Biography

A rapper who grew up inspired by Marilyn Manson, Brand New and Kanye West's "808 & Heartbreak", Koly Kolgate explodes off the streets of Cleveland, Ohio with a relaxed style that connects the dots between hip-hop, emo, and top 40 pop music. Debuting back in 2005 with his group The Midwest Menaces he quickly found regional success, scoring several local hits. Personal issues sidetracked his career in 2008, however he returned to music in 2009 with a new band, and attitude with Trap House Rave! Although the project was successful, it wasn't filling the therapeutic void his solo work did. After the quiet release of a collaborative mixtape aptly titled "Awake and Dreaming, Vol. 1" in late 2011 Koly officially kicked his career back into high gear in 2012 when he dropped "Fuckin Sweet!," an explosive mixtape, which garnered acclaim from hip-hop publications worldwide. The release of his follow up mixtape "FREEdumb" later that year, helped Koly prepare for the release of the "Old Scars, New Demons" album in late in 2015. His next project "Ticket To Anywhere" was a retrospective look at his earlier works, with all proceeds donated to charity. 2017 saw the mixtape "KOLY" followed by "Emo Rap Icon". "Emo Rap Icon, Vol. 2" came in 2019 followed by "Emo Rap Icon, Vol. 3" in 2020. Several years and one-off singles later a 2023 album was announced titled "Return To Form" spearheaded by the first single "Give It Up" featuring fellow Cleveland native ZuP. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi