April 2022

Kayla Smith, known as “Big K”, was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. Her parents were heavily influenced by the doctrine of Christianity. They spent many hours in the Christian Church, singing in the choir. Sometimes while they would sing she would observe the band and try to guess where the music was going. She would also pay attention to each section of the choir and try to understand their role. 

While her siblings were asleep often, she was very aware of the many moving parts. It was not until she became very serious about the art form known as music that she realized her past attentiveness. Even though “Big K” was raised in the Christian church, she always believed there was an incompleteness with its doctrine. While going through many ups and downs, she searched tirelessly for the spiritual betterment of self and community. 

As a collegian, she joined many Black Empowerment organizations, but could not find wholeness. She tried to identify herself with what the world was giving her. If they gave her Black, she embraced that, African-American, she accepted that, Negro, she received that, Colored, she swallowed that. The funny thing is. The answer she needed was in a book that many of us never knew has our identity and history.