>> As it pertains to like, my sonic identity or my music identity, I identify as limitless.

However, this is kind of the origin, this is my base, in a sense of, you know, what I fell in love with, the reason why I started to do music.

As I started to grow up and go into high school, which is Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest Washington, D.C.

I was introduced to jazz, obviously Duke Ellington, Count Basie, to, you know, classical music as it pertains to Handel and Bach and Mozart and all of these amazing composers.

And so it provided me so much range and I was so impressionable as a younger person, I wanted to take in as much music as possible.

So from the German-Italian arias, to all of the cheat sheets as it pertains to jazz and the compositions that they created.

I was just a sponge and it allowed for me to have this vast library of sonic moments that I could, you know, really call upon.

And so for me, I know that I could do anything.

[ Upbeat music plays ] >> Welcome to "DMV: The Beat."

R&B singer, song writer, blazing his own sweet path to success, this is the story of Kevin Ross.

>> [ Singing indistinctly ] >> Kevin's always been gifted.

I remember hearing someone play the piano and I thought it was the television, so I asked Kevin, "What is that?"

He said, "Oh, Mommy, if I listen long enough, I can play it."

So from there we started him on piano lessons and he always loved to sing, always in school.

Every activity there was as far as music, he was in on it.

>> He was at the bus stop one morning and I saw the kids kind of-- kind of getting in a group, and I thought maybe they might was going to start a little fight or something.

So I started in that direction, I walk up there to make sure Kevin was okay.

And lo and behold, as I seen him, he was standing there performing, they had gathered around to watch him perform Michael Jackson.

[laughs] >> Oh yeah.

>> So yeah, it started real early with him.

I was teaching him a lot of songs that I learned in elementary school and I noticed he with always like to sing, sing then.

In the car, while we traveled around.

Then I started going to Blockbusters, renting video tapes of Michael Jackson and him and his brother would stand around dancing, watch the videos, while I was able to get things done around the house.

Never knowing that this was really growing inside of him.

>> Well I was born in Greater Southeast Hospital.

And I grew up with my mom and my dad, Reggie Ross and Karen Ross.

A little brother, older brother as well.

And you know, grew up listening to music, because my dad sang.

Sang at weddings and church and all sorts of places, so it was kind of like I was dragged into situations where you know, I just kind of had to sit and watch him do his thing, and you know, how he prepared and his poise and you know everything.

So we grew up with music in the house.

Like he would like bring speakers to our room and like just blast music, early in the morning.

And so that's how I grew up.

And the crazy thing is, you know, my pop during the 90's he was in his 20's, but he was such an old soul that he was playing music from a 60's and the 70's from the Manhattans, to The Stylistics, Blue Magic, Delfonics.

You name it, it was on.

And so you know, I really got a huge history lesson while growing up.

[ Chill music plays ] I always knew that I liked singing, I just didn't know how far it could take me.

♪♪ Then when I was little there was a skate park that I used to go to with my little brother and my mom and my pops.

Sometimes we would, you know, drive through the park and listen to 102.3 WHUR or 105.9 and we would just kind of park and just look out at the water, watch the lights kind of reflect and that's how I got inspired to do some of the music that I do today.

[ Introduction to "Baby Don't Go" plays ] ♪ Ohh, now why you gotta go and come climb on top of me baby?

♪ ♪ We gon' mess around and won't find the time to sleep baby ♪ ♪ Can't refuse it, how you do it girl ♪ ♪ Oh no, no, no, no ♪ ♪ Ohh ♪ ♪ Girl you got me strung out and I'm feeling like a user ♪ ♪ And I can't put you down ♪ ♪ You're my past, my now, my future ♪ ♪ You're one exception to the rule ♪ ♪ To everything I thought I knew ♪ ♪ And no one else will ever do ♪ ♪ Cause I ♪ ♪ I swear you're one of a kind ♪ ♪ I know you can't stay too long, but baby don't go ♪ ♪ Baby don't go ♪ ♪ Baby don't go ♪ ♪ Baby baby don't go ♪ ♪ Baby don't go ♪ Verse two.

