K’alley was one of the contestants on the second season of “Rhythm And Flow.” He duked it out for weeks, vying with other rappers in hopes of winning $250,000. K’alley didn’t win, but he definitely left his mark as one of the more memorable contestants. He hails from Griffin, Georgia, and he is also another Georgia State alumni. Rolling out caught up with him at the Season 2 finale event to hear about his time on the show.
How would you describe your experience on “Rhythm and Flow” this season?
Man, it was a great experience. One thing I came to realize [is] even the top people in the rap game don’t even get to have this experience like battle-rapping on stage. The same stage Eminem was on, in front of Eminem … you know, having to write and prepare material in 24 hours, perform it and have to be flawless at it and not miss one step. Overall … I didn’t win the competition, but it made me a much better artist, and I’m just so appreciative of that opportunity.
What about your artistry improved?
Definitely my memory — that’s kind of what choked me up at one point. But my memory has just improved so much because I’m the type of person [that], when I’m not good at something, I want to be the best at it. So, I went straight home from the show and just started working and improving on my memory. So, I have freestyles, and it takes me three or four hours to memorize a whole freestyle and just do the whole thing: record it, edit it, put it out. So that’s one of the things. And performance? Breath control. You know, I read the comments and try to work on everything I can.
Did the hate or those negative critiques bother you? Especially being on such a huge platform?
What I can say is I had a pretty big audience — like social media, going viral — before “Rhythm and Flow.” So, it was like I was already prepared because I see how I make one post and a lot of people might say something negative. The next post? Five minutes later, extremely positive. The internet isn’t real, so it’s, like, bad comments don’t really bother me because it’s always going to be somebody who loves me. It’s going to be somebody that hates me. I want to be a polarizing figure — and that’s what really gets you to the top. … I call that the Tupac Method. He had people that hated him, people that loved him. So, that’s who I looked up to.
Who would you compare your style most likely to?
Well, apparently, Big Sean, because everybody keeps saying I sound like Big Sean. I never heard it, but people have been saying that since I first started rapping. So, shoutout to Big Sean and for him to give me the stamp of approval — like, hey K’alley, I see you got a future in music. It was just next level for me. They compared me to him a lot. And other than that, I can’t really say another artist. I just know I’m heavily influenced by Kendrick Lamar. That’s my favorite artist, period.
