Kadda Sheekoff: from Haiti to Cameroon
Kadda Sheekoff is here to bless the music industry with his undeniable charm and unique sound. His name is stylized specifically showcasing his journey from Haiti to Cameroon, always representing where he’s from and where he want to be.
Real name Gregory Pierre describes Kadda Sheekoff as The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova, is a gas-operated, 7.62×39mm assault rifle, developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
Kadda Sheekoff is an unusual delight. While there’s no shortage of Haitian rappers making it big across the Atlantic with various strains of R&B, Afropop, and Hip Hop, this 24-year-old Haitian artist is working in his own lane to crank out dance-floor-primed singles that feel distinctly silly, poetic, and pure.
Just when you thought this young hit king couldn’t get more impressive, he flexes his bilingual muscles in “I’m 100% Haitian but that doesn’t mean I can only speak Creole, I Can also Speak Spanish, French, English, Ewondo and other African languages.”
When the Pop Singer was 16, Kadda Sheekoff’s aunt told him that him and his little brother to move out and find a place. “I’m 16, no idea how to get an apartment or how to apply for a job,” he recounts. “Then one day, my aunt said we had to be out in three days. I didn’t believe her. It wasn’t really for me until I saw all my stuff in boxes by the front door.” Through friends, Kadda Sheekoff and his young brother Meranda Junior Pierre had to spend 2 weeks in a Haitian secondhand Store located in Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn, NY.
Kadda Sheekoff says he always knew he wanted to be a rapper, but it was the lack of motivation and, above all else, Families that led to a slow start. ” he says. “When I turned 18, I moved to Salisbury, Maryland. That’s where everything got a lot more serious. “That’s when I started to use my energy for the right things, in my room,” he continues. “I was uploading videos to Facebook and getting only 50 clicks.
From there, Kadda Sheekoff got bigger and bigger, performing as the opening act for Lupe Fiasco, though Kadda Sheekoff laughs at the fact that they never actually met since he traveled in a separate bus. The increased clout and platform brought bigger crowds and more opportunities, but it also revealed who his real friends were. “You just start cutting out certain people that were only holding you back,” he tells me. “At some point, you just realize the people that are there for you are the people that respect every decision you make and stand behind you every time.” Kadda Sheekoff believes that was one of the most important points in his career.
As charming as the Pop singer is, he’s also not afraid to make difficult decisions. “I just sold out “The Man Of The Hour”, and a lot of young guys in my age are still on the street, and that’s not somewhere I want to be.” Kadda Sheekoff recognizes his roots. “I come from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere according to CNN news, Donald Trump said CNN is full of fake news, I don’t know if it’s true or not. But anyway I have characteristics from Haiti, and living in Haiti can teach you positive lessons as well,” he says. “But in general, I am proud to say that I’m Haitian, and I don’t want to be American at all. I’m a rapper now.”
In addition to Afro legends Tiwa Savage, Locko, Stanley Enow and Blanche Bailly, Kadda Sheekoff gives maximum respect to Mr. Leo. He has the ability to transition from singing hooks to spitting hardcore rhymes. “I have a deep Haitian fine voice so it brings out some different kind of melodies,” he adds.
Like many young Cameroon, Kadda Sheekoff is also a hip-hop fan.
