Kelvyn Benbella Ajala, (born on January 23, 1994, in Fulda, Hesse), is known by his stage name Kelvyn Colt. He is a German-Nigerian rapper, musician, songwriter, model, and entrepreneur.

Life

Colt was born in 1994 as Kelvyn Benbella Ajala in Fulda, Hesse, Germany, as the son of Daniela Ajala, an office manager, and Pedro Ajala, a supervisor at Frankfurt Airport. In 2000, the family moved to Wiesbaden, a city known primarily for its large US military base. Colt started studying law at the law faculty of the European Business School in Wiesbaden in 2013.[1]

Shortly after, Ajala dropped out of law school and moved to the United Kingdom to study business administration. He completed his studies with a Bachelor of Science with honors at the University of Buckingham.[2] Colt's music career had previously started in his bedroom[3] and led him to his first casting in the role of Romeo in the KiKa television series "Romeo feat. Juliette" in 2014.[4]

Career

2015-2016: First independent releases

In 2015, Colt released his first independent tracks, "Narcotic" and "Traded For You," which caught the attention of the YouTube platform Colors, founded around the same time. In collaboration with Colors, he performed a freestyle to Hucci & Stooki Sounds' "Ball So Hard" on the channel, which became the first viral hit in Germany, with over 2 million views, bringing both Colors and Colt significant attention.[3] This helped establish Colt as an artist on various music platforms, including Vice's Noisey, which referred to him as "our new hope in hip-hop",[5] and the German Vogue, which described Colt as the "future of hip-hop".[6]

2016-2020: Collaboration with Sony Music Germany

In December 2016, Colt signed his contract with Four Music, a subsidiary of Sony Music Germany. After sold-out shows in London, Colt began traveling between Berlin, London, Paris, and Los Angeles for recording sessions, gigs, and shoots. He toured with hip-hop colleagues such as RIN, Gashi, Ocean Wisdom, and Chase Atlantic.[7]

In 2017, Colt released his first project with Sony, the five-track EP "LH914," named after the one-way ticket he arrived in London with a few years prior.[8] Colt then performed "Bury Me Alive" in his second collaboration with the music platform Colors, leading the track to become a viral hit with several million views in the first weeks after its release. In 2019, his song "Bury Me Alive" appeared on the soundtrack of the Netflix series "Wu Assassins," reaching the top of the American Shazam trend charts.[9]

Colt released another EP titled "Mind of Colt, Pt. 1" under Sony Music Germany in 2018 and two singles in 2019. His European tour in the same year was sold out.[2] He also performed at the annual established arts and media event SXSW and became the first German rap artist to tour China.[10]

2020-present: Independent career with TBHG Records

In early 2020, Colt parted ways with Sony after securing the rights to his entire music catalog to establish his own independent record label.[11][12] In September 2020, Colt announced his collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and became the face of the "EQC" project.[13] As part of the collaboration, the single "BENZ | I Know" was released, which remains Colt's most well-known single to date<.[14] The accompanying video was released on the Mercedes-Benz YouTube channel.[15]

In 2021, Colt independently released his first EP, "Love Before Death". He also released the collaborative single "No One" with wavvyboi, which brought attention to the breaking of traditional gender roles in society through a collaboration with About You and Levi's.[16] Another song, "Emotions", was released in the same year.

After releasing three standalone singles, "INTO THE LIGHT," "Hot Girl Summer," and "Problem, Yeah I Know," in 2022, Colt started off 2023 with the release of his new EP "GERMAN ANGST," which garnered media attention through a protest march for mental health in Berlin.[17] In May 2023, Colt appeared as a guest on the ZDFNeo show "Studio Schmitt," where he discussed his career path, cultural differences in international hip-hop, and his experiences in the music industry, while also premiering his single "RAGE" on German television.[18] In July 2023, Kelvyn Colt also appeared on the ARD show "ttt – titel, thesen, temperamente," where he reflected on his career and discussed the societal influences of "GERMAN ANGST".[19] In the same year, Colt began a collaboration with US based distribution and publishing company Create Music Group, through which he released the singles "RAGE" and "ENORMOUS" in joint collaboration.[20][21]

Artistic vision and international collaborations

Kelvyn Colt's lyrics touch on various social and socio-critical topics, like mental health, self-care and his view on masculinity.[22] Apart from his music, Colt is artistically involved in various other forms as a multi-sensory artist. He conceptualizes and directs his own music videos,[23] designs his own merchandise, and creates custom fragrances for the venues of his live shows.[24] The artist is also known for his sense of fashion and has collaborated with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton,[25] Cartier,[26] and more in the past.

