Thanks to Kedric Vance, this feature brought back memories of college gatherings with friends, playing spades, and enjoying fried catfish and spaghetti. Check out the recipe below!
Kedric has always had a natural talent for music. As a child, he could memorize entire songs, including complex ones, like Kris Kross’s “Jump”. His sister recalls that he knew the whole song by heart when he was just three years old. However, it wasn’t until he was around nine years old that he began writing music and freestyling with his friends, honing his skills and recognizing his gift. At age 14, Kedric’s cousin, who was passionate about nurturing others’ talents noticed his musical abilities and took him to a studio. There, Kedric recorded his first songs, freestyling over beats, marking his initial studio experience in 2001. After graduating high school at 17, Kedric recorded his first mixtape at 19, which gained some attention in Nashville. As he worked on his second project, he married his high school sweetheart Jennifer, and started a family, leading to a temporary slowdown in his music career.
Over time, Kedric experienced significant life changes that deepened his Christian faith. Although he grew up attending church, it was more out of obligation to his parents than belief. These impactful moments led him to commit his life to God, prompting him to step away from his music to focus on his faith.
Kedric wasn’t heavily involved in music initially but was exploring his identity in Christ. His cousin introduced him to Christian rap, particularly an artist named Bizzle, who owns the label God Over Money. Inspired by Bizzle’s music, and other Christian rappers like Derek Minor, he felt a pull towards Christian music. After praying about it, Kedric met Derek Minor at the airport, where he worked. He told Derek about his interest in Christian music, and Derek encouraged him to pursue it.
He returned to his former engineer, recorded a mixtape called “Born Again” in 2015, and saw Derek Minor again, giving him a copy of his mixtape. This encounter motivated him to continue making Christian rap music. For the past nine years, he has worked independently and with a group of rappers in Nashville collectively under the name Bout That Life Ministry & Music, releasing two group projects and constantly working on his music.
Kedric’s musical influences include Nas, whose wordplay and storytelling have significantly impacted him. Despite being from the South, Kedric is heavily influenced by East Coast hip-hop, enjoying artists like Jay-Z and Fabulous. This East Coast style is evident in his music. He also draws inspiration from Christian hip-hop artists like Derek Minor, Lecrae, Social Club, and Bizzle. He is currently working on multiple projects, including “Spiritual Patriots 2” with fellow Christian rapper Eli, a third group project, and his solo album “Motivation Muzik” set for release in August 2024.
Kedric is deeply involved in community outreach and actively participates in an annual back-to-school event called Charm, which provides school supplies to underprivileged children and features appearances by Titans players and celebrities. His core message to fans emphasizes balance in life, faith, and ministry, which he believes starts at home. Kedric encourages others to take risks and pursue their passions, inspired by the pivotal role his late cousin played in his music journey. Looking ahead, he hopes to continue his current work while also mentoring new artists. Check out the links below to follow Kedric and can’t wait to listen to more music later this summer from him!
Follow KDV Music on IG
Apple Music Page
When it comes to food, Kedric has a deep love for classic soul food, particularly fried catfish, coleslaw, spaghetti with meat sauce, and garlic bread. Growing up, his mom would fry catfish every Friday, accompanied by homemade brownies, making it a family staple. Despite his love for hearty dishes, Kedric is conscious of his health due to his strength training routine. His daily meals often include meal-prepped options like salmon with rice or flank steak with asparagus and rice, focusing on maintaining a healthy diet. Salmon with veggies and rice is a frequent go-to for him.
Living in Nashville, a city known for its diverse food scene due to an influx of new residents, Kedric enjoys a variety of cuisines but always comes back to his favorite: catfish and spaghetti. He also loves grilled cheeseburgers and fries, honey barbecue wings and lemon pepper wings, fried bologna sandwiches, and tuna fish sandwiches with Ruffles chips inside the sandwich for extra crunch. Though he tries to avoid excessive snacking, he includes protein bars to fuel his workouts. In the studio, Kedric prefers hot tea or coffee to loosen his vocal cords, and occasionally a bag of chips or something greasy for energy. He focuses on staying hydrated with plenty of tea or water. For sweets, Kedric enjoys marble cake with chocolate frosting, classic vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, pies like chess pie and double chocolate pie, key lime pie, and cheesecakes, especially the Snickers cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. He also loves Reese’s cups and peach cobbler.
With Juneteenth and Black Music Month in June, I could not think of a better time to highlight Kedric’s all-time favorite dish: the classic soul food dish, fried catfish, and spaghetti. This recipe has been perfected for maximum crispiness and received rave reviews from my son who loves catfish. It’s a comforting, soulful meal perfect for family gatherings. Check out the recipe below for a delightful culinary experience.
Catfish & Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients for Catfish
- 2lbs Catfish Fillets ( should be about 4 to 5 fillets)
- 1½ cups canola oil
- 3/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients for Spaghetti
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 2 tablespoons EVOO, separated (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- 1 cup fresh yellow onion, chopped
- 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 14-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 14-ounce package spaghetti pasta of choice
Directions
- Begin with making your spaghetti sauce. In a saucepan, brown the ground beef in one tablespoon EVOO with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and turmeric until browned.
- Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, 1 tomato paste can of water, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, and oregano and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then keep warm while beginning to fry the catfish.
- Clean and trim the catfish filets to prepare for frying. In a large mixing bowl, add the mustard and hot sauce and toss the catfish filets in the mustard mixture making sure to evenly coat on all sides.
- Combine garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, cornmeal, lemon pepper, salt, and pepper in a 9 by 13 pan.
- Heat the canola oil in a cast iron skillet to about 350F. You will know when the oil is ready if you sprinkle a tiny bit of cornmeal in the oil and it sizzles.
- While the oil is heating, take your catfish fillets and place it in the cornmeal mixture to evenly coat all sides. Make sure to pat the fillet to make sure its coated properly. Repeat this twice with each catfish fillet.
- Preheat oven to 200F. Prep a baking pan with a baking rack on top to place your fried catfish.
- Fry catfish fillets in batches for 4 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reads 145° F.
- Place each batch of catfish that is fried on the baking rack and in the oven to keep it warm and crispy.
- Cook your spaghetti noodles according to package directions and toss with 1 tablespoon EVOO. Then toss with your meat sauce.
- Serve with the fried catfish, garlic bread, and coleslaw of choice. Enjoy!
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