Quay Dash, the iconic New York rapper behind SOPHIE-produced classics “Bossed Up” and “Queen of This Shit,” is back today with brand new music. She’s teamed up with producer K.G. Helm on “5 Inch Heels,” featuring BABYNYMPH, as the second single off a collaborative EP, Untitled, due out October 31 (See also: "Hit 'Em Up"). “Rep it for the Black and the Brown, I’m runnin’ this town,” Dash spits, boasting her ability to do so effortlessly in “five-inch heels and a gown.”
Helm first connected with Dash online, as a Berlin-based musician. “We lived on opposite sides of the world,” he says, although they eventually connected in person after he flew to NYC for sessions. “The first time we met in person we made a beat together on my MPC. We had known each other for a total of about 30 minutes, but it was the perfect ice breaker.” As the two grew closer and built “real creative chemistry,” he says “some nights literally felt like magic.”
The decision to make a full project together arrived when Helm “felt a real vacancy for Quay’s voice in the world of culture.” He says, “She’s so fucking unique, there’s no one like her,” and so the two began exchanging demos, sharing inspiration, talking shit and encouraging each other. “We became hungry to make something that meant something.”
BABYNYMPH got involved after meeting Helm at an afters. “We spiraled over everything from trashy music to quantum mechanics,” Helm remembers of the encounter, describing Quay as a “serious force with an unapologetic sound.” BABYNYMPH says she then squatted in Helm’s “sci-fi ass looking” apartment for over a month (“who the fuck would resist that”), working with him on “literally anything we could put our hands on.”
Other collaborators of the Untitled EP include Dmitra, Maryposa and Sekucci, whom Helm says he “met in a K-hole once in New York and hit it off.” There’s also a special “5 Inch Heels” remix, out everywhere today, from producers Ariel Zetina and Del Hale. “I love collaborating as an artist,” Helm says. “Creating with people really connects you on another level.”
Dash and Helm tapped into different sides of each other, leaning into the rapper’s “willingness to experiment,” he says. On one track, she unveils an entirely new persona named Cleo (“Quay Dash feat. Quay Dash”). From ballroom-inspired beats to classic boom bap and trip-hop twists, Helm “made it a priority to ensure each track had its own distinct identity.” Several songs were built entirely around raw acapellas for Quay’s vocals to lead any decision-making.
“It’s been a while since Quay released stuff and I’m just so happy it’s all finally happening,” BABYNYMPH says. “The [Untitled] EP is fresh AF, it’s cunty and it fits perfectly in a club setting, as well as on the runway.”
Photos courtesy of Quay Dash
