Dom Kennedy is finally getting the attention that he deserves, and has become a major player in the underground hip hop scene in Los Angeles. This West Coast rapper has released five independent record label studio albums since 2008. Just last year he dropped the critically acclaimed mixtape From The Westside With Love, and three months ago his sixth album From the Westside with Love II was released on itunes.
Kennedy was born in Los Angeles, and has attended junior college majoring in business management but decided to leave after less than a year to focus solely on his music. As a kid, Kennedy describes himself as being highly influenced by artists such as “The Notorious B.I.G., Outkast, and LL Cool J” through the fact that by simply listening to their music, he could feel a sense of where they were from.With his music, Kennedy does the same thing, bringing the feel of the inner city streets of L.A. to anyone willing to listen.In 2008 with the help from his cousin Jason Madison he released his debut mixtape album 25th Hour that instantly produced a buzz throughout the south side of L.A. In particular, the song “Watermelon Sundae” was widely played on local radio stations and performed live throughout the area, bringing more attention to Kennedy’s music ambitions.
After his 25th Hour debut, Kennedy released 2 additional mixtapes in 2009; Best After Bobby (the title referring to “Bobby” Robert Kennedy), and Future Street/Drug Sounds. For the Best After Bobby mixtape, Kennedy collaborated with West Coast heavy hitter DJ Sour Milk and the Los Angeles Leakers, producing an instant buzz in underground circles across the country. Within the first hours of dropping the mixtape, Kennedy amassed over 10,000 downloads, officially solidifying his name among some of the top rappers in L.A.
Last year was when he really starting getting recognized. Gaining over 100,000 internet downloads, Kennedy began receiving praise from many established figures within the game. As reported by Texas based, major music festival South by Southwest, “Dom Kennedy has been verbally endorsed by many, including The Hundreds, Kenny Burns, Rick Ross, Taz Arnod of Sa-Ra, 9th Wonder, Murs, The Game, Justice League, DJ Mormile, Alchemist (producer), and Don Cannon just to name a few.
Kennedy released his 5th studio mixtape “The Original Dom Kennedy”, a tape meant to reflect Kennedy’s individuality and sound as an artist. In an interview with MTV News reporter James Lacsina, Kennedy described the project as something that was a testament to himself in the rap game as well as the city he proudly represents: He stated With The Original Dom Kennedy, it was a time for me to take a stand in music. The way we grew up and our lifestyle, being kids from the inner city of Los Angeles. I just felt like that was missing,”
Kennedy has performed in a wide variety of venues from local clubs in L.A. to the campus of Georgetown University. In 2010, Kennedy performed a major, hip hop music festival Paid Dues in San Bernardino, California.Other performer included those such as People Under the Stairs, Curren$y, and Jake One.
In 2011, Kennedy performed at South by Southwest’s Music Matters Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both his performance and that of East Coast rapper J. Cole’s were featured online by The Source Magazine. Kennedy also performed his first show outside of the U.S. in 2011 in Dijibouti, Africa.
In my eyes this kid is definitely a promising artist, and I look really forward to hearing more of his music in the future. Kennedy is real hip hop! Let us know what you think of Dom!
