In the beginning, PNK KanD was pretty ratchet.
I had actually designed her essence from the example that mainstream female rappers are setting today.
But when I realized the full potential of the character and the chance to bring her to life, I also realized that she needed to be more realistic than what I’d already written.
There was no point in me writing a character that I wasn’t comfortable portraying.
When I took a step back and looked at the female rap niche from a birds eye view, I was able to put my finger on exactly what I would do differently.
And, it was super obvious to me as soon as I took the few seconds to be objective and scholarly about everything.
Fashion has always been incredibly important to me, ever since I was a little kid.
So I asked myself the question:
“If you could wear anything to work and no one could say anything about it, what would you wear?”
And the answer was simple: hoodie and sweats, flatbill or beanie.
The other question I had to ask myself was:
“What kind of example do you want to set with your lyrics?”
The answer to those two questions created an iconic sweetheart of a main character who I am absolutely in love with.
Now, PNK KanD is not the first woman to rep “Sweatpant Drip,” and hopefully she won’t be the last.
Trend setters like Missy Elliot and Gwen Stefani have been repping B-Girl Chic and Glam Punk since their day ones.
Billie Eilish was also a key player in bringing the trend back.
If it wasn’t for her “Bad Guy” era, I wouldn’t have been confident enough to have Sweatpant Drip be KanD’s signature style.
But, with that being said, since releasing Breakout, Sweatpant Drip has made a huge comeback.
From Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj rocking sweats at their shows, to Throwback Dance Fitness routines like the one Popsugar Fitness released on their YouTube channel slate 2023.
Looking back at Breakout now, two years later, is absolutely mind boggling.
I started fleshing out the concept for this project in 2020. And the album alone took over a year to create.
It’s the longest I’ve ever taken with a book project, and it completely changed the way I work on books.
Working with GuyBeats was an incredible experience. All the beats were already “free for profit” beats (they were free to use on professional distribution platforms like Distrokid) but I needed a lot of help with the mastering side of things and making a good album.
GuyBeats literally taught me everything I know about how to be an independent artist in 2022.
Then I set out to make the PNK KanD
music videos, with a budget of like, $150.
All of my PNK KanD costumes I scored at Goodwill. (Although, admittedly, I already had the sweatpants. They were still from Goodwill 😂)
My wigs were either DIY modifications of wigs I already had, or extensions clipped onto a base wig. The main, PNK KanD Bob is the only wig I bought new for the project.
I used Rimmel London makeup from Walgreens.
I was lucky enough that one of my friends was willing to film a few music videos for me, just for the love.
We filmed (and edited) everything on my iPhone 6.
And it’s kinda hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we pulled it off.
Sure, the videos didn’t get a gazillion views like I hoped. Nothing went viral. And honestly, the PNK KanD Project is still a bit of a “best kept secret”.
But for having no idea what I was doing, very little resources, and a shoestring budget, we totally pulled it off.
I even got to do a guest speaking event for a Teen Night at the local library, talking to 12-18 year olds about how they can do anything they put their minds to.
Because the biggest thing Breakout taught me is that we are only limited by our imaginations. Anything is possible if you want it to be.
A year after the first PNK KanD book was released, I was introduced to Adrianne Tachera and her incredible work.
I can’t imagine the series any other way now.
Because of Adrianne’s work, Breakout has sold over 2,300 copies. (And counting.)
As for what’s next, the second PNK KanD book is well on its way, with new music and a new book set to release by June 2025.
There aren’t any music videos planned for this release. Partially because Breakout, On Tour is released while KanD is touring and realistically there wouldn’t be music videos for an album produced on the road. But also because, filming and editing even just one music video is admittedly exhausting.
I’ll never forget how the music video for I’ll B Ur Hero took upwards of 9 hours to film and edit… for a 3ish minute video.
Mad props to the people who do that for a living!
What I am doing is diligently working on the mixtape mentioned in the first book, in addition to making sure that the upcoming album is the best it can be, despite the fact that GuyBeats is not mastering this one for me.
Don’t worry, details about the book two will be released soon 😘
Join the Sweatpant Drip Revolution with a “Hot Goodie” Hoodie, here.
And you can pick up Breakout (Book 1) at your favorite online retailer, here.
Until next time, Sweetheart, may peace, love, light and happiness always be with you.
E.
I love it! I totally wish I could rock that sweatpants drip to work too .