Makonnen Kamali Sheran[2] (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American former rapper and singer.[3] He is best known for his 2014 single "Tuesday", which initially gained recognition following its remix with Canadian rapper Drake. After its release in August of that year, he signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records that same month; the song was re-released by the label shortly after and subsequently peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Tuesday" also received a nomination Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, and served as the lead single for his likewise re-issued self-titled debut extended play (2014), which moderately entered the Billboard 200. He parted ways with OVO in 2016, and his following releases have failed to chart.[4]
iLoveMakonnen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) ILoveMakonnen performing in Chicago, 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Makonnen Kamali Sheran |
| Also known as | Makonnen Danny Morris |
| Born | April 12, 1989 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–2024[1] |
| Labels | |
| Website | ilovemakonnen |
Early life
Makonnen Kamali Sheran was born on April 12, 1989,[5] in South Los Angeles, California,[6] and was named after Makonnen, father of Ras Teferi who was later crowned as Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. His father is a first generation immigrant from Belize who worked as an electrician and his mother was a nail instructor who worked in the beauty business for over 30 years.[7] In an interview, he described himself as mixed with African American, Indian, Irish, Belgian, German and Chinese heritage.[8]
Growing up in Los Angeles,[7] he moved to the Atlanta area when he was 13 years old, due to his parents' divorce. There, he witnessed the death of a close friend in his senior year in high school.[7]
Career
2008–2013: Career beginnings
"I was hanging out with drug dealers and thieves and the pretty girls that were popular. The kids thought I was kind of bad. Not reckless, but a badass. A lot of people really look up to me. I kind of represent them. It's like, they'll stand behind me, but they won't stand beside me."
ILoveMakonnen in an interview with journalist Naomi Zeichner from BuzzFeed magazine in August 2014.[9]
Makonnen started making songs on his computer and uploading them to MySpace. On this website, he met rising musicians, such as Adele. Makonnen also created a blog, where he would post interviews with musicians such as Lil B and Soulja Boy Tell'em.[9]
After a period under house arrest following the fatal accidental shooting of a friend,[10] he enrolled in a cosmetology school and became a part of a group called Phantom Posse.[9][11][12] In January 2012, Makonnen met Atlanta producer Mike Will Made It and formed a brief professional relationship with him. However, because of Mike Will's busy schedule, the two were not able to meet often, and soon were separated from each other.[8]
2014: Rise to prominence
In March 2014, record producer Mike Will Made It would reply to Makonnen and brought him to the DTP studios, where he played some of his songs towards a fellow producer Metro Boomin. Metro instantly liked Makonnen and stayed in touch with him. Later, after recording six songs together, Metro brought these fellow Atlanta producers Sonny Digital and 808 Mafia, who were all unusually impressed with him. Two days later, Makonnen recorded the song, titled "Don't Sell Molly No More" with Sonny Digital, which would later launch his music career. Sonny Digital introduced him to the other Atlanta producers such as DJ Spinz, Dun Deal and St. Louis producer Cammy Recklezz. He started gaining local fame within the community with songs such as "Living on the Southside", "Sneaky Lady" and "My New Friend".[13] Makonnen was then featured on Mike Will's mixtape, titled Ransom.
