Kaytranada, Amine, Amaarae

Biography

Louis Kevin Celestin, known professionally as KAYTRANADA, was born on August 25, 1992, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and relocated to Montreal, Canada, where he was raised in a suburb. At age 15, he dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time, initially releasing mixtapes and remixes under the alias Kaytradamus starting in 2010. He gained early recognition in Montreal's Artbeat community through remixes like an unofficial Janet Jackson track and influences from producers such as KenLo, High Klassified, and Da-P, blending J Dilla-inspired hip-hop beats with woozy house, disco, '90s R&B, Afro-beat, funk, soul, and electronic styles.[1][2][3][5]

Fun Facts

• Dropped out of high school at 15 to focus on music career.[2]
• Opened for Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour as DJ in 2015.[2]
• Connected with Syd of The Internet at Dimensions festival in Croatia during a storm that cut his set short.[5]
• Contributed 'Lite Spots' to the Sing 2 soundtrack.[4]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• J Dilla - stylistic influence on hip-hop beats (early remixes and beats) [early 2010s]
• KenLo, High Klassified, Da-P - early Montreal producers who inspired his beatmaking (initial tracks in Artbeat community) [pre-2012]

Key Collaborators

• Lou Phelps - brother and band member in hip hop duo The Celestics (The Celestics projects) [ongoing since early career]
• Anderson .Paak - guest appearance and production (99.9% album) [2016]
• Phonte, Craig David, Vic Mensa, Little Dragon, Syd, GoldLink - guest vocalists on debut album (99.9% album) [2016]
• Pharrell, Kali Uchis, Masego - guest contributors on second album (Bubba album) [2019]
• Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Robert Glasper, Mick Jenkins, Snoop Dogg, Freddie Gibbs, Alicia Keys - production credits (various tracks since 2010) [2010-present]

External Links

• Spotify