How Kirby Maurier’s ‘IZ U WIT IT’ became the first song dubbed “TRAP&B”
By Cia Renae
In mid-2013, singer/songwriter Kirby Maurier started working on what would become her debut album, ‘Doing The Most’. Before the album would be released, she unveiled her first single from it titled ‘IZ U WIT IT’ and it would become the first song dubbed TRAP&B.
After the independent success of her first single “You”, Kirby released her critically acclaimed EP, “Class of ‘96” in 2012 which would feature songs sampling 90’s Hip Hop tracks specifically from the year 1996. This EP would be the template for her next release “I’m Jus Sayin” which had a 90s Hip Hop/R&B sound. It was during the fall of 2013 when Kirby wanted to take a risk. After discussing the direction of her next project with Valholla Entertainment Chairman/CEO, Vince Valholla and Vegas Fontaine, the singer wasn’t in the mood to make love songs. She wanted to have fun with her next release.
“I wanted to do a strip club song that she would be able to sing to”, Vegas said. Kirby remembers writing and recording the song vividly. “I remember being really sick when I wrote and recorded it. Listening back now, you could never tell. I wrote the song and recorded it the same day I heard the beat”, Kirby says. After recording the song Kirby knew this didn’t fit into the R&B genre. That was when she named the genre, Trap&B. The song was released in October 2013 and was supported by many of the strip club DJs in South Florida.
“I remember hearing the song in the club. It sounded amazing.” Vegas recalled. Kirby talked ‘IZ U WIT IT’, described the single and her upcoming album with Lee Castro of The Miami New Times on January 9, 2014. This would be the first time an artist would describe their song or album release as Trap&B. In the piece, Lee details how ‘IZ U WIT IT’ was “a complete 180” of her previous songs which for the most part, were about love.
Here’s an excerpt of the interview:
Kirby: “Right now I’m just into not really making love music. I’m not making love music right now. Right now I’m making Trap&B. I’m just at a point where I’m trying to have fun.”
Lee: “Speaking of Trap&B, “Iz U Wit It” is a complete 180 of those love songs. I bet you listen to it when you head out to the strip club, don’t you?”
Kirby: “Of course! I get people that write me on Instagram like, “Hey, this my song when I go out. That’s my turn up record.” It’s definitely one of those records that pumps you up. You put on your make up or you’re putting on your bling, or whatever it is, and you’re getting ready to go out to club, and you’re cruising through the club, that’s the song you need to be playing.
Honestly, I like all kind of music. I like R&B, I like hip-hop and I like trap music too, so I’m just moving. I’m just moving on. I can’t say I’m not doing R&B. I’m not going to do anything like Class of 96 anymore because that’s me too. For me right now it’s just moving on to something else that I find fun for right now.”
Lee: “You’ve heard it at the strip clubs also?”
Kirby: “Oh yeah. They play it at Coco’s, Rolex, KOD, Take 1 and I think G5. They have a couple of strippers that dance to it. That’s the song that they dance to.”
At the time, Kirby took a risk. She explored the sound she wanted to make and experimented with a sound that was new for singers. Today, the Trap&B genre is commonplace on the music scene. Kirby was ahead of her time.
Kirby’s new single “Ur Bae” is available now via her new label imprint, Island Drive Records (distributed by Valholla Records).
