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iLoveMakonnen

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iLoveMakonnen
ILoveMakonnen performing in 2015
ILoveMakonnen performing in 2015
Background information
Birth nameMakonnen Kamali Sheran
Also known asMakonnen Danny Morris
Born (1989-04-12) April 12, 1989 (age 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2008–present
Labels
Websiteilovemakonnen.com

Makonnen Kamali Sheran[1] (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer.[2] Makonnen is best known for his 2014 hit "Tuesday" which featured Canadian rapper Drake.[3]

Early life

Makonnen Kamali Sheran was born on April 12, 1989,[4] in South Los Angeles, California,[5] and was named after Makonnen, father of Ras Teferi who was later crowned as Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. His father is a first generation immigrant from Belize who worked as an electrician and his mother was a nail instructor who worked in the beauty business for over 30 years.[6] In an interview, he described himself as mixed with African American, Indian, Irish, Belgian, German and Chinese heritage.[7]

Growing up in Los Angeles,[6] he moved to the Atlanta area when he was 13 years old, due to his parents' divorce. There, he witnessed the death of a close friend in his senior year in high school.[6]

His grandmother was an opera singer, which influenced his musical career.[citation needed]

Career

2008–2013: Career beginnings

"I was hanging out with drug dealers and thieves and the pretty girls that were popular. The kids thought I was kind of bad. Not reckless, but a badass. A lot of people really look up to me. I kind of represent them. It's like, they'll stand behind me, but they won't stand beside me."

ILoveMakonnen in an interview with journalist Naomi Zeichner from BuzzFeed magazine in August 2014.[8]

Makonnen started making songs on his computer and uploading them to MySpace. On this website, he met rising musicians, such as Adele. Makonnen also created a blog, where he would post interviews with musicians such as Lil B and Soulja Boy Tell'em.[8]

After a period under house arrest following the accidental fatal shooting of a friend,[9] he enrolled in a cosmetology school and became a part of a group called Phantom Posse.[8][10][11] In January 2012, Makonnen met Atlanta producer Mike Will Made It and formed a brief professional relationship with him. However, because of Mike Will's busy schedule, the two were not able to meet often, and soon were separated from each other.[7]

2014: Rise to prominence

In March 2014, record producer Mike Will Made It would reply to Makonnen and brought him to the DTP studios, where he played some of his songs towards a fellow producer Metro Boomin. Metro instantly liked Makonnen and stayed in touch with him. Later, after recording six songs together, Metro brought these fellow Atlanta producers Sonny Digital and 808 Mafia, who were all unusually impressed with him. Two days later, Makonnen recorded the song, titled "Don't Sell Molly No More" with Sonny Digital, which would later launch his music career. Sonny Digital introduced him to the other Atlanta producers such as DJ Spinz, Dun Deal and St. Louis producer Cammy Recklezz. He started gaining local fame within the community with songs such as "Living on the Southside", "Sneaky Lady" and "My New Friend".[12] Makonnen was then featured on Mike Will's mixtape, titled Ransom.

In July 2014, the singer released his self-titled EP iLoveMakonnen, which included the singles "Tuesday" and "I Don't Sell Molly No More".[13] The latter reached pop singer Miley Cyrus, who shared it on her Instagram. The post got over 210,000 likes and counting, that brought a lot of new fans to Makonnen.[12][14] On August 15, 2014, Vice included his song "Whip It" in their Staff Picks for the Week list, commenting: "Makonnen's voice is incredible! ... How could you not have a good time listening to this song? If there is anyone I trust to teach me how to whip it, it is definitely my friend Makonnen."[15]

In August 2014, after hearing "Tuesday", Drake asked one of the song's producers, Sonny Digital, if he could remix the song. Makonnen agreed to send it to Drake, but didn't think much of it. However, two days later Drake released a remix.[16] Makonnen later commented: "Yeah, I surprised. Shocking. Drake listens to Makonnen. It was great. I was excited. Surprised, shocked. Just overwhelmed."[5] The remix, simply titled "Tuesday" went viral and led to increased media interest in iLoveMakonnen.[13][17]

