KB (rapper)

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KB
Kb-hga-img-12121.jpg
Background information
Birth nameKevin Elijah Burgess
Also known asKB, K to the Second Letter
Born (1988-07-21) July 21, 1988 (age 33)
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
GenresChristian hip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, A&R executive
InstrumentsVoice
Years active2006–present
LabelsReach, Native North, Essential Sound
Associated acts116 Clique, HGA
Websitewhoiskb.com

Kevin Elijah Burgess (born July 21, 1988), better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA. He signed a solo artist contract to Reach Records in 2010. The label has released the Who Is KB? mixtape in 2011, Weight & Glory, on July 17, 2012, the 100 EP on March 4, 2014, Tomorrow We Live on April 21, 2015, and Today We Rebel on October 20, 2017. He is also a member of the label's collective 116 Clique. He left Reach in 2020 and signed with Essential Sound, releasing his fourth studio album, His Glory Alone.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Kevin Elijah Burgess was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 1988,[1] into a military family.[2] Shortly after his birth his parents moved to Southern Illinois where he was raised for eight years. When he was 8 years old, his parents divorced and he moved back with his mother to the south-side of St. Petersburg, which according to Burgess is "probably one of the worst areas in the state."[2] He did well in school and at age 15 was offered an opportunity to pursue college through a program called St. Petersburg Collegiate High School.[2] But despite this opportunity, he struggled with extreme depression and experimented with various drugs to try to relieve it. He began struggling at school due to his problems with his personal life, and even contemplated suicide.[2][3]

Formation of HGA[]

After high school, Burgess enrolled in Bible college and befriended a group of Christian rappers and together they formed a hip hop group called HGA, short for His Glory Alone.[2][3] HGA eventually caught the interest of Lecrae, Ben Washer, and DJ Official,[3] and were featured with Tedashii on the track "Go" from DJ Official's album Entermission.[4][5] Burgess was invited onto the “Acquire the Fire” tour by Lecrae, and was asked to join the Reach Records team just a few months later.[3]

Signing with Reach Records[]

Burgess signed with Reach Records in 2010, and appeared that year on the album Rehab by Lecrae.[6] His mixtape Who is KB? followed a year later, as did appearances with PRo and Tedashii.[6][7][8][9] Who is KB? garnered 30,000 downloads by the following year.[6] His first single, "Hello", featured Suzy Rock and was released in October 2011.[10] In January 2012, a second single, "Zone Out" featuring Chris Lee Cobbins, was released.[11] Burgess then made an appearance with Andy Mineo on the Trip Lee album The Good Life.[6] A third single by Burgess, "Go Off", featured Tedashii and Andy Mineo, and was released in June.[12] The following month, his debut album Weight & Glory was released.[13][14]

On May 30, 2013, Reach announced a four-part project entitled "1st & 16th". This project would consist of Burgess releasing a new song every first and sixteenth of June and July. On June 1, Part 1, HCB Freestyle was released.[15] The songs Ride and Be All Right were also part of the 1st and 16th project.

On February 10, 2014, KB announced his new project, an EP entitled 100, which was released on March 4, 2014.[16] Burgess appeared in Family Force 5 music video for the song "BZRK", released on May 23, 2014, on which Burgess is a featured artist.[17]

On February 3, 2015, KB took to social media to reveal his second studio album, Tomorrow We Live, along with the cover and release date. It was scheduled to be released on April 21, 2015.[18] The first single off the album "Sideways" featuring Lecrae was released on February 23, 2015.[19] The second single "Crowns & Thorns (Oceans)" was released on March 10, 2015.[citation needed]

On October 20, 2017, KB released his third studio album Today We Rebel.[20] The first single off the album "Tempo" was released a year prior to the album's release date.[21] The second single off the album "Monster" featuring Aha Gazelle was released on September 15, 2017.[22]

Signing with Essential Sound[]

In 2020, he announced that he would not be renewing his contract with Reach Records, and instead signed with Essential Sound, a Sony Music imprint.[23] KB released three singles "Armies", "10K" & "Lil Boy" for his fourth studio album "His Glory Alone". On September 25, 2020, KB released his fourth studio album His Glory Alone.[24]

Personal life[]

