Actor. Rapper. Athlete. Dexter Kelly does it all. From being a featured actor and professional athlete on the CW’s hit show All American, to shaking up hip-hop and r&b with a genre-blending sound, Dexter Kelly is a multi-talented force in entertainment. But how did this journey start? And who is the person behind Dexter Kelly? Let us introduce you to this budding artist coming straight out of Pasadena, Los Angeles.
Being a creative all his life, Dexter Kelly is no stranger to the arts. He excelled in creating stories while in writing classes and playing instruments at a young age; including the piano and guitar. Growing up, he drew inspiration from a wide variety of different artists: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sade, Lil Wayne, Bob Marley, and all the Marleys really.
“I’ve always had the creative touch.”
But what can you expect? Dexter Kelly grew up in an artistic environment in Pasadena, Los Angeles. A place that he describes as his “roots”. The west coast city helped mold him into the artist he is today. He looks up to LA greats like Dom Kennedy and pays homage to others like Nipsey Hussle for his business and life advice.
And his talents don’t stop at just his creativity, as Kelly also went on to play D1 football in Oregon. His passions and talents in football are actually what led to his acting career. After college, Kelly spent some time figuring out his life. With the power of his words and energy, he secured a casting call opportunity for the hit sports drama television series All American. The infamous “national championship win” episode was actually filmed in his hometown Pasadena. And although the show is moving onto its final season, Kelly says he enjoyed the experience of being on a team, and the show will always be a part of him.
But what’s happening on the music side of things? Dexter Kelly shared with us his experiences navigating the music industry as an independent artist. He would contemplate signing to a label one day, but he’s been able to produce results all on his own. And it’s no surprise that Kelly has taken this route as he comes from a family of entrepreneurs. But the journey of an independent artist is far from being paved in gold and rainbows. This artist has also faced plenty of obstacles, especially in the area of navigating support from others.
“Support is going to come from people you don’t even know.”
According to Kelly, being independent comes with the experience of not seeing support from the people you’d expect it from. This is something you can’t mentally prepare for. So how does an independent artist gain support then? For him, support is earned and recognized through the effort he puts in to perfect his craft. This lifestyle also comes with the need to juggle different hats. All independent artists who have had to also be their own manager, social media marketer, t-shirt maker, vinyl presser, event promoter, or whatever, can relate to the grind. What’s more, there’s a need to constantly be around different people, which Kelly says can be overwhelming. But don’t be confused, Dexter Kelly is selective with who he works with.
“I can’t make music with just anybody, this isn’t a hobby anymore.”
Now let’s dive into his latest single, “For Me”. Kelly’s overall sound is a unique blend of different genres, but this new single has a whole different vibe that’s new to the Dexter Kelly discography. He’s always wanted to experiment with the Afrobeats genre, and this new single definitely delivers. “For Me” reflects on his love of the water, dancing, and his overall lover boy vibes. The song was actually made almost a year before it was released this past June. Kelly waited until he found someone who could provide good production that would highlight his vocals.
“If I could live on an island right now I would.”
So what else do we have to look forward to from Dexter Kelly this year? First of all, check out the dope new visuals for his hot single “For Me”. He’s also mentioned a new project dropping soon later this year. We don’t know what the vibe of this project is going to be just yet, but what we do know is that it includes a single featuring Daytona Beach, Florida artist Chief Camo. The unofficial title currently is “Go”.
So it’s clear that Dexter Kelly is a multifaceted talent, but he also makes sure to give credit where credit is due. He put us on to some of the hottest artists coming out of Pasadena/LA right now. You might’ve even heard of some of them. Be on the lookout for the eclectic okay coleman!, rapper Trey Wxxds, and dynamic artist Rose Hills. And to thank the person who put you on to these hot LA artists, check out Dexter Kelly’s latest single “For Me” below. Let us know what you think!
