Creative Direction: Mukondeleli Mushiana
Photography: Rofhiwa Kutama
Wardrobe: Thriftplek
Styling: Tandaza Simama
Make-up: Bontle Nxumalo
Hair: Nsindiso Khumalo
Retoucher: the_dxrector

“It seems to me that the only way to face your fears is if you close your eyes and prepare to bite the bullet”

– K.Keed

As the saying goes, “dynamite comes in small packages”, and Mihlali Koyana is living proof. A force to be reckoned with, she’s spitting bars with finesse and climbing the charts at full speed. The “man” of the hour, smoking the boys without even a gwaai. She’s not just a “female rapper”, she’s a rapper, period. And she’s dominating the game.

K.Keed’s journey begins in 2019 when we were first officially introduced to her through her break out single “Similes”. Stepping into the scene with raw lyricism and a voice that demanded attention, she quickly carved out a lane for herself in South Africa’s underground hip-hop landscape.

Hailing from Gugulethu in Cape Town, K.Keed is steadily carving out her place as a force in South Africa’s hip-hop scene. What began with her rapping over YouTube beats with friends has grown into a space for her pen to stretch, sharpen, and evolve.

Long before the music videos and stage lights, K.Keed was already writing. Before she started sketching out rhymes, she was putting pen to paper as a way to make sense of the world using words to give her thoughts and feelings a place outside of herself. Her love for storytelling didn’t start with rap; it came from growing up around people who had something to say and knew exactly how to say it.

“Man the day I started writing, I found my life hack”

– K.Keed

“I got to talk my shit cause that’s the trait I inherited”

– K.Keed

K.Keed’s sound isn’t easy to pin down and that’s the point. Her delivery bends rules, her beat selection swerves expectation, and her voice cuts through whatever space she steps into. Her versatility allows her to move between genres with ease, whether she’s dropping bars over a gqom beat or creating something softer and more reflective on an R&B track. “I’m not trying to sound like anyone else,” she says. “Even when I draw from other genres, I still want it to feel like me.” For K.Keed, rap is more than just a mic and a beat, it’s a way to leave something behind. “I want people to feel something when they hear me,” she says. “Even if it’s not what they expected.”

From Gugulethu to the culture’s frontlines, K.Keed isn’t just part of the conversation, she’s rewriting it.

“Best believe I’m about to make this shit bigger than its ever been”

– K.Keed