![4.0 Rapper K'Alley Gives the Scoop on Marketing Your Hip-Hop and Brand [Exclusive Interview]](https://www.respectmyregion.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/241747747_529274561472777_2490939199117389948_n.jpg)
Compton-born hip-hop whiz K’Alley is playing a bigger game than most. Ever since he was 14, he says, he’s been taking his music seriously. A master of marketing and social media, he took some time this week to sit down with Respect My Region and talk about his experience in the industry. The interview lived up to expectations, as he certainly had a lot of wisdom to share.
22-year-old K’Alley likes to consider himself a rapper who’s a “genius on the side.” In a world where musicians as a whole need to show that they have something unique, he works to set his own precedent for those listening to his music. In the interview, which you can watch below, he shared various methods by which he paints hip-hop music in a new, professional light.
Born in Compton to a single mother of four kids, K’Alley quickly figured out what kind of life he wanted to lead. Early on, he moved to Georgia where he did a lot of his growing up. The hood, he told us, is certainly where he grew up, but you won’t hear him speaking too highly of it in his music.
A natural craving for knowledge drove K’Alley throughout high school and college, earning him the title of “The 4.0 Rapper” after getting perfect grades across all boards. Today, he continues to grind from his own studio alongside a team of producers, all the while using social media tactics to expand the reach of his music and brand.
How K’Alley Uses Social Media, Marketing Skills, and His Surroundings to Expand His Brand
First thing’s first with K’Alley: social media. Instagram and Tiktok are his primary weapons when it comes to algorithms. “You need to be posting two to four videos every day if you wanna blow up on TikTok,” he told us. K’Alley also explained how he uses Instagram to rep his brand more like an entrepreneur. Meanwhile, he’s found TikTok is a better platform for fan interaction, making memes, and posting potentially viral clips. It’s not as simple as spamming content, however.
“You have to be relatable to people,” K’Alley said regarding what kind of content he thinks does best. “And you have to give them what they want. You can’t be constantly in their faces,” he continued, preferring entertaining content to the likes of vlogging, for instance. “I mean, you CAN do that, but I feel like you have more success giving people content they can relate to. When people like you, in my opinion, they love your music too.”
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“I can’t say I’ve seen dead bodies dropping every day, but I grew up in a single parent household… one parents, four kids.
I saw, from the jump, that I didn’t wanna live this lifestyle. I don’t wanna see the power cutting out.“
After a few minutes listening to K’Alley speak about his music, it’s clear that he certainly treats it like a business. He appears to hold core competencies, namely valuing education, breaking stigma cycles, and being a bigger person than others. “I always put all my energy into music and school,” he said. “Ain’t nothing corny about getting an education. I got paid to go school… I’m using my degree for me and my business. For the young people listening, I ain’t no corny dude! I ain’t no sucka like that! Go to school and be smart, it’s important.”
K’Alley’s beliefs don’t come from mere suspicion. This motivation comes from growing up in the hood, where he felt he saw a vicious cycle occurring as people were cut off from greater opportunities by an unjust system. It is for this reason he doesn’t like rapping about, as he said, drugs and killing people. “I feel like there’s too many black people out here dying and going to prison. I feel like that’s part of the trap, I don’t wanna continue that cycle.”
Check out the full interview with K’Alley on YouTube
“BFU” by K’Alley
This year, K’Alley dropped arguably one of his best tracks yet. Back in July, “BFU” took a prime place in his discography as a zero-fucks-given party banger. You can stream this track, as well as the rest of his work so far, via all primary streaming services. If you want to see an intellectual revolution in the hip-hop scene, make sure to also hit up K’Alley on his socials.
Stream K’Alley
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