Burgess is currently married with two sons and a daughter.[25][26]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Year Title Chart positions
US
[27] 		US
Gospel
[28] 		US
Christ.
[29] 		US
Indie
[30] 		US
Rap
[31]
2012 Weight & Glory
  • First studio album
  • Released: July 17, 2012
  • Label: Reach
 34 1 1 9 4
2015 Tomorrow We Live
  • Second studio album
  • Released: April 21, 2015
  • Label: Reach
 18 — 1 2 4
2017 Today We Rebel
  • Third studio album
  • Released: October 20, 2017[32]
  • Label: Reach
 91 — 1 8 —
2020 His Glory Alone
  • Released: September 25, 2020
  • Label: Essential Sound
 — — 4 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Note: Beginning in 2015, Billboard rendered most hip hop/rap albums ineligible for the Gospel charts[33]

Collaboration albums[]

Year Title Chart positions
U.S. Gospel U.S. Christ.
2011 Man Up
(with 116 Clique)
  • Fourth studio album
  • Released: September 28, 2011
  • Label: Reach
 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs[]

Year Title Chart positions
US US Gospel US Christ. US Ind. US Rap
2014 100
  • 1st EP
  • Released: March 4, 2014
  • Label: Reach
 22 1 1 3 4
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Mixtapes[]

Year Title
2011 Who Is KB?
  • 1st mixtape
  • Released: March 22, 2011
  • Label: Reach

Multimedia series[]

Year Title Publisher
2013 1st & 16th Reach

Singles[]

As lead artist[]

Year Title Chart positions Album
US
Christ.[34] 		US
Gospel[34]
2011 "Hello" (featuring Suzy Rock) — — Weight & Glory
2012 "Zone Out" (featuring Chris Lee Cobbins) — —
"Go Off" (featuring Tedashii & Andy Mineo) — —
2014 "100" (featuring Andy Mineo) 31 18 100
2015 "Sideways" (featuring Lecrae) 29 — Tomorrow We Live
"Crowns & Thorns (Oceans)" 31 —
"Ima Just Do It" (featuring Bubba Watson) 37 —
2016 "Tempo" 48 — Today We Rebel
2017 "HomeTeam" (featuring Lecrae) — — non-album single
"Monster" (featuring Aha Gazelle) 39 — Today We Rebel
2018 "No Chains" 30 — non-album single
"Long Live the Champion" (featuring Yariel and GabrielRodriguezEMC) — —
"Die Rich" (featuring Ray Emmanuel) — —
2019 "DNOU2"[35] — —
"Hold Me Back" 29 —
"Lincoln" 43 —
2020 "Armies" 28 — His Glory Alone
"10K" 30 —
"Lil Boy" 41 —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Note: Beginning in 2015, Billboard rendered most hip hop/rap songs ineligible for the Gospel charts

As featured artist[]

Title Genre Year Album
"116"
(PRo featuring KB)		 Hip Hop/Rap 2011 non-album single
"Passing"
(Json featuring Serge and KB)		 Christian Hip Hop 2013 Braille
"All In"
(Flame featuring KB)		 Hip Hop/Rap 2013 Royal Flush
"Northern Sky"
(Capital Kings feat. KB)		 Dance 2015 II
"O God Forgive Us"
(For King & Country featuring KB)		 Contemporary Christian 2017 Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other charted songs[]

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Christ.[34] US Gospel[34]
2013 "The Saints" (Andy Mineo featuring KB & Trip Lee) 44 18 Heroes for Sale
2014 "Paganini" (Andy Mineo featuring KB & Canon) 46 21 Never Land
"Undefeated" (featuring Derek Minor) 39 21 100
"Earthquake" (Tedashii featuring Dimitri McDowell & KB) — 22 Below Paradise (Deluxe Edition)
2015 "I Believe" (featuring Mattie) 38 — Tomorrow We Live
2017 "DNOU" 45 — Today We Rebel
"Not Today Satan" (featuring Andy Mineo) 32 —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Guest appearances[]

Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Used to Do It Too" 2010 Lecrae Rehab
"Full Court Mess" 2011 Pro Dying to Live
"Young" Andy Mineo Formerly Known
"You Know What it Is" Tedashii, PK Blacklight
"One Sixteen" 2012 Trip Lee, Andy Mineo The Good Life
"Fuego" Lecrae, Suzy Rock Gravity (iTunes edition)
"The Saints Remix" Black Knight, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee #ItsTheBlackKnight Beat Tape
"King of the World" 2014 Flame, V.Rose, Mike Real, Nico Wells Jesus or Nothing
"For Those Who Can't Speak" Tenth Avenue North, Derek Minor Cathedrals
"I Wouldn't Know" 2016 Lecrae Church Clothes 3
"Prove It" Crowder American Prodigal
"Back Soon" 2019 1K Phew, Parris Chariz

