Built Different

How I Continue Making Music From a Power Chair

When people see me in a power wheelchair, they may see the chair before they see the artist. I understand it.

But once the music starts playing, I want the music to speak for itself.

I'm King Kaution, a quadriplegic rapper and music producer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I've had to learn how to continue pursuing my passion under circumstances I never expected.

My body changed.

My passion for creating didn't.

Adapting Instead of Quitting

After becoming paralyzed from the chest down, there were obviously things I couldn't do exactly the way I did before.

That's where adaptation became important.

Music technology gives creators opportunities that didn't exist generations ago. A computer can become a production studio. Software can become an instrument. A home setup can become a place where records are created and careers are built.

Instead of concentrating only on what I couldn't do anymore, I had to figure out what I could still do—and how to do it my way.

I can still hear music.

I can still have ideas.

I can still write.

I can still create concepts.

I can still produce.

I can still record.

And I can still build a business around my creativity.

Don't Support Me Just Because I'm Disabled

Something else is important to me.

I don't want people listening to King Kaution simply because I'm quadriplegic.

I want you to press play because the record is good.

I want an artist to buy one of my beats because that beat made them immediately start writing.

I want somebody wearing Rookies 2 Legends or Built Different clothing because they connect with what the message represents.

My disability is part of my story, but it isn't the only thing that defines my creativity.

What Built Different Means

That's why Built Different became such an important phrase for me.

Being built different isn't about pretending difficult situations don't exist.

It's about figuring out how to keep moving when your original route is no longer available.

Sometimes you've got to create another route.

That applies to music.

It applies to business.

And it definitely applies to life.

Representation Matters

I also want other people with disabilities to see creators who look like them participating in industries where they aren't always represented.

We can be artists.

We can be producers.

We can be engineers.

We can own companies.

We can create clothing.

We can run websites.

We can create content.

We can be the person behind the scenes and the person in front of the camera.

I'm doing what I can to create my own lane.

If that motivates somebody else to start creating, that's another victory.

I'm King Kaution.

Quadriplegic.

Artist.

Producer.

Entrepreneur.

Still creating.

Still building.

Still rolling.

Built Different.

Discover the music, beats and merchandise at KINGKAUTION.COM.