Kota the Friend

Avery Marcel Joshua Jones, known professionally as Kota the Friend, emerged from Brooklyn with a sound that resists easy categorization. Born in October 1992, he is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer whose work centers on warmth, introspection, and a loose, lived-in musicality. The name itself came from the Disney film Brother Bear; he has said it is a Native American word meaning “friend,” a label that suits the community-minded tone of his catalog.

His discography shows steady, deliberate output. After Anything. in 2018 and FOTO in 2019, he built momentum with EVERYTHING and the first Lyrics to Go volume in 2020. The following year brought To Kill A Sunrise and Lyrics to GO, Vol. 2. He continued with MEMO and Lyrics to GO, Vol. 3 in 2022, then Protea and the deluxe edition of To See A Sunset in 2023. The Lyrics to Go series, in particular, finds him balancing ease with sharp observation, while his fuller projects tend to stretch into richer emotional territory.

Across these releases, Kota the Friend keeps a consistent identity: conversational flows, jazz-tinged soul samples, and lyrics that value perspective over bravado. His Brooklyn roots shape the storytelling, but the appeal reaches well beyond any single borough.

Discography

• Anything. (2018)
• FOTO (2019)
• EVERYTHING (2020)
• Lyrics to Go, Vol. 1 (2020)
• To Kill A Sunrise (2021)
• Lyrics to GO, Vol. 2 (2021)
• MEMO (2022)
• Lyrics to GO, Vol. 3 (2022)
• Protea (2023)
• To See A Sunset (Deluxe) (2023)