♪ Ohh ♪ ♪ See you're my Mona Lisa with a smile ♪ ♪ That guys would kill for ♪ ♪ See you're my hot prize sign ♪ ♪ And I'm not afraid to spend more ♪ ♪ I can't help it ♪ ♪ That I'm selfish girl ♪ ♪ Ohh, ohh ♪ ♪ See you're the rock of my roll ♪ ♪ You're my blues, my soul collection ♪ ♪ Put the record on the hold ♪ ♪ Hold up, damn your perfection ♪ ♪ You're one exception to the rule to ♪ >> So I met Kevin back when he was around 15 years old.

I was introduced to him while he was in high school by my cousin, who was a good friend of his, as well as his cousin who was a good friend of mine.

So everybody kept saying, "Hey, know this cat, guy named Kevin Ross that you need to meet.

He's a dope rapper.

You know, you just need to link up with him and see what he's about."

So, I was like, alright cool, like let's make it happen.

So back in high school I was the go to person when it came to music, I managed everybody, you know, from beating on a, you know, cafeteria table, to taking them to meet Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and just finagling my way around the music industry early.

So when I met Kevin he was a rapper.

[laughs] Which is still funny to me.

But he was actually really good.

So, they were saying, "Hey, manage this kid.

Like, let's try to figure the out."

So that's kind of how we were introduced.

>> I think as years were going on we could always see him just more dedicated, always being focused on his music.

He did the honors course in, what is that?

Elementary to middle school in Prince George's County.

And from there he went onto Duke Ellington, that's when we really knew that it was something really special.

So he went to Duke Ellington and he just soared and flourished.

He loved every minute of it.

>> After graduating from Duke Ellington I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

That was a whole different experience.

The leading contemporary music school in the world.

So, what that brought to the table was geniuses, prodigies, super-duper phenomenal extraordinary kids from all over the world.

And so, you know, the big fish in the small pond effect.

You know, I accomplished being the most outstanding vocalist in my school.

However, the next task was to be outstanding in college, at a world stage, for that matter.

And so, I was intimidated at first.

I remember my first concert that I went to at Berklee and there was this guy on stage like, singing his butt off.

Like, I was like, "Yo, who is that?

Like, what teacher is this?"

And they was like, "Nah, he ain't no teacher.

Like, he's a sophomore."

I was like, "Wait, he's one year older than me and he just has this vocal prowess about him?"

And that really was a humbling experience.

But it allowed for me to understand that it wasn't about ranking anymore.

It was about building my own world.

How can I fit in, into a space, where it's so competitive?

It was like, no, I'm going to literally differentiate myself from everybody else and do my own thing.

So, writing my own songs, producing my own stuff.

Performing that at school and outside of it as well.

>> Well he actually was an ambassador for Berklee College of Music.

>> Absolutely.

>> Because he was traveling to Europe, he did all sorts of things.

Again, just led us more to knowing that this is his path, this is where he's going.

>> I went the song writing route because of my teacher in college, Armsted Christian.

He told me that you should always do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, that you're bad at, that you suck at, because that's the way that you get stronger.

And he was like, "Kevin, you can sing.

That's obvious.

So don't major in vocal performance, do something that's different."

And he was like, "What are you not good at?"

And I was like, "I don't really know how to, like arrange, or like, you know, I know how to plays keys, but I don't know how to write it out."

And he was like, "That sounds like the lane that you should be in."

And so I did CWP, Contemporary Writing and Production.

So once I graduated from there, and I was like, "You know what?

Instead of me going down to Atlanta," which that's where I went, "I'm not going to present myself as an artist, I'm going to present myself as a song writer."

So that was a completely like 180 for me, because all I knew was singing and being in front.

So now to take a step back and to be behind the scenes was the greatest gift and the greatest lesson.

