There is a musical renaissance happening in Virginia right now, and it’s been brewing over the last couple of years. Back in 2022, Norfolk’s Al-Doms scored a Pusha-T feature on “HAHA” as well as a dominating “On The Radar” Freestyle. Producer ZellTooTrill cooked up the beat for Nicki Minaj’s “Big Foot”, and the artist that this entry is about was featured on the soundtrack for the tenth installment of the Fast & Furious film series. Most recently, two natives of Woodbridge (Northern, VA) snagged slots within the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Tommy Richmann’s “MILLION DOLLAR BABY”. If you’re a music lover like me, I would suggest keeping your ears tuned into the Commonwealth.
Since he began putting out music in 2018, Khi Infinite (influenced by Andre 3000, Mos Def, and his father-legendary hip hop producer Notz) has impacted listeners with his sonic versatility, and uplifting messages through his lyrical storytelling. His recordings have landed him spots on multiple editorial playlists across DSP’s, as well as coverage by Lyrical Lemonade, LA Leakers, Elevator Magazine, Earmilk, and Ones To Watch. At the core, his music is hip-hop but more on the alternative side, as he blends bedroom pop, soul music, and alt r&b too. Earlier this year, Khi Infinite was featured alongside Pusha-T and Heir Wave Music Group signee yvngxchris on the new Red Bull Spiral Freestyle series. This month the Virginia-bred, California-residing rapper continues his outputs with the release of “Make Room” in collaboration with Solomon Fox.
“Make Room” is like a letter to those of us who get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The song has a definite vibe that feels like fresh air. Solomon Fox’s instrumentation and production acts as a backdrop for Khi Infinite’s self-reflective lyrics to flow over. Solomon Fox joins Khi in singing the pre-chorus before the outro. Overall, the track flows like a conversation between two friends: one in the position of venting and the other on the supportive side.
What I like about Khi Infinite is that he’ll let his followers and supporters into his creative process from time to time. Nine months ago on TikTok, he posted a snippet of himself when “Make Room” was in its infant stages. The caption read “Should I finish this?”. Sure enough, his comments were riddled with fans begging Khi to complete the soulful record. So, as much as this song is a gift to the world, it’s a gift to his growing core fanbase.
Earlier this year, he sang the hook on “PRAY4ME”-the uplifting, encouraging track by fellow Virginian CMRNPRKR (off of the PARK ANGEL album). That track is in the same conceptual family as “Make Room”. With more of a spotlight on his home state right now, I wouldn’t be surprised at more quality music and collaborations from Khi Infinite this year. You can watch the visualizer for “Make Room” above, and let us know how you feel about the record.