Kenyan gospel drill rapper XLVI K has released his debut album Racing Thoughts, a 20-track project that captures the tension between our private thoughts and the words we dare to say out loud.
Known for blending the grit of drill with the spirituality of gospel, he uses this album to push boundaries and invite listeners into the raw, unfiltered space of honest expression.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the project, the rapper described Racing Thoughts as a deeply personal journey.
“We live in the space between our truest thoughts and our voiced words,” he explained.
“It’s here that we filter our ideas, fearing they’re culturally inappropriate, too confident, or too weak. Racing Thoughts is a testament to the power of un-silencing yourself. It’s for anyone who has ever held back, for the dreams we’ve buried out of fear that they’re too big to achieve or too small to matter.”
The album has drawn praise from music tastemakers. DJ Perouz called it “a journey into that unfiltered space … a collection of songs that finds freedom in honest expression. This is the sound of speaking your mind, free from the weight of judgment.”
XLVI K is a pioneer gospel drill artiste in Kenya signed under Christian Geng Record Label. He is also the chairman of Kenya Holy Hiphop, a collective of Christian hiphop creatives in the country
Having started his career in 2022 with his debut single Afande Ati?, which highlights the plight of Kenyan citizens undergoing police brutality, especially in the slum areas of Nairobi City.
His subsequent singles and collaborations have all done quite well on streaming platforms. With the success of the singles, He has followed that up with a couple of EPs including; Peace Mtaani, Drip, Son Rise.
Asked why he prefers being masked, he says, “because it is not about me but about the one who lives in me. The aim is to see Christ not me when you hear my music.”