In four short years, Dom Kennedy has gone from Rap dabbler to influential figure in the West Coast Hip Hop scene.
After a garden-variety childhood, his parents’ divorce and an uneventful high school experience, Kennedy enrolled briefly in junior college as a business major, a path he ditched in favor of his blossoming interest in music. In 2008, Kennedy and his film student cousin Jason Madison collaborated on Kennedy’s debut mixtape, 25th Hour, which became an underground sensation, largely due to the track “Watermelon Sundae.”
The following year, Kennedy dropped two more acclaimed mixtapes, Best After Bobby and Future Street/Drug Sounds (the former accumulated more than 10,000 downloads within hours of release), but it was 2010’s From the Westside with Love that kicked Kennedy up a notch, increasing his reputation within the L.A. scene and establishing him as a major force on the indie Hip Hop circuit.
Last year, Kennedy released The Original Dom Kennedy to break away from the mixmaster concept and display his sound as an original artist. That has led to his debut studio album, the much anticipated and glowingly received From the Westside with Love II. Kennedy is also a Hip Hop fashion promoter, signing with noted L.A. clothing design house/marketing agency The Hundreds three years ago, and is one of the names attached to the Just Be Cool Campaign, which reinforces his desire to be a positive influence.
Kennedy’s biggest break yet could be his sophomore studio effort, the upcoming Yellow Album, which he’s described as “more mature and forward thinking.” Dom Kennedy’s Westside love is ready for its global close-up.
DOM KENNEDY performs Thursday, April 5 at Bogart's with guest DJ Drowsy. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.