In August 2014, Makonnen was featured in XXL's The Come Up section, which focuses on new artists.[5] He later stated he was not looking for a major label deal and instead planned to go touring and record music independently: "I'm not too thirsty to sign a deal. Cause a label will really just take all your free music down and you have to be somebody's bitch." On September 1, 2014, it was announced that Makonnen had signed to Drake's label OVO Sound, which is distributed by Warner Bros. Records.[18]

2015–2016: OVO Sound and I LOVE MAKONNEN 2

In an interview with The Fader in December 2015, more than a year after signing to Drake's OVO Sound, Makonnen said the label delayed tracks from I LOVE MAKONNEN 2 from coming out. The song "Second Chance," for example, was finished in January 2015 and intended for a summer release,[19] but ended up being self-released by Makonnen in November 2015.[20] Makonnen said, "Second Chance was supposed to be that summer banger this summer. That was supposed to be out, touching people and hitting them this summer. By the time next year they'll be ready for something else. It's all late. People are doubting me, doubting what the fuck I said when I made the fucking song. You wait a year later and it's whatever. Hopefully, it's worked right. The song is structured properly. Everything is all there for proper radio play to just spin it over and over to people. Who knows? I don't know what the fuck they want."[19]

Makonnen also claimed "extra bullshit in the industry" stopped "Teach Me How To Whip It" and "No M'aam" from getting radio play. When asked if he still talked to Drake, Makonnen responded, "Here and there. By the time this comes out, I'll probably see him six more times or no more times. I don't know. I just wish everybody well in all that they do and I just go on and live my life and try to uplift motherfuckers. At the end of the day I'm tired of uplifting people. I just gotta uplift myself now because everything else is a waste of time."[19]

Makonnen also described the music scene: "There's not even any money here anymore. It's all lies. The money's gone and everybody is now keeping up this front as if there's money there."[19]

On February 8, 2016, it was announced that alongside Travis Scott and Vic Mensa, Makonnen would be part of the "WANGSQUAD", an Alexander Wang campaign.[21]

2016–present: Departure from OVO Sound

On April 18, 2016, Makonnen parted ways with Drake's label OVO Sound, saying the "choice to be solely on Warner Bros. Records was the right thing for me and for my best interest."[22] On May 7, 2016, Makonnen announced he would be retiring from music to focus on acting but released a new song shortly after, with confirmation of a new project.[23]

In the late summer of 2017, Makonnen collaborated on an album with Lil Peep in London. The album was scrapped after Lil Peep's fans leaked it online in May 2020.[24] On August 17, 2018, Makonnen announced a single he co-wrote titled "Falling Down", a reworking of "Sunlight On Your Skin" that he recorded with Peep during the sessions in London. The new version features since deceased rapper XXXTentacion, who recorded his verses following Peep's death.[25] The single was officially released on September 19, 2018.[26] The original "Sunlight On Your Skin" version was released on September 27, 2018.[27]

Personal life

On January 20, 2017, Makonnen came out as gay.[28][29]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details
My Parade[30]
  • Released: April 16, 2021
  • Label: Timeless Magic, Cor Tan
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Summer '22[31]
  • Released: August 29, 2022
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[32] 		US
R&B
/HH
[33]
iLoveMakonnen 72 48
iLoveMakonnen 2[34]
  • Released: November 20, 2015
  • Label: OVO Sound, Warner Bros.
  • Format: Download
 — 40
Fun Summer 17 Vol. 1[35]
  • Released: June 7, 2017
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: Streaming
 — —
iLoveMakonnen X Ronny J
(with Ronny J)[36]
  • Released: January 24, 2018
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: Streaming
 — —
iLoveAmerica[37]
  • Released: July 4, 2018
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Format: Streaming
 — —
M3[38]
  • Released: June 21, 2019
  • Label: Warner
  • Format: Streaming
 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[39] 		US
R&B/HH
[40] 		US
R&B
[41] 		CAN
[42] 		FRA
[43] 		NZ
Hot
[44]
"Tuesday"
(featuring Drake) 		2014 12 2 1 56 86 — iLoveMakonnen
"Sellin" 2016 — — — — — — Drink More Water 6
"Side to Side" — — — — — — —
"Love"
(featuring Rae Sremmurd)[46] 		2017 — — — — — —
"Sunlight On Your Skin"
(with Lil Peep) 		2018 — — — — — 36 Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2
"I've Been Waiting"[47]
(with Lil Peep featuring Fall Out Boy) 		2019 62 — — — — 12
  • RIAA: Gold
 Everybody's Everything
List of singles as a featured artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"I Like Tuh"[48]
(Carnage featuring iLoveMakonnen) 		2015 Papi Gordo
"Kolony Anthem"[49]
(Steve Aoki featuring iLoveMakonnen and Bok Nero) 		2017 Steve Aoki Presents Kolony
"How Else"[49]
(Steve Aoki featuring Rich The Kid and iLoveMakonnen)
"No Friends"[50]
(Chase Atlantic featuring iLoveMakonnen and K CAMP) 		2017 Part Three