So I was in the studio seven days a week, I ain't going to lie.

I didn't go to church for the first year that I was in Atlanta.

But all I knew was studio, grocery store, my house and that's pretty much it, for a whole year.

But that really opened up a lot of doors, that dedication.

Rain or shine, you know, at 100% or sick, I was there.

I was there feeling that pressure.

People were telling me that, you know, "Hey maybe you should stick to singing."

You know, all of that stuff.

And so for me, that was the school that I really needed in the sense of being in Atlanta and that whole year of like grinding it out.

And it worked, it worked out.

I got my first placement with Jamie Foxx, a year later.

And you know, hard work paid off.

>> I'm just super excited for him to have these opportunities.

I mean, just, what a blessing, you know.

So once we saw the Glade commercial.

We were in the movie theatre, my husband went to go get some popcorn and I'm sitting there and the big screen, here comes Kevin.

And I just sat there in amazement, I'm just in awe.

>> ♪ Let there be peace on earth ♪ ♪ Lift your light and let it shine ♪ >> We're extremely proud of Kevin, because I can imagine how hard to make a career out of being in the music business, you know?

It's always been like a part time thing for me or a hobby, and that's why I know it's really important for us to try to support him as much as we could.

>> Mmm-hmm.

>> As he was starting and growing, because I realized it was hard and I just thank God that he was able to endure and do so well.

>> One, two, three, four.

[ Intro to "Sweet Release" plays ] ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ This song is called Sweet Release.

So here's what I need for you all to do, ♪ Just sit back and let it play, yeah ♪ ♪ Put that drive to while when we play, yes ♪ ♪ Deuce ♪ And midnight microdose, too.

♪ Curbside fine, yeah, read between the lines ♪ ♪ Got pennies for your thoughts, pay millions for your mind ♪ ♪ I know that's what you like, baby, pass and recline ♪ ♪ Girl you got the light, diamonds dance in the night ♪ ♪ And it's feel like we on a vibe ♪ ♪ Tryna turn the day into a lucky night ♪ ♪ You know I love it when we kiss and ride ♪ ♪ It's automatic like a .45 ♪ ♪ Put the dash on coast, you know anything goes ♪ ♪ Stress won't hold, once we hit the road ♪ ♪ Don't you worry about a hair on your pretty little head ♪ ♪ Let it go, go ♪ ♪ Here come and get you a little sweet release ♪ ♪ Give me a shot ♪ ♪ Whipping the pot, never miss, girl I got ♪ ♪ Give me the time ♪ ♪ Put you in for a sweet release ♪ ♪ Soon as you come, I'll change the way that you feel ♪ ♪ Make a sweet, sweet, sweet, ayy ♪ ♪ Bring it in, same team, who we up against?

♪ ♪ For the win ♪ ♪ Co-star to your main event, evident ♪ ♪ I'm better thing, you're my sugar fix, insulin ♪ ♪ I go crazy for you, I get militant ♪ ♪ Rounds off ♪ ♪ I know they're waitin' to see your downfall ♪ ♪ But we still kickin' it like a ground-ball ♪ ♪ Whenever you need it, you know I'm on call ♪ ♪ You better believe it, put the dash on coast ♪ ♪ You know anything goes ♪ ♪ Stress won't hold once we hit the road ♪ ♪ Don't you sorry about your hair ♪ ♪ On your pretty little head ♪ ♪ Let it go, go ♪ So, the transition from songwriter to artist was easy, because I was already an artist anyways.

So, you know, as a songwriter it allowed for me to understand the mindset that I needed to have as an artist.

So by the time that Motown Records came into the picture, and they wanted to sign me, I knew kind of what I wanted to do.

I was clear on who I was.

Even sonically.

And so, once they signed me I began the journey of development, you know.

And so, to their, you know, to their praise I'd say that, we were all new, you know what I mean?

And so, nobody knew what they were doing.

And so, you know, they meant well.

