Trailblazing Milwaukee rapper Crossfire getting some notice
When Kaylee Crossfire started out in Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene seven years ago, “I didn’t feel like women got the respect we deserve.”
“You only heard about male rappers, those are the ones given all the opportunities,” said Crossfire, birth name Kanisha Lee. “I come with the bars, and letting these men know they’re not the only ones.”
Of course, she wasn’t the only one. And so five years ago, Crossfire assembled other women MCs in Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene — Kia Rap Princess, Lady Sabo, Young Key, Vilene Hampton — for a joint track, “Female Takeover.”
The music video has been seen more than 100,000 times on YouTube, and Crossfire launched a “Female Takeover Movement” in the scene that’s included showcases not just for women who rap, but also hairstylists, fashion designers, models and dancers.
“It’s become a platform for women to come together and celebrate one another and empower one another,” Crossfire said. “I see so many female artists now compared to when I was first on the scene. Now I see a sisterhood, and ladies in this city are definitely coming up and thriving and grinding. I feel we may have sparked that. We went hard and we’re still pushing and we don’t plan to stop pushing.”
This year, Crossfire’s career got a major push when she was chosen for Backline, the novel career-advancement program for local musicians supported by WYMS-FM (88.9), better known as Radio Milwaukee, and business startup accelerator gener8tor.
As part of Backline’s second class of participants, Crossfire received $20,000 in grant money, took in industry meetings in New York and Los Angeles, and is prepping a new EP slated to drop this fall.
Stage Name Backstory
I started singing first in the scene. I wrote one song and put a rap in there and people said, “Wow, you can spit too!” It came naturally to me. When you hear my singing, it’s R&B, it’s storytelling, ballads, that type of stuff. When I’m rapping, I can be my aggressive self. I can say what I want and how I feel. Women need to speak their minds like men can, and that’s what I do in my music.
I dropped my first mixtape when I was 20, and there was that combination of both singing and rapping, so I called it “Crossfire.” That word showcased me well, so I added the name Crossfire to my name.
Early Influences
I’d listen to my mom play all the old school juke joint classics, and I grew up listening to Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill. My brother put me on Eminem and I developed a love for Lil Wayne. I recorded my first demo in eighth grade with my music teacher and from there got a lot of praise that helped me to build my confidence. When I was 20 I started to take music seriously and push it and make it a career.
Career Highlights
My first opening gig was for Rasheeda from “Love & Hip-Hop” when I was 22. I opened for Snow Tha Product about two years ago and Tink last year. I’ve dropped a lot of singles and do a lot of freestyles. Me and Kia Rap Princess collaborated on the “Best of Both Worlds” EP; that did phenomenal and earned us a lot of love and respect. It made sense to do a project together. We were already on the road together, we were extra together. Working with someone with the same hustle as you, the same drive as you, you are learning so much, and she’s learning from me, and we’re sharing blessings with one another.
Working with Backline
I shot a music video for a single, I made an EP, I’ve been doing recording and photo shoots, all these cool creative things I’m able to do through the grant, and I’ll have the proper promotional budget to actually push it.
I had never been to California. I had never been to New York. Seeing those places was not only beautiful, but it opened my eyes to so many more possibilities. I met with booking agents and lawyers and songwriters and ASCAP and representatives with Universal Music. We had 10 to 15 meetings in each place, and all the people I was able to meet, I got their direct contacts and they can be sources to help me going forward.
To be able to have that sponsorship, to get the industry insight this program has given me, has just been phenomenal.
See two exclusive performances from Kaylee Crossfire — of her new single “Baddie Alert,” and a performance with Kia Rap Princess of “Regardless” – at jsonline.com/music. Sound Check appears around the 15th each month online and in the Journal Sentinel. Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS. Editor’s Note: Piet Levy co-hosts a segment and podcast for Radio Milwaukee.