For K.One aka Kaleb Vitale, this is the stuff dreams are made of. His rapid rise from relative obscurity to one of the most prolific hip hop artists in the country is un-compared. What normally takes others a whole career to achieve, he has done so in a short time. Not one to rest on his laurels, the journey is far from over.
Hailing from the small town of Masterton, K.One who is of Pacific Island and European decent, has a background somewhat different to his industry peers who surround him. Making a living as a forestry worker for 7 years, he knew the meaning of hard work. It was this same hardworking ethic that he applied to his life long passion for music, which lead to him honing his craft and eventually recording a demo that he submitted to labels. The very same demo that caught the ear of CEO and founder of Illegal Musik, Mark Arona. Who in turn began to work silently with the small town rapper, building his skill until he was at a level to unleash on the nation.
The rest is what is most commonly referred to as ‘history.’K.One tasted chart success within months of relocating to Auckland, playing his part in label mate J William’s top 5 single ‘Night Of Your Life’ who then returned the favor on K.One’s biggest hit ‘She’s A Killer’ which stayed in the charts for a lengthy 10 weeks straight. Add another Top 40 single, a Top 20 debut album and countless features to the list and significant mainstream success. Something that had been a rarity in recent years for New Zealand Hip-Hop artists. The future had arrived, K.One soon became one of the most recognisable artists in the country. With a prolific presence on radio, TV and performing in front of thousands having become the norm. With co-signs from local legends he found himself in a tour bus or studio working with the very same artists he had idolized and aspired to be like growing up.
Over the past year, K.One has had the opportunity to hone his craft even further, more specifically the live aspect, getting a reputation of being one of the busiest artists around. Spending the majority of his time on the road touring the country as well as overseas. As a result, K.One is considered one of the best in the game when it comes to live performances. Japan & Australia have both had a taste of what he’s capable of and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world has it’s turn.