In July 2014, the singer released his self-titled EP iLoveMakonnen, which included the singles "Tuesday" and "I Don't Sell Molly No More".[14] The latter reached pop singer Miley Cyrus, who shared it on her Instagram. The post got over 210,000 likes and counting, that brought a lot of new fans to Makonnen.[13][15][non-primary source needed] On August 15, 2014, Vice included his song "Whip It" in their Staff Picks for the Week list, commenting: "Makonnen's voice is incredible! ... How could you not have a good time listening to this song? If there is anyone I trust to teach me how to whip it, it is definitely my friend Makonnen."[16]
In August 2014, after hearing "Tuesday", Drake asked one of the song's producers, Sonny Digital, if he could remix the song. Makonnen agreed to send it to Drake, but didn't think much of it. However, two days later Drake released a remix.[17] Makonnen later commented: "Yeah, I surprised. Shocking. Drake listens to Makonnen. It was great. I was excited. Surprised, shocked. Just overwhelmed."[6] The remix, simply titled "Tuesday" went viral and led to increased media interest in iLoveMakonnen.[14][18]
In August 2014, Makonnen was featured in XXL's The Come Up section, which focuses on new artists.[6] He later stated he was not looking for a major label deal and instead planned to go touring and record music independently: "I'm not too thirsty to sign a deal. Cause a label will really just take all your free music down and you have to be somebody's bitch." On September 1, 2014, it was announced that Makonnen had signed to Drake's label OVO Sound, which is distributed by Warner Bros. Records.[19]
2015–2016: OVO Sound and iLoveMakonnen 2
In an interview with The Fader in December 2015, more than a year after signing to Drake's OVO Sound, Makonnen said the label delayed tracks from iLoveMakonnen 2 from coming out. The song "Second Chance," for example, was finished in January 2015 and intended for a summer release,[20] but ended up being self-released by Makonnen in November 2015.[21] Makonnen said, "Second Chance was supposed to be that summer banger this summer. That was supposed to be out, touching people and hitting them this summer. By the time next year they'll be ready for something else. It's all late. People are doubting me, doubting what the fuck I said when I made the fucking song. You wait a year later and it's whatever. Hopefully, it's worked right. The song is structured properly. Everything is all there for proper radio play to just spin it over and over to people. Who knows? I don't know what the fuck they want."[20]
Makonnen also claimed "extra bullshit in the industry" stopped "Teach Me How To Whip It" and "No Ma'am" from getting radio play. When asked if he still talked to Drake, Makonnen responded, "Here and there. By the time this comes out, I'll probably see him six more times or no more times. I don't know. I just wish everybody well in all that they do and I just go on and live my life and try to uplift motherfuckers. At the end of the day I'm tired of uplifting people. I just gotta uplift myself now because everything else is a waste of time."[20]
Makonnen also described the music scene: "There's not even any money here anymore. It's all lies. The money's gone and everybody is now keeping up this front as if there's money there."[20]
On February 8, 2016, it was announced that alongside Travis Scott and Vic Mensa, Makonnen would be part of the "Wangsquad", an Alexander Wang campaign.[22]
2016–present: Departure from OVO Sound
On April 18, 2016, Makonnen parted ways with Drake's label OVO Sound, saying the "choice to be solely on Warner Bros. Records was the right thing for me and for my best interest."[23] On May 7, 2016, Makonnen announced he would be retiring from music to focus on acting but released a new song shortly after, with confirmation of a new project.[24]
In the late summer of 2017, Makonnen collaborated on an album with Lil Peep in London. The album was scrapped after Makonnen leaked it online in May 2020.[25] On August 17, 2018, Makonnen announced a single he co-wrote titled "Falling Down", a reworking of "Sunlight On Your Skin" that he recorded with Peep during the sessions in London. The new version features since deceased rapper XXXTentacion, who recorded his verses following Peep's death.[26] The single was officially released on September 19, 2018.[27] The original "Sunlight On Your Skin" version was released on September 27, 2018.[28]
Personal life
On January 20, 2017, via Twitter, Makonnen came out as gay.[29][30]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| My Parade[31] |
|
| Summer '22[32] |
|
Collaborative albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Diamonds (with Lil Peep) |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [33] |
US R&B /HH [34] | |||
| iLoveMakonnen |
|
72 | 48 | |
| iLoveMakonnen 2[35] |
|
— | 40 | |
| Fun Summer 17 Vol. 1[36] |
|
— | — | |
| iLoveMakonnen X Ronny J (with Ronny J)[37] |
|
— | — | |
| iLoveAmerica[38] |
