The Friend is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
Kota most recently released his 5th Lyrics to Go album, titled ‘Lyrics to Go Volume 5’, on January 25, 2024 with two songs featuring Hit Boy, the grammy winning producer who recently produced an entire project for Nas.
Kota currently lives in Brooklyn, is married and has two children.
Kota is a trained musician, with the trumpet as his main instrument. However, he has been extremely successful as an independent hip hop artist.
Kota the Friend release his debut mixtape, Palm Tree Liquor in 2016, followed by his second mixtape Paloma Beach in 2017. In 2018, he released his third mixtape, the lengthier Anything, with 2019 marking the release of his first independent studio album, FOTO, followed by the Lyrics to GO, Vol. 1 compilation in January 2020 and then his second studio album, EVERYTHING, in late May of the same year. Kota then went on to release Lyrics to GO, Vol.2 in January 2021 and the collaborative project To Kill A Sunrise with Statik Selektah later in March. Lyrics to GO, Vol.3 was surprise-released in January 2022, with Kota’s third studio album, MEMO, following in July of that year.
Kota has remained an independent artist throughout his career—turning down 3 major record labels; instead, creating his own label and apparel store FLTBYS. He frequently cites a do-it-yourself mentality, such as filming his own music videos, recording within a home setup, and producing most of his discography. His mentality was fueled by a desire for freedom and to avoid the sense of musical confinement.
At the end of 2023 Kota went on a US Tour, in 20 cities, selling over 18,000 tickets. He’s known for engaging with his fans before, during and after the show. His fan base spans the globe and continue to show their loyalty through merch, music and ticket sales, globally, from Brooklyn to Beirut.
Kota the Friend cited Jay-Z, Nas, Kid Cudi, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Pharrell as some of his influences in music.