Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Rhythm + Flow’ season 2 living up to the incredible hype of its previous original installment, we get a deep insight into the American hip-hop scene in every sense of the term. That’s because it is an authentic competition series to discover the next rap superstar, judged by none other than DJ Khaled, Latto, and Ludacris, along with a whole line-up of special guests. The winner actually gets to walk away with not just $250,000 but also studio time at Sporify Studios, so vying for the same was Tyler Darnell Highto wer, better known by his stage name K’alley.
K’alley Welcomed Constructive Criticism Every Step of the Way
Although a native of Compton, California, K’alley admittedly grew up around Griffin, Georgia, where he witnessed more than his fair share of ups and downs in life. The truth is he grew up surrounded by the street and gang life owing to his mother being a former stripper as well as an ex-gang member, which inadvertently led him to be influenced by hip-hop in a way no one could have imagined. While many in his position would have gone down the wrong path, he actually became motivated to build a better life just for himself and his mother, pushing him to prioritize both music and studies.
Therefore, of course, when K’alley got the opportunity to audition for ‘Rhythm + Flow,’ he decided he would make it known that he is the first street rapper to graduate from both school and college. Thus, he wore tassels to his performance, only for Latto to state it felt a bit too much, almost like a gimmick, and that his rap asserting the same should have been enough. Instead of getting disappointed or throwing a fit, though, he took off his tassels and showed he was open to criticism, just for the judges to agree to take him to the next round, where he proved they made the right choice.
K’alley is Truly a Well-Educated Hip-Hop Star
If we’re being honest, K’alley’s life journey is truly inspiring because he didn’t let adversity or his situation affect his ambitions and his dreams; instead, he created opportunities for himself. He actually graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA, earning a $80,000 scholarship to Georgia State University, where he pursued a Bachelor’s in Marketing and again graduated with a 4.0 GPA. As if that’s not enough, he then went on to c-own a barbershop in his hometown of Griffin, Georgia, all the while honing his skills as a rapper and lyricist. He truly let his past become his motivation to secure a better future.
However, none of this means that K’alley is ashamed of his family or the childhood he had – he simply embraces what was and now hopes others can realize there is another way too. If he was ashamed, he probably wouldn’t have openly talked about it on the Netflix show or during the various interviews he has given since he started gaining traction as a musician. He once even told Respect My Region, “My mother had me at 15 years old. She was a dancer and an ex-gang member much of my childhood… For me, though, gang culture, prostitution, and drug dealing were regular parts of my day. I wanted to be something bigger.”
K’alley is Slowly yet Surely Achieving His Dreams
It was back in 2016 that K’alley released his 18-song debut album ‘H.O.O.D Kid’ at the age of 17, only to follow it up with a 10-song album titled ‘iHustle’ in 2018 while he was in college. Little did he know this would open many gates for him in terms of gigs, which pushed him to do more and release a couple more singles in 2019 before coming out with his third 12-song album ‘Money, Sex, and Sleep’ in 2020. He didn’t release any new music in 2021, but he made up for it with 3 singles in 2022, another 14-song album called ‘Tales From a Hood Kid’ in 2023, and 4 singles in 2024, with the most recent being ‘Truth in the Booth 3.’ As if that’s not enough, his social media presence and freestyle rapping posts there have enabled him to expand his reach, too, which even resulted in him opening for 2 Chainz in 2023.
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