|
— | — | |
| M3[39] |
|
— | — | |
| Stay Hydrated[40] |
|
— | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
Mixtapes
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/HH [34] |
US Rap [41] | ||
| 3D |
|
— | — |
| 4G |
|
— | — |
| 5 |
|
— | — |
| 6 |
|
— | — |
| Holiday Special |
|
— | — |
| LTE |
|
— | — |
| A Trillion Light Years |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water 2 |
|
— | — |
| 3 Suns |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water 3 |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water 4 |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water 5 |
|
— | — |
| Whip It Up (with Rich the Kid)[42] |
|
— | — |
| Drink More Water 6 |
|
35 | 25 |
| Red Trap Dragon (with Danny Wolf) |
|
— | — |
| DMW007 |
|
— | — |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [43] |
US R&B/HH [44] |
US R&B [45] |
CAN [46] |
FRA [47] |
NZ Hot [48] | ||||
| "Tuesday" (featuring Drake) |
2014 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 86 | — | iLoveMakonnen | |
| "Sellin" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Drink More Water 6 | |
| "Side to Side" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Love" (featuring Rae Sremmurd)[50] |
2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sunlight On Your Skin" (with Lil Peep) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2 | |
| "I've Been Waiting"[51] (with Lil Peep featuring Fall Out Boy) |
2019 | 62 | — | — | — | — | 12 |
|
Everybody's Everything |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [52] | ||||
| "I Like Tuh"[53] (Carnage featuring iLoveMakonnen) |
2015 | — |
|
Papi Gordo |
| "Kolony Anthem"[54] (Steve Aoki featuring iLoveMakonnen and Bok Nero) |
2017 | — | Steve Aoki Presents Kolony | |
| "How Else"[54] (Steve Aoki featuring Rich the Kid and iLoveMakonnen) |
47 | |||
| "No Friends"[55] (Chase Atlantic featuring iLoveMakonnen and K CAMP) |
2017 | — | Part Three |
Guest appearances
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (November 2021) |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Nokia" | 2014 | Father | L1L D1DDY |
| "Look at Wrist" | Father, Key! | Young Hot Ebony | |
| "Day2Day" (Remix) | Tunji Ige, Michael Christmas | — | |
| "I Understand" | Key!, FKi | Fkeyi | |
| "TMZ" | Key!, Ian Connor, Saucelord Rich | Fkeyi | |
| "FriendsMaybe" | Rome Fortune | Small VVorld | |
| "Wishin You Well" | Mike Will Made-It | — | |
| "Syrup in My Soda" | Mike WiLL Made-It, Riff Raff | — | |
| "Swerve" | Mike WiLL Made-It | Ransom | |
| "Down 4 So Long Remix" | iLoveMakonnen, Ezra Koenig, Despot | Red Bull's 20 Before 15 Singles Series | |
| "H.O.M.E." | 2015 | Trinidad James | No One Is Safe |
| "Interviews" | Brodinski, Yung Gleesh | Brava | |
| "TrUe Thang" | Rome Fortune, CeeJ | loloU | |
| "Take Me Away" | Rome Fortune | loloU | |
| "Why'd You Call" | DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign | — | |
| "Myself" | Yung Lean | — | |
| "Slaughter Ya Daughter" | 21 Savage, Key! | The Slaughter Tape | |
| "All Black Hummers" | Father, Archibald Slim, Ethereal | Papicodone | |
| "Favorite Record (Remix)" | Fall Out Boy | Make America Psycho Again | |
| "Who Be Lovin' Me" | 2016 | Santigold | 99¢ |
| "Why Don't U" | Father, Abra | I'm a Piece of Shit | |
| "Party on Me" | Father, Ethereal | ||
| "Park Hill" | Povi | — | |
| "Thru It All" (Remix) | Wintertime | I Know What You Did Last Winter | |
| "Take it Easy" | Gucci Mane | Meal Ticket | |
| "Cash Cash" | |||
| "Forever" | FKi | 1st Time for Everything | |
| "Coming Soon" | Skepta, Céon | — | |
| "Feel the Same" | Phantom Posse | Be True | |
| "Love It" | Sonny Digital, Key! | — | |
| "Lit" | Rome Fortune | VVORLDVVIDE PIMPSTATION | |
| "My Boy Band 'Exortion'" | Rome Fortune, Nevabitch | ||
| "I'll Be Damned"[56] | Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Lil Yachty | — | |
| "Taylor Swift" | Trinidad James | The Wake Up 2 | |
| "Global" | 2017 | Lil B | Black Ken |
| "Romantic" | Key! | — | |
| "Drop the Top" | Teddy | — | |
| "4 Real" | Destructo, Ty Dolla Sign | Renegade | |
| "All Alone" | Nick Hook | Relationships | |
| "I Got Work" | P.S. 211 | — | |
| "Long Time" | 2018 | Naations | Teardrop |
| "Cupid!" | 2019 | Teddy | — |
| "I've Been Waiting (Original)" | Lil Peep | Everybody's Everything | |
| "Changing" | 2020 | Phantom Posse | Forever Underground |
| "Sick!" | 2021 | BAYLI | — |
| "Next To Me" | Ares Carter | — | |
| "Hellbound" | 2022 | Teddy | Tales of Euphoria |
| "Now That You're Leaving" | 2023 | Teddy | — |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss | Himself | [57] |
References
