Born: March 13, 1992
Birthplace: Oakland, California
Zodiac Sign:
Pisces
Kamaiyah Jamesha Johnson is a rapper and
singer.
In late 2015, her debut single, "How Does
It Feel," premiered and was ranked one of the year's best songs by
Pitchfork and NPR.
She released her debut mixtape, A Good Night
in the Ghetto, in March 2016 to critical acclaim.
Complex placed it at 21 on the "50 Best
Albums of 2016" list.
Pitchfork placed it at 47 on the "50 Best
Albums of 2016" list.
Rolling Stone placed it at 17 on the "40
Best Rap Albums of 2016" list.
The Guardian 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. In addition, she
was featured, along with Drake, on YG's "Why You Always Hatin?", a
single from his 2016 Still Brazy.
Later that year, Kamaiyah performed as an
opener for YG on his Fuck Donald Trump Tour. Kamaiyah signed with Interscope
Records in 2016.
On June 13, 2017, Kamaiyah was named one of
the ten of XXL's "2017 Freshman Class".
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. Instead, she self-released a
second mixtape, Before I Wake, in 2017.
In 2018, Kamaiyah appeared in a Sprite
commercial alongside LeBron James. Kamaiyah left Interscope Records and 4Hunnid
Records after her project, Something To Ride To, was delayed multiple times. Kamaiyah
launched her own label GRND.WRK released her third mixtape, Got it Made, in
2020. The single "1-800-IM-HORNY preceded the
project ".
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, Kamaiyah was featured in a music documentary about the Hyphy movement.