Few names have taken the hip-hop world by storm like ILoveMakonnen has in the last few months. A buzz-worthy mixtape artist came to mainstream fame after signing to Drake's OVO Sound label, along with having Drizzy blessing his single "Tuesday" with a verse. ILoveMakonnen's career hasn't been the same since, and Tuesdays at the club have been going up ever since.
With all the hype, it's easy to lose track of who this person really is. The singer has an experimental and somewhat controversial sound, thanks to off-pitch vocals and production from ATL producers like Sonny Digital and Dun Deal. If you've yet to check out his ILoveMakonnen EP, hit play below.
After you've listened to the EP, click through these galleries to find out 10 things you need to know about ILoveMakonnen.
Born In LA, Moved To ATL, Was On House Arrest
"Yeah, I grew up in LA. I came to Atlanta after 9/11 for high school, and then after that I got on house arrest and had to stay here for another seven years."
ILoveMakonnen was born and raised in LA before moving to Atlanta when he was 13 years old. With a background in two cities that are so rich in hip-hop culture, you can imagine how that brews up a super-unique sound like ILoveMakonnen. There's no doubt that the diverse background has helped out his success as well.
He Is Signed To Drake's OVO Sound
This fact may be the most well-known at this point. After going in on a "Tuesday," Drake decided to make things official with ILoveMakonnen, signing him to the OVO Sound label. Not only is this great for fans of ILoveMakonnen, but Drake fans can be stoked to have such a fresh sound around their boy all the time. We can anticipate a lot of awesome music from these two soon, but for now, we'll have to be patient.
He's Very New To The Game
"There are a few tracks I did when I was like 13, 14 but I don’t count those. 2011 is when I started."
Most rappers grind their whole life before getting some sort of taste of success, but ILoveMakonnen just started taking rap seriously as of recent. His dedication over the past three years are paying off quick, proving that a unique style is worth more than all the hard work you can put in to emulating a style that already exists.
He Doesn't Like The Record Label Drama
"I’m not trying to get caught up in it. I like dropping my music the way I like dropping it, doing it how I wanna do it, working with who I wanna work with...Until a label wants to put out seven million for me to be in the studio and not put shit out, I’m doing it my way. I’m the leak king."
We're sure ILoveMakonnen was up front with Drake on the terms of the deal when they inked it, and you have to admit: Drake would probably be the chillest label boss of all time. At the same time, what fan doesn't love to hear music from an artist with random, sporadic leaks?
He Was Once In Jail For Murder
"…A situation happened with [a friend] where he fuckin’ died, and they tried to say that I killed him. Which was totally not true, but it was on some accidental stuff with a gun, little stupid shit, just really childish stuff, careless, whatever. So I was in jail, and they were trying to give me 25 years and all this other shit. They were trying to take away my life. They said I was trying to set up my other friend as well."
Now I've never met the man, but there's no part of this smiley, goofy singer/songwriter that screams "murderer" to me. Unfortunately, growing up in the wrong place at the wrong time landed ILoveMakonnen in jail for murder. Luckily, he didn't get pinned for the murder, and was let out with little time spent in the pen.
As the song below infers, not selling molly is also a good way to stay out of jail, so shout outs to that.
The Doll Head Comes From Cosmetology School
"I ended up going to cosmetology school at the Beauty College of America in Forest Park, Georgia. My mom used to work as a hair technician there, so I started learning to color hair and cut hair and all that shit. Everyone got their own doll head, and I started drawing on the face to make sure people knew it was mine. They were worried it was gonna scare people and no one was gonna want to come and get their hair done, and I’d just be like, 'I’m trying to do shit for the circus, not regular bitches’ hair!'"
What's with the weird doll head imagery that's always following ILoveMakonnen around? Your answer lives in the quote above.
Apparently while under house arrest, ILoveMakonnen started to do cosmetology school. When he got his doll, he decided to make his unique with some ink. The doll head has now become synonymous with Makonnen.
He's Got Collabos With Mike WiLL Made It & Miley Cyrus In Store
"HOME" is an absolute banger ILoveMakonnen has with Trinidad James, and you can't forget the verse of Migo's "Whip It" remix. But that's not all he's got up his sleeve.
“I got a song with [Miley Cyrus] — wrote a few songs for her,” he said. “Working on her new album. Doing some stuff with Mike WiLL and her.”
Already hinting at all-star line-ups on unreleased tracks, ILoveMakonnen has confirmed that he has material with Miley Cyrus and Mike WiLL Made It. That crew could make a serious pop song that could change the landscape of the club world. Time will tell.
He's Got a Bunch of Music Out Already
So with all the hype, where's all the music at? Well in addition to a hand full of dope features, ILoveMakonnen also has numerous mixtapes and an EP out, the latter of which you can download straight from this website. Not to mention the countless one-offs on his SoundCloud.
ILoveMakonnen is the type of artist that's music has been getting better with time, and we're sure he hasn't hit his plateau just yet. With an OVO deal, his best music is definitely ahead of him.
He's been performing on the Drake vs. Lil Wayne Tour.
ILoveMakonnen turned up an Atlanta crowd when he came out during the Drake vs. Lil Wayne concert. He performed "Tuesday" and pumped the crowd up as rumors flew over the star's relationship with Drake. He also performed at two of the California dates on the tour.
He Considers Himself A DIY Artist
"I’m a DIY artist. That’s where I started at in 2011, that’s where I come from. And Silent Barn and all those people were very important to my growth early on. Before I even started making music with all the drums and bass with these radio producers, those DIY people really respected it and enjoyed it."
ILoveMakonnen shares the same indie-minded sensibilities as the likes of Kid Cudi and Danny Brown. He's all about his music first, with the money and fame taking a passenger seat to his art. That's one of the most important things when you take a look at long-term output from an artist. If they're willing to compromise their integrity for a pay check, they usually don't put out quality music for too long.