By Sofia Lamento, Free State Festival Contributor
Rapper, trombonist, and anime enthusiast Ryan Davis, better known by his stage name Kadesh Flow, has built a career out of merging jazz, hip hop, and anime culture into something entirely his own. For the 2025 Free State Festival, multimedia intern Eddie Haith sat down with Davis for a wide-ranging conversation about authenticity, artistic risk, and how Kansas City shaped his evolution as Kadesh Flow.
“As Kadesh Flow I am a rapper, singer, trombonist, producer who performs music, writes, composes, and performs music that lyrically deals with how I see the world, especially life moments, social, cultural issues, global issues,” Davis told Haith.
Throughout the interview, the thread of authenticity came through clearly.
“Authenticity is about being yourself,” Davis said. “It sounds simple, but it is everything.”
Davis has carved out a niche by staying true to his passions, but he’s also learned how underestimated Kansas City can be as a cultural incubator. He believes that although it may be an off-market city, the level of talent across genres is incredible.
“I don’t think people outside of Kansas City and even many people in Kansas City, understand how much of a world class talent incubator this city is,” said Davis.
He’s witnessed friends and collaborators go on to Grammy- and Tony-winning careers, and he’s stayed rooted in the KC community, even when the industry infrastructure didn’t always match the talent level. He also spoke about the musical excellence and mentorship culture in Kansas City, especially the moments that pushed him to raise his standards. In 2019, Davis was coming off a difficult year and a tough show when vibraphonist Peter Schlamb gave him a ride home and told him point-blank:
“You are a world class musician. Stop doing things with people and in situations that are not world class,”
“That conversation changed everything,” Davis said. “That’s what this community can do, elevate you with love and honesty.”
Kadesh Flow is one of many artists attending the premiere of Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, screening at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26 at the Lawrence Arts Center as part of the Free State Festival. The film is R&B artist Swamp Dogg’s debut documentary-style project, following the legendary cult musician and his friends as they navigate the ever-changing music industry.
“It seems like a goofy thing. I’m looking forward to seeing what actually happens,” he said. “I think it’s a really smart and cool move for him,”
Davis feels equally excited by the plot and the movie’s concept itself. He described it as a unique way to learn more about an artist people love.
“I think it’s cool to have musicians who have, like, cult followings or niche followings do things that allow the people paying attention to them to have a deeper lense into a piece of their life and process in a way that also allows their audience to expand,” he said.
You can catch Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted at the Free State Festival on Thursday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center.
