Daddy Kaine is a masc who can be found in their signature snapback and Jordans. Baddie Kaine is a bubbly flirt who “doesn’t like to wear clothes.” Only they are the same person: gender-bending rapper NextYoungin. The Atlanta-based artist seamlessly flits between their two masc and femme personas, with lines like “He call me a baddie, but she call me daddy/I got ’em confused, huh?” Fans and haters alike are kept on their toes, not knowing which version of the artist they’ll get next.
NextYoungin tells GO Magazine they have officially entered their “Baddie Era” – a switch-up that is highlighted in their debut EP Daddy 2 Baddie, which dropped in June. The project is the perfect sampler of the 25 year old’s musical and lyrical talents – allowing them to express themselves in an unapologetic and sexy way.
When they hopped on the mic for the first time in 2020 to record the viral TikTok song “3 Musketeers” with artist ppcocaine, NextYoungin had no intention of becoming a musician; it was just for fun. The queer internet, however, grasped onto the brazenly sexual WLW song. Hot lyrics like “I’m tryna blow her back out, walking funny for the year,” quickly made the song a lesbian anthem. Nearly 400,000 people videoed themselves lip-syncing and dancing to the song. What was “just for fun” was getting serious.
“3 Musketeers” quickly rose to critical acclaim, was labeled “Song of the Year” by the New York Times, and officially recognized as RIAA Certified Gold in 2022.
The unexpected catapult to fame proves NextYoungin’s gender fluidity (and their fluidity on the track) is a quality many fans are eager to sink their teeth into. In the past four years, they have amassed over one million followers on social media, 330,000 listeners on Spotify, made their big-stage debut at Rolling Loud, released 13 singles, and toured with Memphis star Key Glock and Atlanta’s own Kodie Shane.
GO Magazine sat down with NextYoungin to discuss the queer, nonconforming future of music.
GO Magazine: You’ve had a lot of positive reception to your debut EP on social media. What was the creative process like? Was it everything you expected for your first project?
NextYoungin: Yes it was! My previous music was more from the Daddy Kaine perspective, and the EP is now me coming into my Baddie Kaine persona. I’ve always done both my whole life, but as far as the music goes, I was always doing more Daddy Kaine-type music. So this is me introducing Baddie Kaine.
GO: Was it your intention to introduce Baddie, or did that come up organically?
NY: It came more so from how I’ve been moving as a person. I have feelings that make me want to switch back and forth. It’s never like an actual thing that makes me want to — it’s just a feeling. In the time in my life when I was recording the project, I was going into my feminine era. I wanted to make it into a Baddie experience for my followers.
GO: How important is it to you to represent gender fluidity, not only in your music but in your everyday life?
NY: I’m just making sure that I’m accepting me for who I am. With social media, it’s really hard for people to be able to do that because you gotta look like this or be like this. It’s a perfect world on social media. I always try to make sure that my supporters see me being organically me and not let anything or anyone influence me.
GO: Have you always had that mindset?
NY: It’s something I had to grow into for sure. I wasn’t as confident as I am now. It’s weird how the popularity that I’ve gained kind of forced me into that mindset. If I would have never done this, where would I be mentally? Me doing this really helped my confidence because it forced me to go into that mindset of like, ‘okay, I gotta be confident in front of everybody. I gotta be on point.’
GO: Was self confidence a big theme in your EP?
NY: Yes, for sure. I have a skin condition called Vitiligo. Growing up, that was very traumatizing for me, to see spots showing up on me and people not knowing what it is. I know there are a lot of kids and people out there that are dealing with their own issues, so that’s my way to relate to them. I have all these flaws that I see within myself, but yet, I’m pushing forward. God made you the way you are, and you’re perfect.
GO: It’s crazy to think this is your debut EP because you’ve already had so much success in the music industry. Did you envision yourself going viral so quickly in your career?
NY: I definitely was not expecting the success to take off in the beginning. That was my very first song that I put out, and it went gold. In a way, I have to work backwards with my career because usually the things that I’m doing now, that’s what you would do first.
GO: What’s the biggest thing you’ve had to learn?
NY: Setting boundaries, for sure. Knowing my worth, my self respect. In the industry, you can be put in situations that you’re not really comfortable with. If they have something that you want, it may make you go against your morals or do things that you wouldn’t normally do. I’m not going to do that. Doesn’t matter what they’re offering. That’s just not me.
GO: You already had over a million followers before the EP came out. Does that put extra pressure on you?
NY: Yes! Because me coming into the music industry really wasn’t planned. I never had the inspo to be an artist. It was really just for fun, so there were a lot of things I had to learn about the industry. I was very behind. I had to catch up. So yeah, it does put pressure on me. But I feel like things are going the way they’re supposed to go.
GO: It’s surprising you didn’t see yourself doing this because you have such a strong arts background. You went to school for theater.
NY: I was always interested in music. I was in the […] marching band. I just never thought about taking it anywhere. Prior to this, I was a star basketball player. At that time in my life, I was going to the WNBA, but once I went to college, I really grew a strong love for acting as well. But it just so happened that music took off. So, I’m just going to go with this route and use it as a stepping stool.
GO: Any acting project you’d be really interested in taking on?
NY: Oh my gosh. You know Princess and The Frog? I would love to be her.
GO: Princess Tiana? I would love that for you! I need a live action version of that movie.
NY: Me too!
GO: Did you have a lot of support from your family for taking such a creative path?
NY: I grew up in a Christian home. We were very sheltered, boxed in. Things like that aren’t realistic in their mindset. I was definitely the odd apple of the family because I was taking a different route than a nine-to-five job.
GO: That’s a big reason why fans connect with you. You’re so open and welcoming. Do you have a lot of followers that reach out to you?
NY: All the time. I have a separate account that’s just called Daddy Kaine on Instagram. It’s a more personal-type vibe where they have better access to me. On Sundays, it’ll be “Venting Sundays.” They comment, and I’ll read them and respond to them. If they don’t want to comment publicly, they’ll DM me and I’ll respond to that. I also do FaceTime calls on random days. I post like, ‘facetime me’ and I’ll be taking all the calls.
GO: What are your biggest inspirations when recording?
NY: I would say that I’m very inspired by Michael Jackson’s work. I’m inspired by Justin Bieber. Growing up, those were the main artists I listened to. I wasn’t allowed to listen to other music that had cuss words, so I gravitated towards them. When I was younger, watching them perform in their music videos, I would mimic their moves. It made me want to do what they did.
GO: What about with your visuals? I know you’re a big fan of anime. Does that come into play at all?
NY: Sometimes with my previous cover artwork, I’ve incorporated like anime-type vibes. But I haven’t really got to the point where I came up with a really good idea to put a lot of effort into. If I do something like that, being that I have so much love for it, I want [fans] to know where that came from. I want to be very creative.
GO: Is there one song on the EP that really encompasses how you want to move forward in the industry?
NY: I really have two of them. I would say ‘Pop Yo Shit Twin’ and ‘That Yeah.’ Those two for sure. They send out the same message, like, I’m that bitch. I’m saying, ‘can’t nothing stop me, ain’t nothing gonna stop me.’ A lot of people doubted me. But look, I’m still here, you know?
