The Opener: Dani Kiyoko has their finger on the pulse of SoundCloud rap

The Opener is The FADER’s short-form profile series of casual conversations with exciting new artists.

Dani Kiyoko is beyond tapped in. Scroll through their SoundCloud likes and you’ll find a true portrait of hip-hop’s digital underground, from key figures like xaviersobased and skaiwater to up-and-comers with double-digit followers. The 23-year-old is an accomplished rapper and producer in their own right, but Dani’s true superpower might be finding your next favorite rap song before you do, if they aren’t busy recording it themself.

That voracious musical appetite is mirrored by Dani’s hyper-prolific output over the past few years: they’ve released 10 solo full-length projects to major streaming services alone since the start of 2024, not including loosies and collaborations. And while you could categorize a large swath of their more recent output as “rage rap,” no two Kiyoko releases ever sound quite the same; they’ve even got a four song Christmas EP featuring zayok and yujin.