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- ^ "Grand jury increases charges against teen". News-daily.com. July 10, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ "ILOVEMAKONNEN Moved To Portland. No, For Real". Willamette Week. February 7, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ "iLoveMakonnen's Best songs". HotNewHipHop. May 23, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ iLoveMakonnen (April 12, 1989). "iLoveMakonnen | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c Diep, Eric (August 28, 2014). "The Come Up: iLoveMakonnen (page 2)". XXL. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Makonnen Still Loves You". Noisey. November 21, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Friedman, Skinny (July 11, 2014). "EVERYBODY LOVES MAKONNEN". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c Zeichner, Naomi (August 13, 2014). "Meet ILoveMakonnen, The Eccentric Rapper Drake And Miley Cyrus Want To Be Down With". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Itunes biography". Apple. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ Skinny Friedman (July 11, 2014). "Everybody Loves Makonnen". Noisey. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
I was on house arrest and was going to cosmetology school. I was hanging around a whole bunch of girls, learning how to do hair and shit.
- ^ Benjy Hansen-Bundy (February 2015). "ILoveMakonnen on Becoming Famous Overnight". GQ. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
He sings, he makes videos, he plays piano, and he's...a licensed cosmetologist.
- ^ a b Diep, Eric. "The Come Up: iLoveMakonnen (page 3)". XXL Mag. XXL. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b Sundermann, Eric (August 12, 2014). "MAKONNEN EXPLAINS THE DRAKE REMIX: "IT'S THE BEST TUESDAY EVER!"". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Cyrus, Miley. "Photo by mileycyrus". Instagram. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Kramer, Kyle (August 15, 2014). "STAFF PICKS AND GOOD SHIT FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15". Vice. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Fleischer, Adam. "ILOVEMAKONNEN Wept When He Heard Drake's 'Club Goin' Up On A Tuesday' Remix". MTV. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Camp, Zoe (August 12, 2014). "Drake Jumps on iLoveMakonnen's "Tuesday"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (September 2014). "ILoveMakonnen Signs To Drake's OVO Sound". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Damn, Makonnen". The FADER. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ "iLoveMakonnen Shares DJ Mustard-Produced "Second Chance", Announces iLoveMakonnen 2". Pitchfork. November 15, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ Smith, Trevor (February 8, 2016). "Ilove Makonnen part of Wang Campaign". Hotnewhiphop. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "iLoveMakonnen Parts Ways With OVO Sound | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. April 19, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ "ILoveMakonnen Says He's Retiring From Rap, Then Releases New Song". stereogum.com. May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- ^ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill – PEEP THIS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ "iLoveMakonnen Says a Lil Peep and XXXTentacion Collaboration Is Coming". Complex. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (September 18, 2018). "New Song From Lil Peep and XXXTentacion to Be Released Tomorrow". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (September 27, 2018). "Listen to 'Sunlight On Your Skin' by Lil Peep and iLoveMakonnen". The Fader. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Oceanic Makonnen on Twitter: "And since y'all love breaking news, here's some old news to break, I'm gay. And now I've told u about my life, maybe u can go life yours❤"". March 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Herdandez, Greg (January 20, 2017). "Atlanta rapper iLoveMakonnen comes out as gay on Twitter". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "iLoveMakonnen – My Parade". iTunes Store. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
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- ^ a b "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ "I LOVE MAKONNEN 2". iTunes Store. November 20, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
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- ^ "ILoveMakonnen & Ronny J Unveil New Collaborative EP". HypeBeast. January 25, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ "iLOVEMAKONNEN celebrated July 4th with iLOVEAMERICA EP". TheFader. July 4, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (May 10, 2019). "iLoveMakonnen Announces M3 EP, Shares New Song "Drunk on Saturday": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
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- ^ "I Love Makonnen – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ "Singles ILoveMakonnen". lescharts.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ "Hot Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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- ^ "New Music: iLoveMakonnen feat. Rae Sremmurd – 'Love'". Rap-Up. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
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