Emotion, vision, and intensity: the new mixtape by MC Ktrine

Raised in the periphery, surrounded by YouTube beats, Ktrine has always been surrounded by music. But it was through rap and funk that she established her foundations. She found her voice at 12, when she swapped the “type beats” for claps and decided to be an MC. Although music has always been present in her life, it was from that moment that she became ready.

Between conscious funk and hip-hop, her identity has been shaped by her experiences — both her own and others' — and by the urgency to express herself more authentically. Her new mixtape, ‘Bandida Só Gosta’, translates this: a work that reveals multiple versions of herself, with tracks that function as suspects of a grand sonic and visual operation.

We spoke with MC Ktrine beyond the mixtape, diving into the journey and processes that accompany her to this day. Check it out below.

NOTTHESAMO: At what moment did music enter your life? Was there a key moment when you felt: “this is what I want to do”?

Katrine: At 12. When I try to remember a key moment when I decided, it was at 12 when I migrated from YouTube's type beats, where I didn’t even consider myself a singer, and said: I'm going to be an MC and perform with claps. Music has always been there, but I became ready for it at 12.

NTS: Conscious funk and hip-hop have always walked with you. How was that process of finding your voice within these genres?

K: They have always been there. I think we identify and reflect similarities from what we listened to most in childhood. My uncles consumed a lot of rap, and funk, you know? You can't be from the hood and not listen.

NTS: What was it like growing up within the São Paulo funk scene? What were the biggest lessons you took from here?

K: Very crucial. We never have a real sense of how our hustle is on the streets, but I believe I'm making some noise. The lesson is that everything you dream of is more extraordinary than reality. Learning to observe what you asked for and received, so as not to lose the taste of achieving it, because in the dream it might seem bigger.

NTS: What have been the main inspirations — musical, visual, or emotional — that led you to “Bandida Só Gosta”?

K: My greatest inspiration is life experience — mine, others' — so I think I build a lot of my stuff based on what I’m living or observing others live. Musically, I really like the trap from the boys of Ehxis. I think when it comes to riding that wave, they are a good reference. And the visual aspect comes from each track having its character, so we thought about putting together an “operation” containing the tracks and each “suspect”.

NTS: Would you say that this mixtape represents a new version of yourself? Or a more revealed version of what has always existed?

K:⁠ No one is just one thing. In this mixtape, I wanted to emphasize this unlikely other side, which also carries much of what I already show. I believe that in this way, I am walking a solid path so that I won't be placed in a niche — because no one is just one thing.

NTS: How do you see yourself today within the music market, especially being a woman on the frontlines of conscious funk?

K: I see myself as someone who is still starting out, learning, and thankfully standing out. The focus is not to deceive the mind with fame, which comes before the money and often blinds from the objective. 

NTS: What has been the biggest challenge of staying authentic in this industry hustle?

K: I don’t see it as a challenge. There’s no way for me to be another thing, so I keep going. For those who aren't original, the challenge is to do the same.

NTS: What’s it like working with the people at Ehxis Studio? Has this partnership changed anything in how you build your projects?

K: Ehxis is like an art school. It brings us a different perspective on projects, on how to launch and make them successful — solid projects, too. My heart lives there.

NTS: This mixtape serves as a bridge to your first album. What can you preview about what's coming up?

K: ⁠The mixtape was a last ride out there to bring with the album the “mother of the conscious” era. So expect a lot of good rap and funk.

NTS: If you could give advice to someone, what would you say?

⁠K: The advice is the hustle.