It's Rated R is much more than explicit content, but unapologetic vibes and music that lives in the clubs, in car speakers, and AirPods. The New Jersey bred duo, comprised of rapper Jada and singer Kiara, have a shared story that’s just as compelling as their music. From their introductory banger “Boss In Me,” all the way up to their latest “On Star,” Rated R brings the heat. And they’re just getting warmed up.

 

Both Jada and Kiara had aspirations of stardom, though neither realized their paths would cross and connect until one fateful day at the studio. Jada first got her start writing rhymes at 16, though she understood her mission from a young age. “I remember one day when I was really little, I held up a magazine with a picture of Lil’ Kim and said, ‘This is who I’m trying to be!’” she says with a laugh. Most kids want to be astronauts or teachers at that age, but she wanted to be the Queen Bee. By her teenage years, Jada took that inspiration from artists like Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj straight to the studio to start crafting her style. By the time she was 18, she was dancing in the clubs, understanding exactly the kind of music she needed to be making to keep the party going.

 

Kiara was born into a family of singers. “We all sing,” she explains, raised on New Jersey legends like Faith Evans and Whitney Houston. It wasn’t long before Kiara knew she could sing too. “I was like five years old,” she remembers, as her family mobilized to cultivate that talent. It took a while for Kiara to build up the gumption to actually hit the studio. When she did, she would eventually meet her partner in crime.

 

Before becoming Rated R, the two starlets were constantly passing through the studio of G. Wynn, co-founder of New Jersey collective All Fam Entertainment. “If you were from our part of NJ and weren’t at G’s studio, you weren’t trying to be lit,” Jada adds. G was in the early stages of re-vamping All Fam with partner Sam R.I., but his studio was a local hub for burgeoning talent. He wanted the two girls to meet for nearly a year, and finally one day they were both serendipitously at the studio. “We connected immediately,” Kiara says, “and that night we cut ‘Boss In Me.’” They came up with the name Rated R because they’re, “Explicit but not over the top” and “Aim to inspire women to freely express themselves.”

 

Their introductory track made waves quickly, as Rated R was a perfect blend of smooth R&B and rugged Hip-Hop. They secured their first interview on Power 105.1 with famed DJ Suss One and have rocked stages from New York City to Atlanta and festivals like SXSW and Rolling Loud. With each new release Rated R outdoes themselves. There’s the empowering “Boss In Me,” the extra energetic “Pull Up,” the radio-ready “Bad Guy,” the sensual “Tonight” and the sexy “On Star.” And there’s much more in store.

 

“We’re just getting started,” Jada says matter of factly, “but we know we’re gonna take over.” Kiara finishes her thought: “There isn’t another group like us—with a singer and a rapper—so we want to make music that takes you back but pushes you forward...and makes you feel good.”