Early life
Kevin Elijah Burgess was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, on July 21, 1988,[1] into a military family.[2] Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Southern Illinois. When he was eight years old, his parents divorced, and he moved back with his mother to the south side of St. Petersburg, which, according to Burgess, is "probably one of the worst areas in the state."[2] Although he excelled at a good school and was offered a path to college through a program at St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, he struggled with severe depression. He experimented with various drugs in an attempt to find relief,[2] which negatively affected his performance at school and led him into a downward spiral, even contemplating suicide.[2][3]
The Reach Records Years
Burgess signed with Reach Records in 2010 and appeared that year on Lecrae's album Rehab.[6] His mixtape Who Is KB? followed a year later, along with appearances with PRo and Tedashii.[6][7][8][9] Who Is KB? garnered 30,000 downloads by the following year.[6] His first single, "Hello," featuring Suzy Rock, was released in October 2011.[10] In January 2012, he released a second single, "Zone Out," featuring Chris Lee Cobbins.[11] Burgess also appeared with Andy Mineo on Trip Lee's album The Good Life.[6] In June 2012, he released a third single, "Go Off," featuring Tedashii and Andy Mineo.[12] Burgess's debut album, Weight & Glory, was released a month later and featured the song "Church Clap" featuring Lecrae, his only RIAA certified song.[13][14]
On May 30, 2013, Reach Records announced a four-part project entitled 1st and 16th. This project involved Burgess releasing a new song on the first and sixteenth of June and July. On June 1, Part 1, "HCB Freestyle," was released.[15] The songs "Ride" and "Be All Right" were also part of the 1st and 16th project.
On February 10, 2014, KB announced his new project, an EP titled 100, which was released on March 4, 2014.[16] Burgess also appeared in Family Force 5's music video for the song "BZRK," released on May 23, 2014, as a featured artist.[17]
On February 3, 2015, KB announced on social media his second studio album, Tomorrow We Live, including the cover and release date, which was set for April 21, 2015.[18] The first single from the album, "Sideways," featuring Lecrae, was released on February 23, 2015.[19] The second single, "Crowns & Thorns (Oceans)," was released on March 10, 2015.[20]
On October 20, 2017, KB released his third studio album, Today We Rebel.[21] The first single from the album, "Tempo," was released a year prior to the album's release.[22] The second single, "Monster," featuring Aha Gazelle, was released on September 15, 2017.[23]
The Essential Sound Years
In 2020, he announced that he would not be renewing his contract with Reach Records and instead signed with Essential Sound, a Sony Music imprint.[24]
KB released three singles—"Armies," "10K," and "Lil Boy"—from his fourth studio album, His Glory Alone. The album was released on September 25, 2020.[25]
On August 11, 2023, KB released his fifth studio album, His Glory Alone II. The album was preceded by five singles: "King Jesus" with nobigdyl., "Graves" with Brandon Lake, "EZ," "Glory 2 Glory," and "Danza." It was followed by a deluxe edition featuring five new tracks.
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