Name: Kei-Landa
Age: 20-something 
Where Are You From: The L.E.S. (Lower East Side of Manhattan), a.k.a. Alphabet City
Favorite Food: Tacos
Last thing you read: Honestly, the Bible lol
Top Five Songs Currently on Repeat:
“What can I do?” by Tye Tribett
“Hills & Valleys” by Tauren Wells
“Nothing Above You” by Eshon Burgundy
“Gonna be alright” by Mali Music
“Make Me a Believer” by Andy Mineo
Favorite Bible Verse or Quote of Inspiration:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Finish the Sentence: I cannot go a day without speaking to…?
GOD
Let’s talk about your music. You define yourself as a rapper, singer and actress. Yet, your music as an artist not only talks about personal relationships, it also talks a lot about faith. What made you want to be so bold and step out as a female rapper talking about God?
I guess it has to do with the fact that who I am in Christ comes first and the gifts He has given me will be used to express that. Sometimes people think rap or hip-hop can only talk about one thing and that’s not true. I look at it as a language and therefore I’m gonna use it to say what’s on my mind, what’s going on in my life and also what I see in the world. Will it sound good ? Yes. But it will all come from the perspective of someone who is Christian, someone who loves and follows Jesus.
Take us back to your feature on “Masterpiece” from three years ago. What was it like to do a duet talking about God’s love with MC Jin?
It was an amazing opportunity! I had grown up watching him on the show “106 and Park” as a battle rapper and he would win like every week! So to not only meet him, but to also hear about the work God did in his life was so awesome! I was grateful to be a part of his journey making music unto God.
Your EP XXIV Dreamer has a song called “Mr. Better” about waiting on God’s timing and all the drama when it comes to love. What kind of advice would you give to other young women losing faith in love?
I would say fall in love with Jesus and let Him be Your first love, let Him teach you what real love looks and feel likes. He is able to satisfy every area of your heart that a “Mr. Better” just can’t. As you take time to do this, the rest will come. In the wait there is beauty. Even Queen Esther had to take time to prepare herself for the King. Pray and ask God to prepare you. Also, enjoy building friendships! For sure, don’t lose hope and don’t think that God has forgotten you!
Tell us about your platform “Pray For Hip-Hop.”
Yes! God gave me a vision back in 2011 to begin praying for Hip-Hop, a community of people we tend to think is outside of God’s reach. So we did a 40 night sun-down to sun-up fast (eat during the day and fast at night) and prayed. Since then we have continued setting aside Jan. 1-Feb. 9 as 40 nights to pray. We call it Not On My Watch.
What can we look forward to when it comes to Kei-Landa?
You can look forward to more music! I am also currently a part of a film called “Praize.” We have been filming for a few months now. If you follow the Instagram account @Praize2017 you can keep up with the progress and also know firsthand about when you can see it! I am currently in writing mode, prepping myself to see what project is coming out of the songs I have been writing lately. I may drop a few singles in the meantime so keep a lookout!
Performing “Fear Not” for DeSales Media Group’s World Communication Day
https://youtu.be/MDw4c_-xHXw
Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out her music on www.kei-landa.com or soundcloud.com/kei-landa. You can also follow her on social media @Kei_Landa.