Music videos[]

As lead artist[]

Title Year Director
"Zone Out" (featuring Chris Lee Cobbins) 2012 N/A
"HCB Freestyle" 2013 Will Thomas
"Heart Song" (featuring Jasmine Leshea) N/A
"100" (featuring Andy Mineo) 2014 Squint
"Kamikaze" (featuring Prisca)[36] N/A
"Sideways" (featuring Lecrae) 2015 Kyle Dettman
"Drowning" 2016 Sam Brave
"Not Today Satan" (featuring Andy Mineo)[37] 2018 Nathan Corrona
"No Chains"

As featured artist[]

Title Year Director
"Young" (Andy Mineo featuring KB) 2012 Kyle Dettman
"One Sixteen" (Trip Lee featuring KB and Andy Mineo) 2012 N/A
"BZRK"[17] (Family Force 5 featuring KB) 2014 Ryan Hamblin

References[]

  1. ^ KB official twitter account (July 21, 2014). "Amazing birthday by way of my lovely wife!". Twitter. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Reach Records (July 6, 2012). "KB – Weight & Glory Behind the Music and More (@kb_hga @reachrecords)" (Video/Web). Retrieved July 23, 2012 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Reach Records. "KB". Reach Records Official Website. Reach Records. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  4. ^ "Go – Tedashii" (Web). Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  5. ^ "Entermission". AllMusic. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Rogers and Cowan PR (July 17, 2012). "Reach Records' latest hip hop Artist KB, Makes July 17th Debut Release of 'Weight & Glory'". Breathecast. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  7. ^ "PRo "116" feat. KB". Rapzilla. January 25, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  8. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Blacklight". AllMusic. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  9. ^ "PRo 'Dying To Live' Tracklisting". Rapzilla. August 2, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  10. ^ "KB "Hello" feat. Suzy Rock". Rapzilla. October 28, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  11. ^ "KB 'Zone Out' feat. Chris Lee". Rapzilla. January 24, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  12. ^ "KB 'Go Off' ft. Andy Mineo & Tedashii". Rapzilla. June 7, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  13. ^ Ham, Robert (July 17, 2012). "KB: Weight & Glory". Christianity Today. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  14. ^ Peterson, Aaron (July 3, 2012). "KB | Weight & Glory". The Christian Manifesto. Archived from the original (Web) on January 5, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  15. ^ "Reach Records". Reach Records. May 30, 2013. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  16. ^ "Reach Records". Reach Records. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Family Force 5 - BZRK [feat. KB] (Official Music Video)". May 23, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ David Daniels. "KB reveals new 2015 album title, cover and release date". Rapzilla. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  19. ^ David Daniels. "Lyric Video: KB - Sideways feat. Lecrae". Rapzilla. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  20. ^ "Today We Rebel by KB on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  21. ^ "Tempo - Single by KB on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  22. ^ Solis, Steven. "Music: KB - Monster ft. Aha Gazelle". Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  23. ^ "KB Inks Deal with Sony Imprint - Essential Sound; New Album 2020". Rapzilla. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "His Glory Alone by KB on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  25. ^ Sahms, Jacob (March 4, 2019). "KB Knows the Power of the Gospel". Dove.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  26. ^ KB (January 18, 2020). "Her name is Nala. And she has my heart forever. Welcome, my beautiful daughter". Twitter. Retrieved April 18, 2020.[non-primary source needed]
  27. ^ "KB Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  28. ^ "KB Chart History: Gospel Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  29. ^ "KB Chart History: Christian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  30. ^ "KB Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  31. ^ "KB Chart History: Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  32. ^ "KB Reveals 'Today We Rebel' Cover & Release Date with Partial Tracklist". Rapzilla. September 14, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  33. ^ Shellnutt, Kate (February 15, 2015). "Why Grammy Winner Lecrae Will Never Dominate the Gospel Charts Again". Christianity Today. Christianity Today International. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "KB - Chart history". Billboard.
  35. ^ Sarachik, Justin (April 5, 2019), "KB - DNOU2", Rapzilla, retrieved June 3, 2019
  36. ^ "KB & Prisca - Kamikaze (@KB_HGA @reachrecords)". Retrieved February 11, 2015 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ "KB - Not Today Satan feat. Andy Mineo". Retrieved March 31, 2018 – via YouTube.

External links[]

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