Kristopher Thomas Campbell (born April 27, 1990), known professionally as K Camp (stylized as K CAMP) is an American rapper. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, he first garnered attention following the release of his 2013 single "Money Baby", which led him to sign with Interscope Records. Released in December of that year, his single "Cut Her Off" (remixed featuring 2 Chainz) became his first and highest-charting entry—at number 49—on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and preceded the release of his debut extended play (EP), In Due Time (2014).
K Camp | |
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 K Camp in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kristopher Thomas Campbell[1][2] |
| Born | April 27, 1990 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Discography | K Camp discography |
| Years active | 2009−present |
| Labels |
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| Website | www |
Campbell's debut studio album, Only Way Is Up (2015) peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the double platinum-certified single, "Comfortable." His 2019 single, "Lottery (Renegade)" marked a brief period of commercial resurgence for its usage on the video service TikTok. Following its long-sustained popularity on the platform, he signed with the TikTok-subsidiary company SoundOn in 2023.[3][4]
Campbell founded the record label, Rare Sound in 2018.[5] He was selected as part of the XXL 2015 Freshman Class, and named by Rolling Stone as a "New Artist You Need To Know" that same year. He has also received nominations for a BET Hip Hop Award and an iHeartRadio Music Award.
Early life
editCampbell was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] His family introduced him to music at an early age and he has attributed some of his biggest influences as André 3000, Tupac Shakur, and The Notorious B.I.G.[1] He attended Osborne High School.[6]
Career
edit
Campbell began performing in high school, performing as part of a group called HBC (Head Busser Clique).[7] After the group broke up, Campbell continued with music, performing at open mic contests which were also frequented by artists such as Waka Flocka Flame.[1] He released a mix named "All Night" in 2009. It gained popularity in the Atlanta music scene and its popularity inspired Campbell to start taking music seriously.[7] He followed up with other mixes that included "Fan4Life" and "Show Money," and "Slumlords." These mixes began a movement in Atlanta with his "slums," a term coined to represent his family, friends, and fans. Campbell increased his notoriety in the independent Atlanta rap scene after appearing as a guest feature on Kirby Tha Hottest’s “Shawty Go”.[8] Campbell wanted to extend his career beyond the Atlanta music scene and landed a deal with Interscope Records where he released his debut EP in 2014.[1]
In April 2014, K Camp released his debut EP In Due Time, a remake of one of his original mixtapes.[9] Its debut single "Cut Her Off", featuring fellow Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz, peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[10] It was also nominated for Best Club Banger at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards.[11] The song featured vocals by 2 Chainz and in addition to Billboard, the song went number 1 on USA Today's Urban Airplay chart.[12][7] It was also remixed by artists that include Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, T.I., and YG.[7] In 2014, five of his tracks topped the Billboard Twitter Real-Time survey, which was more than any other artist for that year.[13] K Camp was also recognized by Rolling Stone as a "New Artist You Need To Know."[1]
K Camp was included in the 2015 Freshman Class by XXL Magazine, which also included artists Fetty Wap, Tink, and Vince Staples.[14] In September 2015, he released his debut studio album, Only Way Is Up, which featured performances by Snoop Dogg, T.I., and Jeremih. The second single from the album, "Comfortable", peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] Only Way Is Up was recognized by Spin as one of the 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015.[15]
Multiple EP and mixtape releases followed his debut album. After being stuck in a production deal that limited his creative freedom, K Camp was eventually released from the binding deal, although he claims he was not compensated at all for his works.[16] His second album Rare Sound, named after his own label, was released on November 2, 2018.[17] It included the single "Can't Go Home" and had guest appearances from, amongst others, Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk.[18] Camp's third album Wayy 2 Kritical was released less than a year after Rare Sound, in June 2019.[16] The album, executive produced by Camp's longtime friend and producer Bobby Kritical, highlighted Camp's "songwriting and sonic abilities".[19] Wayy 2 Kritical includes the single "Lottery (Renegade)", for which a video was released on June 27, 2019.[19] The song went viral online, inspiring a dance challenge on video-sharing app, TikTok.[20] Camp gave recognition to 14-year-old choreographer Jalaiah Harmon who originated the dance craze known as the "Renegade" dance,[21] a reference to the song's intro, which features the tag of the track's producer Reazy Renegade.[22] On April 24, 2020, K Camp released his fourth album, Kiss Five, the fifth installment in his KISS series, which previously included mixtapes. The song "Lottery (Renegade)" was included as a bonus track.[23] On July 3, 2020, K Camp released the album Rare Family.[24]
