Kenneth Millyun: From ‘Crossing Streets’ to a Full-Length LP

Kenneth Millyun didn’t grow up choosing between genres — he grew up inside all of them at once. Jazz, soul, funk, R&B, and hip-hop moved through his household simultaneously, and it was jazz that landed first. In a recent interview with, Millyun traced that early connection back to an unexpected place. “I used to love watching Hey Arnold! just for the jazz in it,” he said.

That foundation widened quickly. Michael Jackson, Prince, The Temptations, N.W.A, Tupac, and Phil Collins all factored into how Kenneth Millyun developed his ear — though none of them, he’s careful to point out, are the reason he started making music. “They kind of just helped shape my taste for it,” he said. The artist who actually pushed him toward the craft was OutKast, whose genre-defying ambition clearly left a mark on how Millyun approaches his own work.

That approach became most visible on Crossing Streets, his three-track EP that pulls rock and hip-hop into the same space without forcing a compromise between them. When asked which track executes that blend most completely, Millyun pointed to “Risks” without hesitation. “It just has that energy and sort of a punch to it,” he said. A fourth track, “Closed,” was recorded for the project but ultimately left off — a song, he explained, about shutting the door on a former version of himself. For now, it stays unreleased.

The conversation around Crossing Streets inevitably leads to what comes next. Kenneth Millyun has been working on a full-length LP since before the EP was finished, and by his own account, it represents a significant shift in intention. “This one’s gonna be more honest, more vulnerable, more upfront,” he said in the interview, framing the record as a statement rather than an experiment. Three collaborations are already confirmed, with Millyun describing his excitement around them as genuine.

The first indication of where that energy is headed arrives May 15, when Kenneth Millyun and fellow Houston artist TeeZol release “Call It Whatever,” a new single produced by MDawgBeatz.