5 things to know about iLoveMakonnen
One of the six performers set to hit the stage at Juice Jam 2015 on Sept. 13, iLoveMakonnen is most known for the Drake remix of his song “Tuesday”. That’s right, the guy who made every Tuesday a day for the club to go up is coming to Syracuse. Here are five things you should know about him.
1. The name Makonnen is Ethiopian
Makonnen Sheran is his real name. In an interview with Noisey, Music by VICE, the 26-year-old said that although he is not Ethiopian, his mother gave him the name of the last royal family of Ethiopia. He is from L.A., but noted his diverse background saying he is African American, Indian, Irish, Belgian, German and Chinese. “Everything but Ethiopian,” Makonnen said.
2. Makonnen lived on the street Marvin Gaye was murdered on
In an interview with pigeonsandplanes.com, Makonnen said that he lived in Mid-City, L.A. on the street where Marvin Gaye was murdered. He said after Gaye was killed, the area had a bad reputation. However, he’s said that upon returning to Mid-City in 2014, the area had improved.
3. His inspiration to create music came in 2009 after he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
According to an Oct. 2014 MTV News article, “the rising star was involved in an incident where a friend was accidentally shot.” Following the incident, which occurred the day after he graduated high school, Makonnen was placed under house arrest for two years and on probation for seven years. During the time he was in Atlanta following his sentencing, Makonnen focused on his music. In an interview with Fuse he said, “I wanted to do something wise with my time, rather than just sit around. I just turned the tragedy into a positive, a negative into a positive.”
4. Makonnen carries a painted doll’s head around with him
According to pigeonsandplanes.com, while on house arrest, Makonnen went to cosmetology school at the Beauty College of America in Forest Park, Georgia. When learning to cut, color and style hair, each student was given their own doll’s head to practice on. Makonnen said he drew on his to make sure people knew who it belonged to. The school was worried the doll would scare potential customers away, to which he said his reaction was, “I’m trying to do sh*t for the circus, not regular b*tches’ hair!” When he started creating music videos, he said he struggled to find people to believe in his music so he began filming his doll’s head and people started to “catch on.” He said the doll’s head is now a brand with the message, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” He even used the doll as inspiration for his self-titled EP I LOVE MAKONNEN’s cover and tour art.
5. Makonnen has worked with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Drake and Mike WiLL Made-It
Drake made an appearance on Makonnens’ 2014 track, “Tuesday” and according to a September 2014 interview with MTV News, he said fans are “gonna cry” when they hear his Miley Cyrus collaboration. According to Complex, however, he said the song, “Before you Left,” is still waiting to be produced by Mike WiLL Made-It.
Published on August 31, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Contact Rachel: rcgilber@syr.edu
