indie rapper kota the friend makes music to warm your soul on “like water”

There’s music for getting you fired up to take to the streets and smash the system, and then there’s music to talk you down and remind you that the world is still a fundamentally decent place where people fall in love, and chill with their friends, and go to the goddamn beach. That’s where KOTA The Friend comes in.

The young MC and producer has been making waves over the past year, first as an absurdly talented cinematographer for other artists, and now as an artist in his own right. A multi-instrumentalist and all around polymath, this kid makes songs that make you feel glad to be alive. From the unabashed optimism of “Sunny Day” to the surrealist love song “Like Water,” KOTA mixes vibrant imagery with lush production. The video for “Like Water” has a dude with a bird head. Why does it have a dude with a bird head? Because it’s dope. Not everything needs to be analyzed. Check this kid out. His new EP “Paloma Beach” is coming soon.