K.E.L.O The Show

Keep Everything In Life One-Hundred is the acronym that defines the man and his daily motto, while “The Show” is exactly what you’ll get when you’re in his presence. KELO The Show was born for the spotlight. The Portland, OR-born and Atlanta, GA-raised rapper has been spreading the gospel of the streets with a refreshing wave of flair, finesse and fun since 2010. KELO The Show built his reputation on producing quality content over quantity and is on a mission to bridge the gap between the hood and the head; entertaining while simultaneously educating.

KELO The Show always stood out, sometimes purposely. The youngster started playing the drums at 7-years-old and enrolled in his middle-school band where he developed a keen ear for sound. That passion turned into producing beats, but it was the art of rhyming over heavy drum patterns that interested him even more. He became fascinated with blending live instrumentation with raw lyrics. “I already had my own sauce,” says KELO The Show. “I didn’t take rapping seriously until 12th grade when it was time for me to decide if I wanted to go to college or pursue music. I always stood out like a sore thumb everywhere I went so I decided to go with what I was best at and that was doing music.” The young spitter was influenced by two rap greats: Tupac and TI. It was Tupac’s revolutionary thought process and melodies that he related to the most, but it was also the elusiveness of his persona. While it was the lyrical content and business savvy of TI that KELO The Show connected with.

A modern hip-hop poet, KELO The Show makes songs that tap into his varying emotions. From pain, anger and betrayal to love and happiness, the MC’s emotionally-charged music further separates him from his competition. “I rhyme based on how I’m feeling and how a beat speaks to me when I’m behind the mic. Everything I say is from my perspective and me keeping true to myself. Nothing I speak on is a fabrication but what I’ve experienced or feeling at that moment in time.” On his latest project, A Painted Picture, KELO The Show narrates the story of his life behind bars, a concept that he came up with upon his release. “I paint a picture when I rap. If you listen to my intro, it’s nothing but me narrating the story of the 24 years I’d been living up until that point.” The now 25 year-old MC credits much of his success to the 18-month incarceration sentence, which allowed him to get his life in order and tap into emotions that he had suppressed over the years. “That’s the thing about this art form we call rap. It’s your own depiction of how you want to come across. Since nobody is exactly alike, everybody’s story is different and their expression of that story is not going to be how I would talk about it.” On the single “Video Shoot,” KELO The Show flexes over a mellow yet instrument-heavy beat and incorporates a rhythmic hook that has club anthem appeal. On “Can’t Complain,” which appeals to the ladies, you hear KELO The Show singing and rapping over a pop-inspired track that demonstrates his true potential as a cross-over artist.

The charismatic wordsmith creates great music, but it’s his stage show that will herald his trans-Atlantic success. He rocks crowds intrinsically being that he brings energy to everything he does. It’s fair to say that KELO The Show knows how to rock a show. By choosing not to conform to what’s popular is what makes the man behind the mic a standout in a monotonous industry. “You can be in this game and still be successful by being you. I’ve been through a lot but through it all I always saw the silver lining in every cloud. I’m opening eyes through promoting positivity and having fun in the process. It’s so much darkness in the world, I just want my music to add to the light. I believe in myself so much that I’m not wasting my time trying to get people to be cool with me. As long as you don’t give up on yourself, you got a chance.”