Katey Red (born May 17, 1983) is a bounce artist and M.C. from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Red is most known for being one of the first

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

rappers in

bounce music Bounce music is a genre of New Orleans hip-hop music that is said to have originated as early as the late 1980s in the city's housing projects. Popular bounce artists have included DJ Jubilee, Partners-N-Crime, Magnolia Shorty and Big Fr ...

and is credited with creating the sissy bounce genre.

Background

Red was born in the

Melpomene Projects The Melpomene Projects, officially called the Gustavo Apartments or The Guste Homes, and colloquially The Melph, are a housing complex located in the Central City, New Orleans, Central City neighborhood of New Orleans. The complex occupies ten ...

. She attended Walter L. Cohen High School and was part of the school's marching band.

Career

In 1998,

DJ Jubilee Jerome Temple, professionally known as DJ Jubilee, also known as “The King of Bounce”, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Considered a pioneer in the bounce music scene with several regional hit records such as "Stop Pause (D ...

saw Red rapping at a block party in New Orleans and signed her to his label,

Take Fo' Records Take Fo' Records is an independent record label from New Orleans and the first to specialize in bounce music. The label is a subsidiary of Positive Black Talk, Inc., was founded in 1992 and operated by creative duo Earl J. Mackie and Henry F. Holde ...

. She released her first album in 1999, titled "Melpomene Block Party". Considered the first openly gay bounce artist, Red developed a unique style of bounce, which is often referred to as sissy bounce. Her style is high energy, often employing

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

. She frequently performs and collaborates with other bounce artists, including

Big Freedia Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), better known by her stage name Big Freedia ( ), is an American rapper, singer and performer known for her work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helpi ...

Sissy Nobby Terrelle Gallo (known by his stage name, Sissy Nobby) is an American bounce artist from New Orleans, known for his hit songs, "Consequences" and "Gitty Up". Gallo is credited as one of the main pioneers of bounce music Bounce music is a g ...

, Vockah Redu, and Cheeky Blakk. In 2011, Red, along with other New Orleans bounce artists, was the subject of an exhibition at the

Ogden Museum of Southern Art The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is a museum dedicated to art by artists from the southern United States in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was established in 1999. The building The Ogden museum is located in the Warehouse Arts District of downtown ...

entitled "Where They At?". The exhibition was also taken to the Abrons Art Center in New York City and the Birdhouse Gallery in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. Red is also a

drag artist A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have ...

and performs under the name Keltnny Galliano.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1999: ''Melpomene Block Party'' * 2000: ''Y2 Katey'' * 2013: ''Katey's Hits''

Singles

* 1999: "Melpomene Block Party" *"''The Punk Under Pressure''"

Music videos

* 2011: "Where Da Melph At", directed by David S. White *2012: "Dreidel Song" by Gypsyphonic Disko, appears as featured artist * 2013: "Don't Speak (Make Ya Booty Go)", directed by David S. White

Collaborations

* 2000: ''It's a G Thang'' by K.C. Redd – performing "Tiddy Bop" with K.C. Redd * 2002: ''Choppa Style'' by

Choppa Darwin Turner, better known by his stage name Choppa, is an American rapper and singer. History His first album ''Choppa Style'' was released in 2001 by independent label Take Fo' Records. The eponymous single became a local New Orleans hit. ...

– performing "Messy B***hes" with Choppa * 2010: ''Ya-Ka-May'' by

Galactic Galactic is an American funk band from New Orleans, Louisiana. Origins and background Formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a ...

– performing "Katey Vs Nobby" with Sissy Nobby, U.S. Billboard Chart No. 161 * 2011: ''New Orleans Bounce Essentials, Vol. 2'' – performing "That's My Juvie" with

Magnolia Shorty Renetta Yemika Lowe-Bridgewater (September 30, 1982 – December 20, 2010), known by the stage name Magnolia Shorty, was an American rapper in the New Orleans–based bounce music scene.Cadogan, Garnette (August 2007). "Bounce Back: Not even Katr ...

* 2013: '' Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys'' – performing "Sally Racket" with Big Freedia and

Akron / Family Akron/Family were an American folk-influenced experimental rock band active from 2002 to 2013. Former members have lived in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; and Joshua Tree, California. Music and history Though each member of the ba ...

Filmography

Awards

In 2000, Red received the Best Emerging Rap/Hip-Hop Band or Performer at Offbeat magazine's

Best of the Beat Awards ''OffBeat'' is a New Orleans, Louisiana monthly local music magazine founded by Jan V. Ramsey in 1987. The magazine, published by OffBeat, Inc., focuses on the popular music of New Orleans and Louisiana, which is generally R&B, blues, jazz, roc ...

Personal life

Red married in 2017; her musical collaborator and friend Big Freedia was maid of honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red, Katey Living people 1983 births Rappers from New Orleans African-American rappers African-American LGBTQ people Transgender rappers American LGBTQ rappers LGBTQ people from Louisiana 21st-century American rappers African-American drag queens American drag queens Transgender drag performers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century American women rappers American transgender musicians American transgender women Transgender women singers