So the money that they spent, they meant well in the sense of they wanted all of us to succeed and to win.

But I think sometimes you can mean well and still be fearful at the same time.

They didn't want to lose, they didn't want to fail.

And sometimes with that fear you can fail anyways, or at least drop the ball in what you already have.

And so, for me, being signed was a great experience because of the fact that it allowed for me to see my worth, my value, what I brought to the table to understand that it was like, "You know what?

Dang, like all of this preparation, I felt like I was ready, when they signed me."

And the truth was, after those years, I was.

It's just the fact that I needed to collect as many experiences as I could, so that when it was time for me to ask for my release, because that's what happened.

I scored a number one record back in 2017 and then getting into 2018, the person that brought me in, they left.

And so I didn't want to, you know, be caught up in the mix.

I'd seen enough Unsung episodes and all of these documentaries to understand what happens when the champion in the building, leaves and they leave you there.

I was like, "Nah, I got to go.

I got to ask for my release."

I had it all mapped out, to be honest.

I thought that I was going to, you know, do my three to four albums with the major label and once the writing was on the wall, God kind of tapped me and was like, "Look, I got other plans for you.

So now it's time for you to go out on your own."

And even though it took a year and a half for them to release me, I started Art Society Music Group and we released my first record in 2019, which was called, Thing Called Love.

And we took that to radio and it scored top 20.

And it was like, it was like starting all over, to be honest.

It was like, I started at zero, zero!

From streams to listeners to followers, you would think that a year and a half doesn't, you know, it's not that long, but in music, it's forever.

And so, you know, I had a point to prove in a sense that I wanted to rebuild.

Not to rebuild back up to be the person who I was, but to be a better version of who I knew I could become.

And so, on we started, as it pertains to Art Society Music Group.

And then as soon as that record was, you know, going somewhere, the pandemic hit.

And from there, I still released music and there was a record that I released called, God is a Genius, and that was a record that kind of changed a lot for me in a sense of streams, in the sense of numbers, in the sense of revenue.

God was a genius and God is a genius in that moment, because he showed me all that could be possible, beyond just the pandemic, but what I was capable of as an artist.

To be a profitable artist and a budding business man and to know how to market and to sustain momentum, things that I'm still, you know, mastering to this day.

But that was the start of it in a sense of from being a song writer to artist, artist signed to label, label leaving that to start my own imprint, to getting active out in these streets.

>> You are actually doing it, you are an independent artist.

>> Yeah, I'm killing it, I ain't going to lie.

DC, I'm killing it!

I ain't going lie, look.

Look, Indie R&B artist I'm the first person ever-- >> Well you know that means he keeping all the money himself.

He ain't really got to share a lot.

>> You see what I'm saying?

You see how she exposed me like that?

>> Because I know!

I love it, I love it.

Artist deserved.

>> I just want to share some history because I am in DC, I am a Washingtonian, I'm the first Indie R&B artist to have two records in the top 20 on Billboard R&B Radio.

Ever!

I didn't even think I was making history by doing that, but just because I'm home, you know what I'm saying?

It even a braggadocios thing, this is something for all of us to celebrate in a sense that we come from a city of entrepreneurship, right?

>> Yes.

>> And so, me having my own company, Art Society Music Group, shameless plug and to make history like this, and it to still be a young, black man, you know what I'm saying?

It feels good!

It feels amazing.

>> Right.

>> So I just had to say that.

>> So one day, we were in the garage, me and my wife, straightening out the garage and Kevin came on, I believe it was 96.3.

>> 96.3 Mmm-hmm.

>> And it HUR, I mean Quiet Storm.

>> Yeah.

>> They played one of his songs.

And we were just so happy, we began to dance with each other.

And I'm like, "Wow, look at us dancing, all for our kid."

You know, instead of all these other artists, I'd have never dreamed.

>> Mmm-hmm.

>> What keeps me going in my faith in God.

Understanding divine alignment, understanding that I am God engineered, and vision driven.

