Kennedy Wrose

Born Eugene Kennedy Clarke, hip-hop recording artist Kennedy Wrose grew up and currently resides in Sacramento, Ca. It wasn’t until high school hip-hop started to influence his life and that’s when he wrote his first rap. You wouldn’t be able to tell by listening to his music, but rapping didn’t come naturally to Wrose. It took many afternoons freestyling to a beat in the car to develop his skill as a rapper. Even when Wrose would stumble on his words, his friend always encouraged him to keep going—after a while Wrose was able to freestyle entire songs. He later gave himself the name T.h.e. G.i.f.t. which is an acronym for ‘To Heaven and Earth God Is Forever the Truth.’

Wrose' first live performances started out at Capital Christian Center and other venues around Sacramento. In 2006, Wrose felt God calling him to Dallas, Texas where Wrose really got to know the Lord and learn to connect with other believers. He then began to develop himself as an artist by performing at various venues in Dallas and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. After returning home, Wrose strayed away from God and just started living for himself. However, in 2009 at a Master’s Commission conference in Texas, Wrose heard God speak to him and right then rededicated his life to Jesus. As he pursued music, he was also able to graduate with his A.A. in Social Science. In 2011, Wrose’ mother passed away from breast cancer. In songs like 'Way With Words' and ‘Light of the World,' he describes the grief as well as the comfort God has given him through that loss. The following year, he married the woman of his dreams who is featured on his first mixtape, Destined to Rule (D.T.R.), which Wrose released in 2013. This is also when he started rocking with the name Kennedy Wrose. Although the meaning behind T.h.e. G.i.f.t. is still suitable, Kennedy Wrose truly reflects his testimony. Wrose always lived a mediocre lifestyle, never too hot and never too cold, always in the middle. He chose Kennedy, his middle name, to symbolize how he rose out of his luke warm lifestyle. “God has played a huge role in helping me rise above mediocrity.”

Two years after the release of D.T.R, Wrose began writing for his next project titled ‘Abstract Heart.’ Determined to make this album bigger than his last, Wrose began building more traction in the Sacramento music arena by performing at open mics and various venues around the city. After winning two local rap competitions, Wrose started to really make a name for himself in the Sacramento hip hop scene. So much so that Wrose was given the opportunity to open for Eminem’s label mate Joell Ortiz and Fresno born rapper Planet Asia. 2016 was an eventful year for Wrose, not only did he release his debut album, Abstract Heart, on all music platforms such as iTunes and Amazon but he also graduated from CSU Sacramento with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. On Wrose’ 2017 project, Blunt About Everything (b.a.e.), he worked with artists from the CHH community such as Brandon P, Mission, and K Agee.

There is truth weaved in and out Wrose’ lyrics and that is the drive to continue the pursuit of music. “Music has a way of getting in your head and repeating itself. So I pack out my lyrics with truth in hopes that it will repeat itself in the heads of my listeners and make a positive impact.”