Today we’d like to introduce You to H.M.K

Today we’d like to introduce you to H.M.K

Thanks for sharing your story with us H.M.K (HypeManKel). So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It’s so crazy, haha! Well, my whole life I have been around entertainment and sports. All of my cousins and I, back home in St. Louis, would make dance and singing groups. We would perform at our family reunions and win every time because we had put together real choreography and originals songs, lol. It was so fun. I also was really into sports too. I played football, basketball, and I ran track, all the way through high school.

So, for a while I focused my energy into pursuing sports. I ended up getting a scholarship to a small school, Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO. From there, I transferred to Arkansas State to pursue what I thought was a better opportunity. Except things didn’t turn out exactly how I had planned. So, I thought to myself okay sports isn’t happening for me anymore, but I have school. I no longer wanted to stay at Arkansas State so, I reached out to one of my good friends Beth Little. I had been telling her, “I’m so unhappy in Arkansas and I want to leave.” She was like, “Okay how can I help”? I said, “Well, I want to come to Kansas State.. I can apply but, I don’t have any housing.” She then told me she would help me find housing on campus. But, she told me, “You know if I help you reserve this housing you have to be 100% that you are actually coming.” So, I thought about it for a second then, I decided let’s get it!

I was comfortable with my decision to transfer to K-State because at the time my cousin Antonio was attending college there. So, I felt like my transition wouldn’t be too hard. Plus, I had some fraternity brothers that I had met there from traveling and going to parties back when I was still in Missouri. So many people thought that I would be coming home once I stopped playing football, but in my head, I was like “Hell Nah” I’m need to continue to change and grow. I didn’t want to live the same way that I had been living, I wanted to continue to elevate my life. Once I got to K-State, I was just completely focused on school and exploring different hobbies I enjoyed. While being at Kansas State, I had the opportunity to host different events and parties around campus. Which ultimately, led to starting my own radio show called “Thirsty Thursday Radio.”  My Co-host DJ Plan B and I became stars around campus. We set the precedent for what a radio show should be, and we raised the station’s listeners to 25,000 people over the span of three countries and multiple different states. This was my catapulting point to performing shows on a bigger level. DJ Plan B and I were then able to open up for artists such as 21 savage, Lil Uzi Vert, and G-Herbo, just to name a few.

After having these experiences, it encouraged me to want to keep doing what I was doing. I had to differentiate myself though. At this time, I hadn’t been recording my own music, I was really just a hypeman. Being a hypeman was fun and cool, but if an artist wasn’t working then I wasn’t working, lol. So, I took it back to my roots and began recording music and promoting shows. Through doing that I was invited to go on tour with Kap G, an artist signed to Atlantic Records, and J.R. Donato, a rapper from the world famous Taylor Gang headed by Wiz Khalifa. Touring was amazing and that was the first time I got to experience first-hand what life is like on the road. From that point on, I knew it was my destiny to be doing music and entertaining people. I have a real passion for just making people feel good about their own situations and experiences. With mental health being such an impact on our society today, it is so important to be able to help people feel joy in their life. I bring a lot of energy and positivity to any space that I am in and I try my best every day to do my part! Now, I’m living here in Arizona and there is so much opportunity to create and inspire here. I just released my new single called “You Ain’t Real.” *Check it out on all streaming platforms!* I feel like this song will make it to Billboard and gain national recognition.

As my grandfather would say, I’m really “shooting past the stars” on this one. So, I believe in my vision and that the results of this will be in my favor. I am very thankful and appreciative for the opportunity you all have given me to showcase my story and let you know more about me! HypeGang we live baby! Define Your Hype! H.M.K

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh my! It hasn’t been smooth at all. I think the up and down feelings are just a part of the journey to become a successful entrepreneur. I can remember times missing meals some days so that a couple days later down the road I would have money to eat. There have also been times where I had to sacrifice going out with friends or buying new things so that I could put money into the music. This is a very expensive industry so, planning and budgeting is so important, without it you can put money in places that you don’t really need. The stuff you do need though adds up so quickly. One of the other struggles I’ve experienced on the journey is team building. It’s very difficult to get people to stay committed to being a part of your dream and team. Everyone has to go on their own journey and sometimes things get in the way of them living out their purpose. It’s hard to balance being in this industry, really any industry, when you are being pulled in multiple directions. Luckily, I’ve had a handful of people who have always believed in my vision and have been with me every step. It really does take a village to raise anything, a child, a company, you name it. They are both one and the same.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m an entertainer! More specifically, I create music and host events. I’m known for being HYPE and bringing a lot of energy everywhere that I go. My music is real and reflective of my life, things that I have done in my past, present, and what I would like to do in the future. I’m inspired by many things and I try to pour those inspirations into my music. One thing I am very proud of is my HypeGang brand. I feel it’s a brand that is so self-explanatory. It’s like when you read that word “hype” you can instantly feel the energy coming from this. I love to encourage people to “Define Their Hype!” Defining your hype isn’t always just about jumping around and going crazy though. It also entails bringing hype to things you are proud of and enjoy. Maybe you were hype because you got an A on a test or you read 25 books this year and last year you only read 15. There are just so many ways to define your hype and be a part of HypeGang. I think that’s the beauty in the brand, it’s so inclusive! I feel what sets me apart from others is my positivity and the ability to just always be myself. I can only be me at all times so, that’s what I do. I can genuinely say I love what I do! It brings me so many opportunities to get to know people and hear their stories, which brings me joy. To me, that’s a point of inspiration and a major part of learning about different perspectives on life. I appreciate when people take the time to have a conversation with me and get to know me. You almost always find out that you have some similarities with one another when you do.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a livewire! Lol! I always had energy bouncing off the walls! I used to get in some trouble too because I had so much energy. I was just so busy. I was always trying to be into everything and find my way. My mom always tells me I have been a risk taker my whole life, so I guess no one can be surprised I picked a career that involves always taking risks. I remember a story she tells about one day when we were driving up to my grandmother’s house. At this time, it was only me and my younger brother, Montrail, my mom, Kisha, and my dad. I guess my dad didn’t strap me in all the way or I figured out how to unbuckle my car seat, because next thing you know I opened the door and jumped out of the car.. Haha! My mom pulled over so frantically like what the hell and when she came over to me, I was sitting on the ground laughing and clapping as if I wanted to do it again. From that point on, she must have known I would be taking a lot of chances in my life both good and crazy! Lol! I can definitely say I’ve lived up to that destiny!