About Dom Kennedy
Dominic Ross Hunn , better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper. His fourth mixtape, From the Westside with Love , was met with critical acclaim; its sequel, From the Westside with Love II , served as his debut studio album and entered the Billboard 200. His second and third albums, Get Home Safely and By Dom Kennedy , both peaked at number 23 on the chart and were met with continued praise.
Kennedy is also known for his guest appearance alongside Belly on Nipsey Hussle's 2019 song "Double Up", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. An independent artist, Kennedy's releases are distributed by his own label, the Other People's Money Company, or simply Other People's Money . His 2012 single, "My Type of Party" was ranked by Complex magazine as among the 50 Best Songs of that year.
Dom Kennedy was born on August 22, 1984, in Los Angeles, California. In an interview with music media outlet IMFlashy, Kennedy describes his childhood growing up as "normal". After his parents' divorce, Kennedy moved with his mother to Leimert Park. Kennedy played baseball to get out of the inner city to stay safe and out of trouble. He also played basketball everyday from the age of five to the age of 16. Upon graduating from Santa Monica High School, Kennedy enrolled in Santa Monica College, a two-year junior college in California, majoring in business management. In an interview with Dr. Josh Hamilton in October 2012, Dom gave his reasoning on why he entered college and what his plan B would be.
"I mainly focused on business management while I was there, not really thinking about music per se at first, but just on life. You know, like damn if I wasn't rapping or doing anything with music that was kind of where I saw myself in the world. I always hoped I could be an entrepreneur, you know I guess, but thats the aspirations of many people but I just felt like if I was going to learn about anything I might as well learn about structures of corporations, or at least find out everyone's job."
Working with his cousin Jason Madison, Kennedy released his debut mixtape album 25th Hour in 2008, instantly producing a buzz throughout the south side of L.A. In particular, the song "Watermelon Sundae" was widely played on local radio stations and performed live throughout the area, bringing more attention to Kennedy's music ambitions. Around this time, Kennedy's cousin Madison was a film student at Loyola Marymount University, sparking the beginning importance of visuals in Kennedy's later projects.
After his 25th Hour debut, Kennedy released 2 additional mixtapes in 2009; Best After Bobby , and Future Street/Drug Sounds. For the Best After Bobby mixtape, Kennedy collaborated with West Coast heavy hitter DJ Sour Milk and the Los Angeles Leakers, producing an instant buzz in underground circles across the country. Within the first hours of dropping the mixtape, Kennedy amassed over 10,000 downloads, officially solidifying his name among some of the top rappers in L.A.
However, with the release of From the Westside With Love in 2010, Kennedy became a major hit throughout the underground hip hop scene in L.A. Gaining over 100,000 internet downloads, With the success of From the Westside With Love, Kennedy became a major player on the independent circuit, traveling for performances throughout and outside the country; including a show in Djibouti, Africa. Kennedy also began releasing an extensive amount of visual material at this time, including From the Westside With Love music videos for songs such as "1997", "Locals Only", and "The 4 Heartbeats".
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