Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Kaila Love, a Hip-Hop artist and seeks to inspire and empower others through her music. Her song ‘Half Time’ has been featured on ESPN & NBA2k21!
Hi, Great to have you with us today! Please tell us about what it is that you do.
I’m a Hip Hop artist from the Bay Area, California. I’ve been rapping since I was 14 years old, and on the quest to fulfill my dream, I’ve developed other talents like graphic design, dancing, marketing, content creation, writing, curriculum development, video, and photo editing, etc. I’m obsessed with trying to crack the code, algorithm, technique – whatever it is, and that’s what I spend most of my time on. Two years ago, I set a goal to get my music sync licensed – meaning it would be placed in a movie, show, game, etc. In January, I achieved that goal when my single, ‘Half Time,’ got in the NBA2k21 video game and soundtrack. Now, I’ve helped three other artists also land that placement, and I’m working on getting even more placements.
Please tell us more about your journey.
My journey hasn’t been an easy one. I met my father when I was 17 years old, and it was through a television screen and phone because he was incarcerated. My mother had issues with drugs and wasn’t active in my life. My great-grandmother (yes, my mom’s grandma!) adopted me when I was a year and a half old, saving my life, and raised me since then. I did well in school, and teachers recommended me for programs geared at gifted students, but my grandmother wasn’t in favor of me going to college. She wanted me to go to the military and then use my GI Bill later in life if college was something I still wanted to do. But I was committed in my mind, so I ran away from home and worked 75 hours a week while doing independent study high school, college applications, and sleeping in my car. I got into UC Berkeley on a full scholarship and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 2014. I even performed an original song at my graduation in front of 30,000 people.
After graduation, I went on to be a professional curriculum developer, helping the non-profit, 10,000 Degrees, and helping first-generation, low-income students like me navigate high school and get into college. I also taught Hip Hop classes called Art of Rhyme to students ranging from K-8th grade. After getting in a car accident where my car was totaled in a rear-end accident, I ended my journey with them to recover and focus on completing a second degree in Recording Arts from Los Medanos College.
Now, I’m running a boutique artist consultation business, creating daily content, just co-authored my first book, NFTs for Music, and am working on my fourth EP.
What’s your most memorable experience?
My first concert was a memorable experience because it was an accident. That night I had just done my very first performance ever – it was a “poem,” but looking back structurally, it was really a rap. I was just too shy to call myself a rapper back then. My good friend Max came with me, which meant a lot because it was such a monumental moment. When we left, we saw that across the street, Nas and Goapele were performing at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, CA, so we decided to see if there were tickets, and next thing you know, I was taking pictures with Goapele. I will cherish that memory forever, especially after August 31, 2014, when Max was tragically shot and killed just two weeks after his 21st birthday.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Strategies that have helped me reach success have been to always keep a positive attitude, increase my effort rather than decrease my goals, and do whatever I need to become consistent.
Any message for our readers.
In everything you do, do your best. It will change depending on conditions, so some days you will be able to do more than others. But as long as you’re doing your best, you can have peace knowing you did all you can do.
Fantastic! So tell us, how can people find out more about you?
You can check me out at the Kaila Love Hub – my website or @kailalovemusic on all platforms.
Thank you so much, Kaila, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!