Malcolm Kelley

Biography: Malcolm Kelley was born on June 14, 1989 on the Southside of Chicago. Growing up, Malcolm spent most of his free time playing video games and recording songs from off the radio. Playing and recording was his form of comfort because of his lack of friends during his early childhood. He felt as though music was the one true way to express himself and release anger from his home and inner-city surroundings.

At the age of 9, Malcolm moved to a small southern town called Blytheville, Arkansas with his mother and sister. It was there that he started hearing southern beats and began to freestyle. Shortly after living in the small town, Malcolm moved back to Chicago with his grandmother and aunt. Upon going back to his hometown, Malcolm had varied feelings about his musical talent. Starting a new school and trying to meet new people was difficult for Malcolm. He felt like he was being picked on and targeted for reasons that he couldn't explain.

In the 7th grade, Malcolm's grandmother signed him up to take piano lesson to give him self-discipline. He took lessons at the Van Moody School of Music and received many medals and accolades after competing in numerous competitions. Malcolm continued to take lessons until his sophomore year of high school. Within that same year, one of his good friends, James "Stixx Hit It" Hutchinson introduced him to the FL Studio program and showed him how to make beats. Once he learned how to produce tracks, Malcolm quit his piano lessons and joined Stixx and three other MCs to form the rap group "Trak Savagez."

After gathering the members, finding a manager, and finding a based studio to record songs, the group began to record hot singles that they felt would bring them success. Eventually, that effort failed once the group broke up in the summer of 2007. After the end of the group "Trak Savagez," Malcolm went into a depression. He didn't know if he wanted to continue on with his music and spent most of time locked in his room sad that the group failed to reach great potential.

Frustrated with troubles and the state of music, Malcolm knew that he couldn't give up so early. In his senior year, Malcolm met with Nathan Russo, producer and marketer for Skyline Music Group. After describing ambitions for the future of the company, Nate set up a date for Malcolm to record in their studio. At Skyline studios, Malcolm met Mike Hall and the rest of the Skyline family. After future numerous sessions, Mike took Malcolm under Skyline and started a steady road to success. A quote from Mike Hall said "Recording with Malcolm is unpredictable; I never know what he's going to come up with next."

In April 2009, Malcolm Kelley released his first mixtape titled "Skyline Shawty" which received great feedback in the Chicago area. With self-production and catchy lyrics "Skyline Shawty" is definitely a mixtape to have on your playlist. More mixtapes and the "Promise Of Chicago" EP are in on the works for Malcolm Kelley. At this point, in his early career, Malcolm is focused on releasing singles and building a strong buzz before any further releases. Malcolm is not into all the riches and fame that success brings; he truly feels like recording is not just recreation but it is his passion.

Malcolm once said and believes "I want to change peoples emotions through my music. If you're having troubled times you can rely on my music to help you through the day. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't stop until the world feels my music. That's why I call myself the Promise Of Chicago."