Kamaiyah Jamesha Johnson (born March 13, 1992) is an American rapper and singer from

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Her debut mixtape, ''

A Good Night in the Ghetto ''A Good Night in the Ghetto'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper and singer Kamaiyah. It was released on March 14, 2016. The production is handled by Drew Banga, CT Beats, DJ Official, Trackademicks, WTF Nonstop, Link Up, 1-O.A.K., and P-Lo. ...

'', was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2017, Kamaiyah was named as one of the ten of '' XXL''s 2017 Freshman Class. She released her second mixtape, ''Before I Wake'', in 2017. In 2020, she launched her own label, GRND.WRK, releasing her third mixtape, ''Got It Made'', through the label.

Career

Kamaiyah Johnson was born in

, but raised in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. She is inspired by her favorite childhood 1990s artists such as

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, Missy Elliott, and Aaliyah. Her debut single "How Does It Feel" premiered late in 2015 and was ranked one of the year's best songs by

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

. She released her debut mixtape, ''

'', in March 2016 to critical acclaim. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' placed it at number 21 on the "50 Best Albums of 2016" list. ''

'' placed it at number 47 on the "50 Best Albums of 2016" list. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' placed it at number 17 on the "40 Best Rap Albums of 2016" list. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' named it one of the 15 best mixtapes of 2016. Music videos were created for "Out the Bottle", "How Does It Feel", "For My Dawg", "F*ck It Up", "Mo Money Mo Problems", "I'm On", and "Freaky Freaks". After releasing her debut mixtape, Kamaiyah performed at South by Southwest that month in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. That year she was also featured, along with

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, on YG's " Why You Always Hatin?", a single from his 2016 ''

Still Brazy ''Still Brazy'' is the second studio album by American rapper YG (rapper), YG. It was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016, by Apple Music. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17, 2016, by 4Hunni ...

''. Later that year, Kamaiyah performed as an opener for YG on his Fuck Donald Trump Tour. Kamaiyah signed to Interscope Records in 2016. On June 13, 2017, Kamaiyah was named as one of the ten of '' XXL's'' " 2017 Freshman Class" along with A Boogie wit da Hoodie,

PnB Rock Rakim Hasheem Allen (December 9, 1991 – September 12, 2022), better known by his stage name PnB Rock, was an American rapper and singer. He gained a large following in 2016 with his song "Selfish", which peaked at number 51 on the US ''Billbo ...

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Carter was initially signed to local underground label Awful Records prior to signing with ASAP Mob's AWGE Label under Interscope ...

Ugly God Royce Cornell Davison-Rodriguez (born September 19, 1996), better known as Ugly God, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 2016 song "Water", which peaked at number 80 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 char ...

, Kyle, Aminé,

MadeinTYO Malcolm Jamaal Davis (born April 12, 1992), better known by his stage name MadeinTYO (pronounced Made in Tokyo), is an American rapper and singer born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He rose to prominence in 2016 after the release of his single "Uber Everyw ...

Kap G George Ramirez (born July 31, 1994), better known by his stage name Kap G, is an Mexican-American rapper. He is best known for his song " Girlfriend", which peaked at number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Early life George Ramirez wa ...

, and

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...

. Kamaiyah announced a mixtape, ''Don't Ever Get it Twisted'', which was delayed and eventually shelved, due to sample clearance issues and problems with her major label contract. She instead self-released a second mixtape, ''Before I Wake'', in 2017. Kamaiyah appeared in a Sprite commercial alongside

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

, in early 2018. Kamaiyah left Interscope Records and

4Hunnid Records Keenon Dequan Ray Jackson (born March 9, 1990), better known by his stage name YG (short for Young Gangsta), is an American rapper from Compton, California. In 2010, he released his debut single, "Toot It and Boot It" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign), ...

after her project ''Something To Ride To,'' was delayed multiple times''.'' Kamaiyah launched her own label GRND.WRK and released her third mixtape, ''Got it Made'', in 2020. The project was preceded by the single "1-800-IM-HORNY". On September 18, 2020, Kamaiyah released ''Oakland Nights'', a collaborative EP with fellow Bay Area artist, Capolow. The 10-track EP marks Kamaiyah's second project released under her label, GRND.WRK. In March 2022 a music documentary about the Hyphy movement We Were Hyphy, was released. It featured Kamaiyah and other musicians that were inspired by

Hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak. History The hy ...

including G-Eazy, and P-Lo.

Discography

EPs

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

External links

* * * {{authority control 1992 births Living people American women rappers African-American women rappers People from Oakland, California Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century women rappers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians