Steve 'Flash' JuonI’m conflicted when the very first thing I have to tell you about a rapper is that he’s behind bars on charges of murder, attempted murder, and racketeering. Sadly such is the case for young Kevin Perez better known as Kay Flock. When “The D.O.A. Tape” came out in November of 2021 it should have been the beginning of his ascent to greatness, but before the year was over he was turning himself in on the charges above related to a barbershop shooting in Harlem. Even if he is eventually offered a plea on favorable terms it could be a decade or more before we see him again.
This makes “Brotherly Love” unintentionally prophetic, as his brothers through music and/or genetics are the only ones who will be able to represent for him now. It’s also a bit odd to listen to a song titled “PSA” which sounds like a warning to both himself and his opps — no truer public service announcement I suppose. At this point the drill scenes of Chicago and New York had become largely interchangeable in their heavy production and nihilistic themes, and Flock has no shortage of bullets in his lyrical clip.
“Fuck the diss, I’ma act the fuck up
Everything dead, I ain’t dappin ’em up (everybody shot!!)
Feel a way, you get clapped the fuck up
Don’t do Ciroc, only Ac’ in my cup
Try to duck, got a beam on the scope, that’s tough
Like… he ain’t goin nowhere, I’m shootin wherever he run”
I’ll say this for Flock — despite how grimy his beats are, his raspy voice comes across the tracks loud and clear. If you’re going to project a menacing aura on your songs there’s absolutely no reason to half-ass it — just ask Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame about that. You can do that because they’re not in the federal penitentiary right now. That’s one thing that I think has been lost on the rap generations as I get older. There’s a difference between sounding hard on records and having to actually prove it in the streets. What happened to keeping it on wax? Why cut your career short just when it was strapped to a rocket ship headed straight to the stratosphere?
I feel sad for the fact that “The D.O.A. Tape” will probably be used against him at trial if he isn’t plead out first, and that the way he stunts in the music videos from it will undoubtedly be used to poison the jury against him. There’s no good outcome in this scenario. If he did it then he should definitely pay the price for his recklessness, and if he didn’t then he’s going to get railroaded by the criminal justice system just because he was so eager to portray himself as an “Opp Spotter” mowing down rivals on sight. Kay Flock had some genuine talent, but there are no winners in this story, there are only losers.