Kari Faux

Arriving on the scene in 2014 with her mixtape Laugh Now, Die Later, Kari has created her own lane of southern rap infused with psych, gospel, pop, and hip hop weaved with her thoughtful and playful lyrics. In 2020, Kari released her praised mixtape Lowkey Superstar, which features the stand out tracks "LOOK AT THAT" and "CHATTIN' SHIT." The following year, Kari dropped Lowkey Superstar Deluxe, which Pitchfork described as a "fun-forward mixtape exud[ing] color and energy" and enlisted assistance from friends and artists like Baby Tate, Smino, JID, Jazz Cartier, and Deante' Hitchcock.

Little Rock's multidimensional artist Kari Faux has shared her new single "TURNIN' HEADS" featuring a verse from the legendary Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. The new song pays homage to the southern rap Kari listened to while growing up in Arkansas laced with a funky bassline and cascading piano complimenting her and Big K.R.I.T.'s vocals. Coupled with the new track is the visualizer animated by McKay Felt, who created the track artwork for both "TURNIN HEADS" and the previously released "ME FIRST." "TURNIN' HEADS" provides a taste of a larger project from Kari to arrive later this year.

Speaking about the song and working with Big K.R.I.T., Kari notes,"This song is a time machine that takes me back to growing up and living in the South. Just getting paid, hitting the town and seeing cars with candy paint and big rims and aspiring to have that one day for myself. It was an honor to have Big K.R.I.T. as a feature because he was one of the rappers that inspired me coming up and made me feel proud to be country."

"TURNIN" HEADS" follows Kari's first offering of 2023 "ME FIRST," which premiered on COLORS last year and arrived with cheeky and meta visuals directed by Cam Robert. "ME FIRST" is produced by Grammy Award-winning artist Phoelix, 2forwOyNE and Park Ave and was remixed by the producer, rapper, DJ, and singer UNIIQU3, who brought some East Coast flavor to the track with her Jersey Club remix. Kari sat with PAPER to discuss "ME FIRST," falling in love with making music again and the southern rappers who came before her.

Kari’s third LP, REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE!, dropped May 26, garnering resounding excitement and praise. Pitchfork raves that Kari “…showcases the richness of historically Black music.” i-D included REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! in their list of best spring albums of 2023, noting “The best Southern rappers have long displayed considerable emotional range, and Kari consistently does so here, while still keeping her alternative sensibility intact. 'This is for my gangsta bitches that need forehead kisses,' she raps on 'Drunk Words Sober Thoughts.'…its exploration of resilience and bereavement is the kind of thing filmmakers spend entire careers trying to capture.”