About
Kemet Coleman
Kansas City rapper, producer, bandleader, and urbanist. Founder of Vine Street Brewing Co., Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery, in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.
“The spirit and soul of Kansas City.”
The Kansas City Star
The work
Music is how he builds.
Kemet has spent his life making music and his career using it to shape the city around him. A first-generation Kansas Citian and the son of a civil rights attorney, he works where culture, transit, and neighborhood development meet, with a focus on urban spaces that serve communities of color.
That work has a soundtrack. “Get Out (The KC Streetcar Song)” became the official song of the KC Streetcar during a first year that carried a million riders. The Atlantic called it “way better than any promotional song for a modestly scaled Midwest city’s streetcar line has any right to be.”
Then he built a room of his own. Vine Street Brewing Co. opened in the 18th & Vine Jazz District as Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery, and the news traveled to more than a dozen local, national, and international outlets. In 2022, he was included in the Marquis Who’s Who list of the most influential people in America.
The sound
Hip-hop with a bassline you can feel.
Kemet produces, raps, and writes. His records ride driving basslines and hard, danceable drums, bending hip-hop toward jazz, funk, and house. Across more than a dozen releases, the subjects range just as wide: life as a Black man in America, light-hearted fun, and plenty of lyrical braggadocio, with fan favorites like “Quit Cryin” featuring Mac Lethal.
Play Quit Cryin →
On stage
A complete showman.
Energized and seemingly unstoppable, Kemet commands a stage. With family ties rooted in the Deep South, his sets lean toward the dance floor: funk and soul embellishments, a percussive rap style, and melodic singing he moves between to fit any room. The look matters too. His notoriously dapper style is a form of stewardship for hip-hop culture, Black history, and gospel roots.
Has worked with Tech N9ne · Black Thought & The Roots · George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic · Kool & The Gang
2011 to now
The Phantastics
A founding member of the band The Kansas City Star called the city’s “best dance band,” sharing stages with Kool & The Gang and George Clinton.
2018 to now
Brass & Boujee
He watched Kadesh Flow rap “Alright” in front of Marcus Lewis’s 18-piece big band and knew he had to be in it. Once Marcus started arranging Kemet’s songs, he became the third frontman. The debut hit #1 on the iTunes Jazz chart and #15 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.
2012 to 2015
Center of Attention
A hip-hop duo with best friend Kyle James, behind the viral hits “Straight Outta Kauffman” and “Bender (Remix)” featuring Tech N9ne and a lineup of Kansas City rap icons.
Watch
See it live.
“Ghetto Heaven” · Brass & Boujee at Starlight Theatre
“Fake It Til I Make It” · Marcus Lewis Big Band ft. Kemet Coleman & Hermon Mehari