KB - The Vibe Online

Official website	http://whoiskb.com

Kevin Elijah Burgess (born July 21, 1988), better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA (His Glory Alone). Burgess signed a solo artist contract with Reach Records in 2010. The label has released several projects, including the Who Is KB? mixtape in 2011, Weight & Glory, on July 17, 2012, 100 EP on March 4, 2014, Tomorrow We Live on April 21, 2015, and Today We Rebel on October 20, 2017. He is also a member of the label's collective formerly 116 clique shortened to 116.

He left Reach Records in 2020 and signed with Essential Sound, releasing his fourth studio album, His Glory Alone in 2020 as well as its sequel His Glory Alone II in 2023.

Biography

Early life

Kevin Elijah Burgess was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, on July 21, 1988, into a military family. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Southern Illinois. When he was eight years old, his parents divorced, and he moved back with his mother to the south side of St. Petersburg, which, according to Burgess, is "probably one of the worst areas in the state." Although he excelled at a good school and was offered a path to college through a program at St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, he struggled with severe depression. He experimented with various drugs in an attempt to find relief, which negatively affected his performance at school and led him into a downward spiral, even contemplating suicide.

Formation of HGA

After high school, Burgess enrolled in Bible college, where he befriended a group of Christian rappers. They formed a hip-hop group called HGA, short for His Glory Alone. HGA eventually caught the interest of Lecrae, Ben Washer, and DJ Official, and was featured alongside Tedashii on the track "Go" from DJ Official's album Intermission. Burgess was invited onto the Acquire the Fire tour by Lecrae and was asked to join the Reach Records team just a few months later.

The Reach Records Years

Burgess signed with Reach Records in 2010 and appeared that year on Lecrae's album Rehab. His mixtape Who Is KB? followed a year later, along with appearances with PRo and Tedashii. Who Is KB? garnered 30,000 downloads by the following year. His first single, "Hello," featuring Suzy Rock, was released in October 2011. In January 2012, he released a second single, "Zone Out," featuring Chris Lee Cobbins. Burgess also appeared with Andy Mineo on Trip Lee's album The Good Life. In June 2012, he released a third single, "Go Off," featuring Tedashii and Andy Mineo. Burgess's debut album, Weight & Glory, was released a month later.

On May 30, 2013, Reach Records announced a four-part project entitled 1st and 16th.

This project involved Burgess releasing a new song on the first and sixteenth of June and July. On June 1, Part 1, "HCB Freestyle," was released. The songs "Ride" and "Be All Right" were also part of the 1st and 16th project.

On February 10, 2014, KB announced his new project, an EP titled 100, which was released on March 4, 2014. Burgess also appeared in Family Force 5's music video for the song "BZRK," released on May 23, 2014, as a featured artist.

On February 3, 2015, KB announced on social media his second studio album, Tomorrow We Live, including the cover and release date, which was set for April 21, 2015. The first single from the album, "Sideways," featuring Lecrae, was released on February 23, 2015. The second single, "Crowns & Thorns (Oceans)," was released on March 10, 2015.

On October 20, 2017, KB released his third studio album, Today We Rebel. The first single from the album, "Tempo," was released a year prior to the album's release. The second single, "Monster," featuring Aha Gazelle, was released on September 15, 2017.

The Essential Sound Years

In 2020, he announced that he would not be renewing his contract with Reach Records and instead signed with Essential Sound, a Sony Music imprint.

KB released three singles?"Armies," "10K," and "Lil Boy"?from his fourth studio album, His Glory Alone. The album was released on September 25, 2020.

On August 11, 2023, KB released his fifth studio album, His Glory Alone II. The album was preceded by five singles: "King Jesus" with nobigdyl., "Graves" with Brandon Lake, "EZ," "Glory 2 Glory," and "Danza." It was followed by a deluxe edition featuring five new tracks.