Discography

EPs and Mixtapes

  • 2017: LH914
  • 2018: Mind of Colt, Pt 1.
  • 2021: Love Before Death
  • 2023: GERMAN ANGST

Singles

  • 2015: Narcotic
  • 2016: Traded for You
  • 2017: I Got This (feat. Merty Shango)
  • 2017: Bury Me Alive
  • 2017: Under My Skin
  • 2017: Bad Man
  • 2017: Moon
  • 2018: Blessed
  • 2018: Just Watch Me
  • 2018: Legend
  • 2018: Mama
  • 2018: Waited on Me
  • 2018: Love & Hate
  • 2018: Weakend
  • 2018: Aqua (feat. Elijah Hook)
  • 2018: Alone
  • 2019: Down Like Dah
  • 2019: Mama (Live)
  • 2019: WDWGFH
  • 2019: Savage
  • 2019: Bury Me Alive – A COLORS SHOW
  • 2019: Mile Away
  • 2020: DLMD
  • 2020: Once Again
  • 2020: 4 Am Mein Block
  • 2020: Walk Alone
  • 2020: Good Morning (Remix)
  • 2020: Taking You Home
  • 2020: Hope I Wonder
  • 2020: Benz I Know
  • 2020: BENZ I Know REMIX (feat. GASHI)
  • 2020: LINK UP
  • 2020: GIVE ME A SIGN
  • 2021: Fire in the Booth, Pt. 1
  • 2021: Rapunzel
  • 2021: Matrix
  • 2021: Say Cheese
  • 2021: No One (feat. wavvyboi)
  • 2021: Emotions
  • 2022: Désole (feat. Jok'air)
  • 2022: INTO THE LIGHT
  • 2022: Hot Girl Summer
  • 2022: Problem, Yeah I Know
  • 2023: EYE4EYE
  • 2023: SHORTY!
  • 2023: Memories (mit ToTheMoon)
  • 2023: RAGE
  • 2023: ENORMOUS

References

  1. ↑ Ajala, Kelvyn. "LinkedIn". Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "FROM WIESBADEN WITH LOVE". Forbes (in German). 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  3. 1 2 Dazed (2023-03-17). "Kelvyn Colt: 'I want to do more than be a rapper'". Dazed. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  4. ↑ "Rap und Hip-Hop: Schüler tanzen Romeo und Julia in Freiburg". Der Spiegel (in German). 2012-07-22. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  5. ↑ Damsch, Nina (2016-07-04). "London und Berlin haben ein Kind gezeugt: Kelvyn Colt, unsere neue Hoffnung im HipHop". Vice (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  6. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt ist die (deutsche) Zukunft des Hip Hop". Vogue Germany (in German). 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  7. ↑ "Ljubav Open Air: Die Special Guests von RINs Festival stehen fest". Hiphop.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  8. ↑ "Kosmopolit mit Anliegen - Wiesbadener Rapper Kelvyn Colt für New Music Award nominiert". sensor Magazin - Wiesbaden - Fühle deine Stadt (in German). 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  9. ↑ "Deutscher Rapper Kelvyn Colt rockt Shazam-Trends in den USA". Hiphop.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  10. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt". SXSW 2023 Schedule. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  11. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt kauft sich aus Major-Deal raus". Hiphop.de (in German). 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  12. ↑ Colt, Kelvyn (2020-03-24). "I Left Sony Music with My Entire Catalog. Here's Why". DJBooth. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  13. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt im Mercedes-Benz EQC: "Mein Job ist mein Leben."". www.mercedes-benz.com (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  14. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt". Spotify. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  15. ↑ Kelvyn Colt "BENZ | I Know" – Official Video, retrieved 2023-07-20
  16. ↑ Philippe, Yannick (2021-08-20). "wavvyboi und Kelvyn Colt releasen die gemeinsame Single "no one"". The Postie (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  17. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt mit Demo gegen "German Angst"". www1.wdr.de (in German). 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  18. ↑ "Studio Schmitt vom 4. Mai mit Kelvyn Colt". www.zdf.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  19. ↑ "Kelvyn Colt startet durch - ttt – titel, thesen, temperamente - ARD | Das Erste". www.daserste.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  20. ↑ RAGE, 2023-05-04, retrieved 2023-07-18
  21. ↑ ENORMOUS, 2023-06-02, retrieved 2023-07-18
  22. ↑ Cattermole, Liam (2023-04-21). "For Kelvyn Colt, Humanity Is The Motivator". Notion. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  23. ↑ Cole, Sam. "Watch Kelvyn Colt's New Self-Directed Video For "Savage"". Complex. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  24. ↑ Woods, Thomas (2023-05-31). "Cover Story- PAUSE Meets: Kelvyn Colt". PAUSE Online | Men's Fashion, Street Style, Fashion News & Streetwear. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  25. ↑ MusikWoche, jk. "Kelvyn Colt macht mit Sony Music Mode für Louis Vuitton". www.musikwoche.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  26. ↑ "Iconic Moments". VOGUE (in German). 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
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