Ypsilanti Soul Artist Kenyatta Rashon Releases New Album

Ypsilanti soul singer Kenyatta Rashon has released her new album, The Art of Keeping It Real, as the culmination of her participation in the Amplify Fellowship. The project’s first single, “Free,” is now available on all digital platforms.

“‘Free’” is a soulful R&B track about letting go, and letting life be what you make it,” said Rashon.  The song, produced by Ann Arbor hip-hop heavyweight Tru Klassick, lifts self-empowerment and self-love on a smooth lo-fi groove.

Rashon wrote the song and much of the album from personal experiences and while expecting her first child, Harlem. “The audience will be able to feel and understand embracing all things in life as well as how being open and honest with yourself can bring you closer to your dreams,” said Rashon.

Released June 18, the album is a look into the value of black love in all its forms. A narrative on the ways in which it’s meaningful and important to “keep it real” when we may want to show the strong, independent side that the world has come to expect.

The creation of the album was supported by Washtenaw County’s Amplify Fellowship, which provides recording and engineering support for artists in exchange for service to community organizations.

Sam Watson, BrxxlynBeatz, and Motor City Mello also provided production on the album, ranging from smooth ballads (“Wrong”) to upbeat anthems (“I Am”).  Rod Wallace, who executive produced it along with Harlem, said that Rashon’s album “captures a major transition point in her life that she used to fuel honesty, completion, and the possibility of new beginnings.”

Rashon was recognized as an “Artist to Watch 2021” by Current Magazine. She has also been featured in Concentrate Media and Voyage to Atlanta. She has performed with Kanye West and headlined the Ann Arbor African-American Festival for the last three years.

For more information, visit kenyattarashon.com.

Instagram: @kenyattarashon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yattarashon