Personal life
editIn 2019, Campbell revealed that his daughter, born a year prior, died at 11 months of age.[25]
Discography
edit- Only Way Is Up (2015)
- RARE Sound (2018)
- Wayy 2 Kritical (2019)
- Kiss Five (2020)
- Rare Family (2020)
- Float (2021)
- Vibe Forever (2022)[26]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Ceremony | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | BET Hip Hop Awards[27] | Best Club Banger | "Cut Her Off" (with 2 Chainz) | Nominated |
| 2021 | iHeartRadio Music Awards[28] | TikTok Bop of the Year | "Lottery (Renegade)" | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Benson, John (August 6, 2015). "Hip-hop's K Camp gets comfortable with success". Youngstown Vindicator. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "I'm Good : CAMPBELL KRISTOPHER THOMAS". Ascap.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Cierra. "K Camp signs single distribution deal with TikTok's SoundOn". Revolt.tv.
- ^ Ebrahimji, Alisha (February 16, 2020). "This teen created the viral Renegade dance. Thanks to K Camp, she's finally getting credit". CNN.
- ^ Johnson, Jasmine (October 15, 2018). "K Camp Drops "Can't Go Home" Visual, Announces 'Rare Sound' Album". Respect-mag.com.
- ^ "Atlanta's Own K Camp Brings His TikTok Sensation "Lottery (Renegade)" To Hawks Peachtree Night On Saturday, Feb. 22". NBA.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Ryan, Patrick (July 20, 2014). "On the Verge: K Camp is a Cut above the rest". USA Today. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "Shawty Go". Apple Music. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ Garland, Maurice (May 13, 2014). "K Camp Rides Online Meme Up The Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "K Camp chart history". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Graham, Nadine (September 24, 2014). "K Camp Speaks on 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards Loss, Perfect Cuffing Season Song". The Boombox. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Rohn, Jake (June 14, 2015). "K Camp Has a Dream Feature on Only Way Is Up". BET. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "K Camp Announces Debut Album Only Way Is Up". Billboard. August 13, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "The Wait is Over: Here is the 2015 XXL Freshman Class". XXL Mag. June 3, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ "The 50 Best HIp-Hop Albums of 2015". SPIN. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Payne, Ogden (June 28, 2019). "How K Camp Overcame Career Obstacles To Release His Album 'Wayy 2 Kritical'". Forbes. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ RARE Sound by K CAMP on Apple Music, November 2, 2018, retrieved January 17, 2020
- ^ Grant, Shawn (October 2, 2018). "K Camp Announces November Release of New Album 'RARE Sound'". The Source. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Ichiki, Chase (June 27, 2019). "K Camp drops his latest music for "Lottery"". Revolt. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ Bell, Nic (February 10, 2020). "Atlanta's Own K Camp Brings His TikTok Sensation "Lottery (Renegade)" To Hawks Peachtree Night On Saturday, Feb. 22". NBA. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ "How K Camp's 'Lottery' (aka 'Renegade') went viral – and what happened next". Music Ally. March 9, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Ting, Jasmine (February 10, 2020). "This 14-Year-Old Made K Camp's 'Lottery' Blow Up". Paper. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ Ivey, Justin (April 23, 2020). "K Camp Drops 'KISS 5' Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ @kcamp (confirmed account) (July 2, 2020). "RARE FAMILY THIS FRIDAY". Retrieved July 3, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "K CAMP Disses Prairie View A&M University After Canceling Homecoming Concert". Genius.com.
- ^ "Vibe Forever by K Camp on Apple Music". July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via Apple Music.
- ^ Nostro, Lauren. "Here Are the 2014 BET Hip-Hop Award Nominees". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ Grein, Paul (April 7, 2021). "The Weeknd, Megan Thee Stallion & Roddy Ricch Lead 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2021.