Did you know that an alumni is now a successful hip hop musician? Alumni Kevin “KG” Grant graduated in 2009, and began his professional music career in 2011 under the name Wish Granted.

Grant’s music is a rap/hip-hop style accompanied by his saxophone. He is currently signed to the independent label D1 Entertainment company.

He has already had the opportunity to collaborate and work with some big names.  “I’ve shared the stage with people like Curren$y, Lil Durk, Dave East & more. I’ll be working with more in the studio in the near future.”

Grant got into music because he wanted to inspire his fans as much as the music he listened to inspired him as a kid. To that end, he is currently work on a new album.

When asked about what his favorite song is, Grant said, “I literally love all of my music, but my favorite song would have to be an unreleased song called ‘Don’t Complain’.”

Gallery • 4 Photos

Photo by: David Anderson/WaveyD Stuidos.

Grant brings an amplified experience during his live performances blending custom instrumental hip hop melodies, catchy lyrics, his saxophone, and stylish dance moves. He has been featured on “Hip Hop since 1987”, “You Heard That New”, “This is 50”, “Unsigned Heat”, and “Flipside PA”.

Grant plays the piano as well as the saxophone in his music.

Throughout his career, Grant said the hardest thing for him was the process of how music is released, and just trying to stay patient and positive. Grant also said that he has an album that he is currently working on.

Grant’s advice about entering the music career is “Don’t do it for the money, do it for the love of music and know that the money will come.”

At a young age, his mother got him his first saxophone as a Christmas gift. “My Mom got me into music when I was about 8 years old by getting a saxophone for Christmas that year. But I fell in love with the instrument and how it sounds in a jazz band. I fell in love with hip hop when I first heard Outkast,” Grant said.

Grant also mentioned that he had a really good childhood, gaining a love of basketball as well as music. English teacher Grant Leonard said, “He loved basketball. I knew him through the basketball program. He was extremely respectful and a very hard worker.”

Grant is originally from Baltimore but went to high school here. Grant said, “ Kennard-Dale was a giant culture shock for me when I first went to the school.” He went on to add,“I did like the school a lot because once the students and teachers got to know me everything was just fine. The teachers always were there when I needed help and made me feel comfortable.”

The music classes Grant took helped inspire his love of music. “My favorite class was Music Technology because Mr. Barr always gave me the freedom to stay after school and create the music I wanted to make. And this was the start to me becoming a music producer,” Grant said.

Other activities that helped fuel his desire to be a musician were band and the talent show. Music teacher Matthew Barr said, “I first got to know Kevin because he played saxophone in band. Although he stopped playing in band, he was very involved in our Music Technology classes. He would constantly ask if he could stay after to make more music. I was always impressed with his self-motivation and dedication.”

Grant’s other music teachers felt similarly and noticed his love production and saxophone. Music technology teacher James Craley said, “I had Kevin in Music Tech class and he loved to work on creating music. As a result, he was always focused and worked hard to create some really cool projects. I also had Kevin in concert band. When he had extra time, he loved to improvise on his saxophone.”

Spanish teacher Karen Snyder said that Grant entered talent shows and the Mr. KDHS contest, and he received awards because of his musical talent.

In addition to his extracurricular interests and love of music, Grant was a good student. English teacher Ed Smith said, “I remember Kevin as a thoughtful, engaged student in the English classroom. He was always willing to participate and offer a question or answer whenever appropriate. I am very happy for Kevin that he is pursuing his passion and experiencing success in that field.”

Barr also noted that Grant was very easy to get along with and always seemed to be in a good mood; he was always enthusiastic and excited, and that rubbed off on other students. Leonard said that Grant was very engaging, happy, upbeat, and enjoyed using humor.

“I got into music because I’ve always wanted to inspire people how the music I listen to inspires me,” Grant commented.

Grant is now in the music career, but he was in the Air Force for some time. “I know Kevin was in the US Air Force in some capacity, and kept making music because it was something he really enjoyed doing. I admire his service to our country as well as his pursuit of his passion. I would say that if he’s happy and he feels like he’s successful, then it was the right path for him,” Barr said.

One can find more information and videos on Grant on his webpage as well as Youtube. Links provided below:

https://www.wishgrantedmusic.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6PwO4t2qZ4

Warning: Some song lyrics contain explicit lyrics