On his debut EP Pink Smoke, Kweeng Doll combines flashy beats with intense bars, showcasing an aggrandized persona as he starts his journey in the rap world. Born D’Mitry Bolden, the artist grew up splitting his time between New York and Boston, and this weekend brings that flair to Machine for the Fenway district club’s Mardi Gras party.
Kweeng was a proud Music Vocal major at Boston Arts Academy, and his study subtly seeps into his catalogue; the way he maneuvers his voice on certain tracks demonstrates his proclivity for pushing boundaries both lyrically and sonically. Although Kweeng Doll cites artists like Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj and Big Freedia as his some of his biggest influences (with the latter cosigning Kweeng Doll herself), he deviates from sticking to one particular sound. “Go Round” is a pulsating, thirst-quenching dance floor anthem while “Hercules” is a hauntingly lascivious listen into some of his wildest sexual escapades.
Cameos on Pink Smoke from artists like Sir Shanghai, BB Baribie, and CakeSwagg show that keeping up with Kweeng Doll isn’t easy by any means, but a challenge worth rising to. What the gender-fluid emcee aspires to is a lofty but obtainable goal: To transform the narrative of what masculinity means when it comes to the genre of hip-hop.
It won’t happen overnight, but with more projects like Pink Smoke, Kweeng Doll will continue to move the needle one song at a time.
MACHINE PRESENTS: MARDI GRAS :: Saturday, February 29 at Machine, 1245 Boylston St. in Boston, MA :: 10 p.m., 18-plus :: Venue info