‘Exposed to the world’

Broward isn’t the only county in South Florida to be a hotbed for hip-hop. Over the decades, MiamiDade County has produced icons such as 2 Live Crew, Trick Daddy, Trina and Rick Ross.

Regardless, Broward has had a fertile musical scene, locals say, even if it was relatively rare for an artist to break out and achieve widespread fame. “It’s always been a hot spot for music, we just getting that light on right now,” said B. Noza, a Lauderhill-based rapper, referring to the spotlight shining on Broward.

But what makes Broward’s urban culture different? It’s in the music, slang and style.

Hugely popular in Broward is fast music, in which DJs take existing tracks and remix them to sound sped up, replete with chipmunk-sounding vocals.

Street nicknames for cities and neighborhoods are common. “Da No” or “Noya” are used for Pompano Beach, and “Deepside” and “Shallow Side” are two neighborhoods’ nicknames in Lauderhill.

Another term is “jit,” which refers to a younger person.

“It’s like we always had our own different little lingo, way of dressing, how we is,” said El Snappo, a Lauderhill rapper currently in federal prison stemming from a weapon charge for being seen unlawfully possessing guns in behindthe-scenes footage to a music video. “Like, we always had our own little culture, now the world just seeing it. It’s exposed to the world because of Kodak.”

Kodak’s wordplay was unpolished and he was still finding his form, but his depictions of getting swept up in the streets were jarringly vivid, especially because his still-highpitched voice made one thing clear: He still was a child.

“I’m 14 and I’m already thinking about death,” rapped the teen.

His friends said his vivid rhymes had a photographic quality to them, so he performed as Kodak.

One of the people who noticed him was Orlando Whartonberg, an A&R man at Atlantic Records who signed popular rappers Fetty Wap, PnB Rock, and A Boogie With a Hoodie.

Whartonberg recalls the first time he saw Kodak Black perform live. It was at a club in Gainesville, home to the University of Florida, he said in an interview for the podcast “No Jumper.”

“It must’ve been 3,000 people in there. Mind you, he wasn’t that famous. … He did like 15 songs. Yo, the club knew everything word for word for word. I was like, naw. This is crazy. When I went back to New York, I was like, ‘They know his s--- word for word.’ It was like, ‘For real?’ I’m like, ‘Kodak Black, bro.’ ”

Recently, the rapper legally changed his name from Dieuson Octave to Bill K. Kapri, though he still performs as Kodak.

Now 20, he is one of the biggest-selling, most popular rappers in America, and is often cited by other musicians. Cardi B’s chart-topping breakout single, “Bodak Yellow,” was inspired by one of Kodak’s songs, she said. And most recently, he got a shout-out in a verse of “This Is America,” Childish Gambino’s single that debuted at No. 1 this week on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Kodak’s success has made other Broward rappers hungry.

“We’re somewhere worth looking at,” says SupaSand, 29, a rapper from Lauderhill. “So while they’re looking, you wanna be on your best behavior, know what I’m saying? So that’s why everybody’s doing their thing right now.”

One example is Koly P, also known as Kolyon. A promising rapper at the same time Kodak Black was coming up, Koly P and Kodak were close friends and recorded together.

But when Koly P lost a few close friends in quick succession to violence and was shot and nearly killed, he said he sank into a deep depression. For a while, he bowed out of music.

Meanwhile, Kodak Black kept working, releasing new music and playing shows all over the southeast, building his fan base.

By the late 2015 Black had a major-label deal. In 2016, he was named to XXL’s coveted Freshman Class, widely regarded as the authoritative roundup of the most exciting young rappers in the industry.

“By the time I got discouraged, Kodak Black kept going,” Koly P said. “And it’s like he blew overnight. He

So that right there — it motivated me. So I gave it one more try and that’s where I came out with ‘The Koly Bible’ [in 2016]. And from there I ain’t where I want to be, but I ain’t where I used to be.”