Meet Kent Washington of TRIFECTARECORDS

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kent Washington.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kent. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My passion for music started very early. Growing in Colorado Springs, my family was heavily military. I’m truly blessed to have the parents that I have because they groomed my artistic/musical pallet. My mother, Pat Washington, grew up in the Bronx and East Harlem. She was LIVING the Hip-Hop lifestyle when it was originally cultivated in NYC. The stories about Grandmaster Flash’s Block Parties and her overall experience within that cultural hotbed was extraordinary. My father, Kent Washington Sr., grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. He was a drummer for a few Funk bands locally. Music was always blasting at our house. Tupac to George Clinton, Cameo to Mary J. Blidge. Ohio Players to Dipset. Once my half-brother came to live with us, he introduced me to Miami-based music since he grew up in Dade County. My godparents were Puerto Rican and Black, so my Godsisters exposed me to more international sounds. There was never a time where I wasn’t around music.

As I grew older, my love for Hip-Hop became more intensified. However, I was curious to experiment multiple genres. My friend group was beyond diverse and they provided tons of material. I love Slipknot, 311, Metallica, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Machinehead, Korn and many more. I was writing raps at the age 9. By 12, I was recording my demo freestyles on cassette tapes. By 15, I was recording songs on Windows Recorder and Audacity. By 17, I started engineering with my brother Chris X on Garageband and Logic Pro X. My infatuation with Hip-Hop culture, made me obsessed about my craft. Throughout middle and high school, I would cypher and freestyle with kids in the neighborhood. I knew I had talent and always believed that I would be one of the biggest artists in the world. Looking up to Pre-MAGA Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Travis Scott… made me feel like I could take over the world through music. It sucks because I feel like music doesn’t feel like that anymore. The magic is not as prevalent as before. I promised myself that I would work to recreate that feeling. Work to make music more complex and vulnerable… humanizing. I competed in poetry slams. Transitioned to Speech and Debate in high school, became Top Ten in the State for Poetic Interpretation.

At the age of 16, I went to the Black Sheep to see Hopsin and Funk Volume’s show in Colorado Springs. I was one of three random emcees handpicked by Hopsin, himself. We had to freestyle on the spot and crowd determined the winner. I destroyed that shit and won the cypher. A completely monumental moment for me at the time. A year later, I opened for Hopsin and Dizzy Wright in the same venue. I was a part of No Coast Company at the time. I was a co-founder and it was a collective of hometown friends looking to put Colorado on the map. There’s an East and West Coast, however, we have No Coasts. I was a rapper and poet. Then, I became my own manager in a lot of respects. I booked 95% of the No Coast shows. Opening for national acts such as Snow Tha Product, Waka Flocka Flame, Flatbush Zombies, and Denzel Curry. The collective collapsed and went solo for some time. I was still creating music in college.

Colorado State University provided me the necessary space for me to grow into a better man. For good, for bad, I’ve learned a lot during my undergrad. I was a Theatre/Ethnic Studies student. Heavily involved with on-campus organizations, event planning and live performance. Directly responsible for bring national acts like JID, Jhene Aiko, Eric Bellinger, King Los, Audio Push and Casey Veggies to Colorado State University. A predominantly white institution that lacked diversity and equity. We had to fight to maintain agency. To maintain our voices. I would DJ, perform, direct and oversee events all at the same time. Continued to build and grow, then, created another collective called, DEATHTRAP.

DEATHTRAP – “Embracing our most vulnerable and darkest vices, then transforming that energy into productivity, positivity and prosperity. Understanding your limits without no limitations. Our brand makes the comparison between the human body and a motorized vehicle. That vehicle representing the DEATHTRAP we all live with. Drive too fast, you have a higher chance of crashing and burning. Drive too slow, you will never progress and reach your goals in time. The decisions we make can very well be your own demise, funeral, or DEATHTRAP. We embrace balance. With fiery passion and limitless creativity, we speak for a new generation who is not afraid to take chances, chase their dreams or take life by the fucking horns. Ultimately, being the master of their own DEATHTRAP.”

We booked and performed with national acts like K-Camp, Blueface, Project Pat, Taylor Gang and more. The group lasted for two years until personal vendettas took over. Extremely hurt and alone with lack of support system, I went down a dark place for a year. I lost a sense of myself. I was giving myself to others, rather than distribute that energy for myself. I was allowing others to steal my light and joy. To be honest, it wasn’t a positive environment for us to thrive as artists. Everybody had their fair share of shit they were dealing with. Unfortunately, a lot of the finger-pointing came back to me. As a leader, you learn how to navigate through reality and perception. Plus, with 8 years of experience under my belt… why wouldn’t I distribute all of this energy into myself? It took me a year and a half to realize that I was holding myself back. Fuck role models. Fuck friends. Fuck you if you don’t believe. My job is to turn non-believers into believers. I dealt with lies and manipulation from those who I loved. Or claimed to have loved me. I’m not saying I’m perfect. I’ve dealt with my fair share of toxic behavior, self-hatred and self-abandonment. I was terrible with money management. I ran to my vices instead of seeking professional help. I searched for validation and comfort through sex, in a selfish way. I ruined a lot of great friendships with women, due to my misogynist and dehumanizing approaches. Which was completely wrong. Self-work is indeed the best work. Decolonization work is some of the most difficult work to do.

Nothing that kills me, makes me stronger. I’m here. I’m Kent. Divinely guided and highly blessed. Remember, “CONTENT is KING, but CONTEXT is GOD”. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m my worst critic. Being so self-critical is not healthy for anyone. Instead of internalizing, let’s work and place the action forward. I had to fall back in love with myself. So, I’m completely solo. I own my publishing. I created “TRIFECTARECORDS” and gearing for my first official debut album, “Children of the Indigo”.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think I touched on it previously. It’s never an easy road. Nipsey always preached to take the stairs and never quit. You’re going to deal with fake friends/family, heartbreak, disappointments, hate and more. I’ve lost more money than I’ve ever made. Sometimes this lifestyle isn’t the healthiest as well. You really have to be ten toes for YOURSELF. Just don’t quit. I will never quit and God has my back. I’ll be okay. Walk by faith, not by sight ALWAYS.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about TRIFECTARECORDS – what should we know?
TRIFECTARECORDS will be my label/publishing house. I have ownership and that’s so important. So many artists in Colorado, do NOT own their publishing. I take pride in my unique and refreshing sound, but, super blessed to have such an innovation entrepreneurial mindset. Kent Washington is the main focus and I won’t sign any artists any time soon. This is the time to focus 100% on me. I deserve it. It’s the first time that I’m allowing myself to maximize Kent. For the past eight years, I’ve been known for my high-energy live performances, exceptional workplay and unapologetic passion for Hip-Hop. I believe that I will be Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi level. I believe myself more than anybody else. I never had to follow trends, I’m just Kent Washington. I’m truly ahead of my time.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
God. My parents, Auntie Keisha, Maritza, My Fans, Chris X, Deon, Khalil, Jian, Ramond, Duan Ruff… Shoutout to all of the amazing women of color in my life as well.

Contact Info:

• Email: trifectarecordsintl@gmail.com
• Instagram: @nocoastkent

Image Credit:
Josh Moser, DJ Yetty, Uriah Rivera, Garrett Hayes

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