, which peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. He released his debut mixtape, The D.O.A. Tape, in 2021, and was signed to Capitol Records the same year.
Kay Flock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kevin Perez[1] |
| Born | (2003-04-20) April 20, 2003 (age 19)[2] |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Labels | Capitol |
| Website | kayflockmusic |
Kevin Perez was born on April 20, 2003 in The Bronx, New York, which he described as "dangerous" while growing up. Perez grew up on 187th St in the Belmont section of the Bronx. Perez is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, and he is blood cousins on his father’s side with fellow Bronx rapper DThang Gz.[citation needed]
He released his debut mixtape, The D.O.A. Tape, on November 5, 2021, which peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
In August, he released "Is Ya Ready"; the song was named within journalist Jon Caramanica's top 28 songs of 2021.[3]
In September, Kay released "Being Honest",[4] which samples "Changes" by XXXTentacion.[5] The song was said to be "reminiscent of G Herbo" and was named within Pitchfork's top 38 rap songs of 2021 and top 100 songs of 2021.[5][6]
In October, he was featured on "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, which also features Fivio Foreign.[7] The song peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In November, he was named Billboard's Hip Hop Rookie of the Month.[8] During an interview with XXL, he stated that his style of rapping was compared to King Von and Pop Smoke, with Asian Doll saying that Von would have been a fan of Kay Flock.[9]
In April 2022, Kay Flock released "Shake It" with Dougie B and Cardi B, featuring Bory300;[10] it peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track was leaked months prior, although the leaked version of the song featured Yonkers rapper Mula Gzz, whose verse was replaced with Cardi’s.[11]
On December 23, 2021, it was reported Perez was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing 24 year-old Oscar Hernandez in Harlem, New York.[12] According to the New York Police Department, on December 16, 2021, as Perez walked past a barbershop near the scene of the crime,[13] Hernandez ran out of the shop before allegedly being shot in the neck and back by Perez. Hernandez later died of his injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital.[14] After Perez was named as the main suspect in the investigation, he turned himself into the NYPD on December 23. He is currently facing first-degree murder charges,[1] and is being held on Rikers Island.
As of March 16, 2022, Perez is represented by Jeffrey Lichtman, who represented Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán at his US federal trial in 2019.[15]
During an Interview on July 6, 2022, Lichtman stated "Perez acted in 'self-defense' after being placed in an impossible situation." He also comfirmed Kay Flock is taking the case to trial, promising "it's going to be a tough battle," during an episode of "Allison Kugel's Allison Interviews".
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Heat | ||
| The D.O.A. Tape |
|
1 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [16] |
NZ Hot [17] | |||
| "FTO" | 2020 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Opp Spotter" (with B-Lovee) |
— | — | The D.O.A. Tape | |
| "Speed Racing" (with B-Lovee) |
— | — | ||
| "Brotherly Love" (with B-Lovee and Dougie B) |
2021 | — | — | |
| "T Cardi" (with Dougie B, Lil Skrap 1090 and Justo B) |
— | — | ||
| "Being Honest" | — | — | ||
| "Is Ya Ready" | — | — | ||
| "PSA" | — | — | ||
| "Being Honest (Remix)" (with G Herbo) |
—[upper-alpha 1] | — | ||
| "Shake It" (with Dougie B and Cardi B, featuring Bory300) |
2022 | 51 | 9 | Non-album singles |
| "Make a Movie" (featuring Fivio Foreign) |
— | — | ||
| "Brotherly Love (Pt. 2)" (featuring B-Lovee and Dougie B) |
— | — | ||
| "DOA" (featuring Set Da Trend) |
— | — | ||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [16] | |||
| "Not in the Mood" (Lil Tjay featuring Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock) |
2021 | 61 | Non-album single |