The Playground Meets: Kaleb Mitchell
Written by: Zahir Byam
Kaleb Mitchell is a talented artist and rapper ready to take the world by storm with his eclectic take on hip hop and R&B music - with a new album out now titled So Help Me God II.
Born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey, his affinity for music started at the age of five when his parents discovered his talents of playing music by ear on an electronic keyboard. With his mother being a native Kenyan, he declares that his rhythm comes from his mother’s side of the family. A self-described “student of the game”, Kaleb’s consistency in learning the basics of music and trying to emulate his biggest inspirations Michael Jackson and Kanye West, we see that he is serious about pushing himself to be a musical prodigy.
Kaleb Mitchell’s music career officially started in 2015, but had a hand in music throughout his life. Since his official mixtape debut with Soliloquy, he made sure to align his music with everything that happens in his life. This mixtape came during his sophomore year of high school, and he used it as a way to speak his mind and express himself to let people in on his “inner monologue” at the moment. He describes this era as him “being able to put my life in the music and make it almost like a play that you’re hearing, like an auditory play”. Heavily inspired by Jon Bellion’s record “The Definition”, Kaleb used this time period to understand what it meant to make music. This mixtape was one of his few free releases he uploaded to Soundcloud. This strategy was adopted by Kaleb to develop as many loyal followers as possible through freestyles, covers of popular songs, and a slew of mixtapes, in order to finally monetize his efforts. His next mixtape, 45 was his attempt at being taken more seriously as an MC by using heavy interpolations of 90’s hip hop instrumentals. Who knew that this mixtape would set the tone for Kaleb as a definitive rapper?
The So Help Me God era was a rollercoaster of life changing experiences for Kaleb and describes it as “his grand introduction to the general public”. During this time, he learned of his mother being diagnosed with breast cancer and the unfortunate passing of his grandmother. He insists that music was his only outlet. His cry for help and feeling of despair led him to the mantra So Help Me God.
2017 saw difficulties in Kaleb’s life. This was the year that he and his mother were at odds over his future. It wasn’t until someone at his mother’s job noticed the record and brought it to her attention. He learned that it wasn’t the fact that she didn’t want him to pursue music, but instead wanted him to be prepared for the real world. Kaleb knew that this was the moment his musical efforts had to work for him. So Help Me God 2 was the 2021 follow up to the now mixtape series of the same name. A mixtape which he credits Anthony Cruz for his incredible intuition with the selection of beats. This was also where Kaleb had to cope with the murder of one of his closest friends and a difficult sinus infection that negatively affected his voice on records.
2018 was the year that set the tone for the beginning of Kaleb Mitchell’s career as we know it. We saw the introduction of two albums, Mitchell and NINESEVENTHREE. The album Mitchell, named after himself, was a record of motivational music for everyone. He highlights the song No Way, which he says “sets the tone of where he is mentally”. NINESEVENTHREE was the accidental record that came into fruition after three months, which Kaleb describes as a B-side to Mitchell as well as an ode to his home state. NINESEVENTHREE is when he truly saw his impact on the world when he witnessed people on Twitter all over the world donning the NINESEVENTHREE merchandise and brand.
Now, the year is 2021 and Kaleb Mitchell boasts 7 million streams on Spotify and 3 million streams on Soundcloud, but the achievements don't end there. Kaleb credits being noticed by a fan in Chick-fil-a as being one of his biggest achievements, seeing that he never expected anyone to know or recognize him in public. This happened another time in Tallahassee. FL where he witnesses fans wearing 973 area code hoodies. He uses these moments as reassurance that everything is working for him, while not taking his blessings for granted. Kaleb never forgets his humble beginnings as an artist. From sleeping on hardwood floors in a 2-bedroom apartment with his manager and many others from his camp to playing the legendary SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. This is all to say Kaleb knows where he came from and where he’s going, yet solely credits his mother for everything stating “Mom instilled a different kind of work ethic. She taught me how to be a man and to give 1000% everytime”.
Check out Kaleb Mitchell’s latest project, So Help Me God II, which dropped earlier this month - as well as the video for lead single “FOOL” feat. Xavier Omär below