Guest appearances

List of guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Artist(s) Album
"Nokia" 2014 Father L1L D1DDY
"Look at Wrist" Father, Key! Young Hot Ebony
"Day2Day" (Remix) Tunji Ige, Michael Christmas —
"I Understand" Key!, FKi Fkeyi
"TMZ" Key!, Ian Connor, Saucelord Rich Fkeyi
"FriendsMaybe" Rome Fortune Small VVorld
"Wishin You Well" Mike Will Made-It —
"Syrup in My Soda" Mike WiLL Made-It, Riff Raff —
"Swerve" Mike WiLL Made-It Ransom
"Down 4 So Long Remix" iLoveMakonnen, Ezra Koenig, Despot Red Bull's 20 Before 15 Singles Series
"H.O.M.E." 2015 Trinidad James No One Is Safe
"Interviews" Brodinski, Yung Gleesh Brava
"TrUe Thang" Rome Fortune, CeeJ loloU
"Take Me Away" Rome Fortune loloU
"Why'd You Call" DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign —
"Myself" Yung Lean —
"Slaughter Ya Daughter" 21 Savage, Key! The Slaughter Tape
"All Black Hummers" Father, Archibald Slim, Ethereal Papicodone
"Favorite Record (Remix)" Fall Out Boy Make America Psycho Again
"Who Be Lovin' Me" 2016 Santigold 99¢
"Why Don't U" Father, Abra I'm a Piece of Shit
"Party on Me" Father, Ethereal
"Park Hill" Povi —
"Thru It All" (Remix) Wintertime I Know What You Did Last Winter
"Take it Easy" Gucci Mane Meal Ticket
"Cash Cash"
"Forever" FKi 1st Time for Everything
"Coming Soon" Skepta, Céon —
"Feel the Same" Phantom Posse Be True
"Love It" Sonny Digital, Key! —
"Lit" Rome Fortune VVORLDVVIDE PIMPSTATION
"My Boy Band 'Exortion'" Rome Fortune, Nevabitch
"I'll Be Damned"[51] Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Lil Yachty —
"Taylor Swift" Trinidad James The Wake Up 2
"Global" 2017 Lil B Black Ken
"Romantic" Key! —
"Drop the Top" Teddy —
"4 Real" Destructo, Ty Dolla Sign Renegade
"All Alone" Nick Hook Relationships
"I Got Work" P.S. 211 —
"Long Time" 2018 Naations Teardrop
"Cupid!" 2019 Teddy —
"I've Been Waiting (Original)" Lil Peep Everybody's Everything
"Changing" 2020 Phantom Posse Forever Underground
"Sick!" 2021 BAYLI —
"Next To Me" Ares Carter —

References

  1. ^ "Grand jury increases charges against teen | News". News-daily.com. July 10, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "ILOVEMAKONNEN Moved To Portland. No, For Real". Willamette Week. February 7, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  3. ^ "iLoveMakonnen's Best songs". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  4. ^ iLoveMakonnen (April 12, 1989). "iLoveMakonnen | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Diep, Eric. "The Come Up: iLoveMakonnen (page 2)". XXL. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Makonnen Still Loves You". Noisey. November 21, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Friedman, Skinny. "EVERYBODY LOVES MAKONNEN". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Zeichner, Naomi. "Meet ILoveMakonnen, The Eccentric Rapper Drake And Miley Cyrus Want To Be Down With". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  9. ^ "Itunes biography". Itunes. Apple. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  10. ^ Skinny Friedman (July 11, 2014). "Everybody Loves Makonnen". Noisey. Retrieved March 21, 2015. I was on house arrest and was going to cosmetology school. I was hanging around a whole bunch of girls, learning how to do hair and shit.
  11. ^ Benjy Hansen-Bundy (February 2015). "ILoveMakonnen on Becoming Famous Overnight". GQ. Retrieved March 21, 2015. He sings, he makes videos, he plays piano, and he's...a licensed cosmetologist.
  12. ^ a b Diep, Eric. "The Come Up: iLoveMakonnen (page 3)". XXL Mag. XXL. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  13. ^ a b Sundermann, Eric. "MAKONNEN EXPLAINS THE DRAKE REMIX: "IT'S THE BEST TUESDAY EVER!"". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  14. ^ Cyrus, Miley. "Photo by mileycyrus". Instagram. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  15. ^ Kramer, Kyle. "STAFF PICKS AND GOOD SHIT FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  16. ^ Fleischer, Adam. "ILOVEMAKONNEN Wept When He Heard Drake's 'Club Goin' Up On A Tuesday' Remix". MTV. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  17. ^ Camp, Zoe (August 12, 2014). "Drake Jumps on iLoveMakonnen's "Tuesday"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  18. ^ Brandle, Lars (September 2014). "ILoveMakonnen Signs To Drake's OVO Sound". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d "Damn, Makonnen". The FADER. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "iLoveMakonnen Shares DJ Mustard-Produced "Second Chance", Announces iLoveMakonnen 2". Pitchfork. November 15, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  21. ^ Smith, Trevor (February 8, 2016). "Ilove Makonnen part of Wang Campaign". Hotnewhiphop. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  22. ^ "iLoveMakonnen Parts Ways With OVO Sound | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. April 19, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  23. ^ "ILoveMakonnen Says He's Retiring From Rap, Then Releases New Song". stereogum.com. May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  24. ^ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill – PEEP THIS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  25. ^ "iLoveMakonnen Says a Lil Peep and XXXTentacion Collaboration Is Coming". Complex. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  26. ^ Yoo, Noah (September 18, 2018). "New Song From Lil Peep and XXXTentacion to Be Released Tomorrow". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  27. ^ Darville, Jordan (September 27, 2018). "Listen to "Sunlight On Your Skin" by Lil Peep and iLoveMakonnen". The Fader. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  28. ^ "Oceanic Makonnen on Twitter: "And since y'all love breaking news, here's some old news to break, I'm gay. And now I've told u about my life, maybe u can go life yoursâ?¤"". Twitter.com. March 29, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  29. ^ Herdandez, Greg (January 20, 2017). "Atlanta rapper iLoveMakonnen comes out as gay on Twitter". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  30. ^ "iLoveMakonnen – My Parade". Itunes.apple.com. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  31. ^ "iLoveMakonnen – Summer '22". Apple Music. August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  32. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  33. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  34. ^ "I LOVE MAKONNEN 2". iTunes. November 20, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  35. ^ "iLoveMakonnen Shares Surprise EP Fun Summer 17 Vol. 1". TheFader. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  36. ^ "ILoveMakonnen & Ronny J Unveil New Collaborative EP". HypeBeast. January 25, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  37. ^ "iLOVEMAKONNEN celebrated July 4th with iLOVEAMERICA EP". TheFader. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  38. ^ Minsker, Evan (May 10, 2019). "iLoveMakonnen Announces M3 EP, Shares New Song "Drunk on Saturday": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  39. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  40. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  41. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: R&B Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  42. ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  43. ^ "Singles ILoveMakonnen". lescharts.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  44. ^ "Hot Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  45. ^ "ILoveMakonnen Facebook Page". Facebook.
  46. ^ "New Music: iLoveMakonnen feat. Rae Sremmurd – 'Love'". Rap-Up. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  47. ^ "I've Been Waiting (feat. Fall Out Boy) – Single by Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen". iTunes. January 31, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  48. ^ "I Like Tuh (feat. iLoveMakonnen) – Single by Carnage on Apple Music". iTunes. February 24, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  49. ^ a b "Steve Aoki Presents Kolony by Steve Aoki on Apple Music". Apple Music. July 21, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  50. ^ "No Friends (feat. iLoveMakonnen & K CAMP) – single by Chase Atlantic on Google Play Music". Google Play Music. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  51. ^ "Hoodrich Pablo Juan – I'll Be Damned Feat. Lil Yachty & iLoveMakonnen [New Song]". HotNewHipHop. January 18, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
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