Mark Makora Mbogo (born September 23, 1997), known professionally as KayCyy or KayCyy Pluto, is a Kenyan-American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born in Kenya, Mbogo moved with his family to St. Paul, Minnesota at an early age. Throughout his career, he has released five mixtapes, and several singles with his debut studio album ''Who Is KayCyy?'' set to release within 2023. KayCyy has worked as a songwriter and credited vocalist alongside several major artists, including

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

, and Travis Scott amongst others. Most notably, KayCyy had a large contribution towards the production of West's tenth studio album ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...

'', writing and recording references for a multitude of tracks.

Early life

Mark Makora Mbogo was born in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

on September 23, 1997. At the age of nine, he and his family moved to the United States, landing at the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He attended Tartan High School in the city of Oakdale a suburb east of

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, where he graduated from in 2016. After high school, he moved to New York and later Los Angeles in pursuit of his music career.

Career

In 2016, Mbogo signed to Alive Productions, a record label founded by music producer

Reefa Sharif "Reefa" Slater is a music producer who has produced for notable artists. He was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and currently heads a production company for emerging artists and producers. Production work/involvement Sharif "Reefa" Slate ...

, with him later leaving in 2021. The rapper has released two of his own studio albums, ''Patient Enough'' and ''Ups & Downs'', in 2020 and 2021 respectively. A third album, titled ''Who Is KayCyy?'', is set to be released in 2022. Mbogo has worked with multiple other artists, having writing credits on

's album '' Funeral'' and

's single "

Wash Us in the Blood "Wash Us in the Blood" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rapper Travis Scott. It was produced by West, Ronny J, and BoogzDaBeast, while co-produced by FnZ and A.G., with additional production from Dem Jointz a ...

". Mbogo has worked closely with West since 2019. The rappers met through record executive Abou "Bu" Thiam, who later became West's manager, as well as KayCyy's. KayCyy is currently signed to Bu's record label BuVision and Columbia Records and is credited as a performer and writer on West's tenth studio album ''

'', including on the single "

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

", which topped multiple international song charts. Mbogo was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Album of the Year for his work on Kanye's studio album ''Donda'', and won a Grammy Award for contributing background vocals to the single, "Hurricane" by Kanye West which won

Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and origina ...

. Mbogo released a collaborative EP with

Gesaffelstein Mike Lévy (; born 24 June 1987), known professionally as Gesaffelstein (), is a French music programmer, DJ, songwriter and record producer from Lyon. He has worked alongside artists such as The Weeknd, Daft Punk, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Elect ...

titled ''TW20 50'' on March 11, 2022, and he released the mixtape, ''Get Used To It'' on June 2, 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended Plays

Mixtapes

Other charted songs

References

{{reflist 1997 births Living people 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers African-American songwriters American male rappers Musicians from Minnesota Kenyan rappers Rappers from Minnesota Songwriters from Minnesota 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters Artists from Minnesota Artists from Minneapolis Culture of Minneapolis Rappers from Minneapolis