And that, you know, my life could be completely different to be honest.

I mean the truth of the matter is, one of the life changing moments that happened, was when I was 10 years old, I had bacterial Meningitis and so, I was in the hospital for about a month.

And so, all of the doctors was kind of just around my bed and you know, taking all these notes and saying that I'm a miracle child and I'm here for a reason and during that time I didn't know.

But it also, it constantly reminds me, it's just kind of like a morale check, to my character to say that, "Hey man, this is bigger than you.

Leave your ego at home."

You know what I mean?

We all guilty of it at times, you know, but I'm always reminded of those moments to be like, "You know what?

God could of took you out [makes popping noise] right then and there.

But you have a responsibility, you're here for a reason.

You have purpose.

And so act like you got purpose, because you know how fragile life is.

You know, from that to losing my older brother as well, you understand how precious life is and how easily things could change within an instant.

It really kind of, you know, checks the soul and who you are.

>> To see him, you know, get shots like BET Music Matters, 106 & Park, that was actually the first thing that we did.

We went from him being at college and I recorded a video of him, sent it to 106 & Park, got him to audition, went to New York, he did the show and it was just, you know, having the experience of that was just incredible, to the point where people was making it so we couldn't leave New York without having meetings, after 106.

So, that, you know, just the ride itself has just been an incredible ride.

I'm just so happy to see him reach the level that he's reached and teach the people that's he's touched.

I mean, we've done shows back in 2007 at the Cada Vez, which is a closed venue in DC.

That was the first place he actually performed.

Shout out to J.

Mills because she was the one that did the show.

But um, seeing him perform in front of 20 people to now thousands and people knowing his music and him being recognized on the streets and you know, just everything.

Like, shout out to his fan club, because his fan club is amazing, I'm not sure if you know about them.

But the Rossters, they're amazing.

So, just everything, like I said, the whole journey of him becoming a legend, like an actual legend, is what I'm here for.

And I can't wait to see it.

>> We're extremely proud of you Kevin.

And we are glad that you never give up, that you continue to be an example for your community, for your family, for your son and we just want you to continue to have your relationship with the Lord and your family and you continue to move forward.

Again, continue to be that example for the community.

And we love you so much, so proud of you.

>> Amen.

And we shall continue to be your number one cheerleaders.

>> And fans.

>> And fans.

And whatever you need us to do, we're right there for you son.

>> Absolutely.

>> One thing I can say is, always have the attitude of gratitude, you know?

Everything is about perspective.

Your floor can be someone's ceiling.

And so, be grateful for what you got.

Especially artists out there, anybody that has dreams and goals in life, it's never too late, it's never too early, to live them out.

But as you're living them out, it's not about the destination, but it's definitely about the journey.

Laugh, love man, as much as you possibly can with the people that you're on the journey with.

Be okay that the people that are part of the journey may not be there through all of the seasons, that's okay.

Make sure that you believe in something that's bigger than you.

Have faith in the abilities that you were given by, you know, God, or whatever supreme being that you believe in, but you have to believe that there is more to life than just, you.

And just be blessed man.

Be blessed.

Be safe.

Be careful.

But, be you.

Be authentic.

Yeah.

Just enjoy life at it comes.

♪ It's not a race when it comes to love, no, no, no, no ♪ Hey.

♪ One, two ♪ ♪ Unless it's me that you're running from ♪ ♪ No, no, no, no, no, no, no ♪ ♪ These city girls want it all, but they never can wait ♪ ♪ Not so fast, you could lose control ♪ ♪ I know we live in the now, but we can set our own pace ♪ >> And the beat goes on.

Thank you for watching.

>> ♪ Slow dance to the radio ♪ ♪ Because forever's a long, said it's a long ♪ ♪ Said it's a long song away ♪ >> This program was produced by WHUT and made possible by contributions from viewers like you.

For more information on this program or any other program, please visit our website at whut.org.

Thank you.