Hip-hop/R&B Interview with KALU

By: I am “The Real” Jeff Stewart ©

Ladies and Gentleman, the hype is on! Allow me to introduce you to this new up and coming artist, KALU. He’s got this hot new single, “SOO Long” that is creating quite a buzz in the music industry. 4Ward Entertainment recently sponsored a “Battle of the Songz” that put KALU’s version of “SOO Long” against a version from another recording artist and it let you, the people, decide which is better. There was a huge surge of voting from listeners worldwide and let me tell you that KALU was an overwhelming success with over 280,000 hits and counting and over 600,000 profile views in less than 5 days !!! His song was getting so many hits that it shut MySpace down TWICE. With this type of attention coming out of nowhere we had no choice but to sit down and find out who is “KALU”?

First of all Kalu is not just an edgy industry name, it is his actual last name. His full name is Chidiebere Charles Kalu. His name means “God is Merciful” in Nigerian which is a strong belief of this young man. His parents, both of Nigerian decent raised him in Orangeburg, SC, where he graduated from Orangeburg Wilkinson High School in 2007. He currently resides in Annapolis MD, where he is a sophomore at the United States Naval Academy majoring in engineering.

This guy, at just 19 years of age, is on track to be considered a phenom in the R&B Hip Hop world. In addition to his music career, KALU has had countless offers of academic scholarships from major colleges and universities across the United States; as well as numerous scholarships offers to play college football and soccer. Eventually he made the decision to attend the Naval Academy, which some people would kill to even be considered for. On his decision to attend the Naval Academy, KALU told me, “it was not a difficult decision to go to the Naval Academy. It offered me a lot; a full ride, a great education and an opportunity to serve my country, and a prestige like no other. The monthly salary didn’t hurt either.”

So what I really needed to know is that with all this success when did singing come into play? Kalu said, “I started singing when I was 4. I was playing nearby my mom, who is a teacher and a parent she was talking to. For some reason an old cheerios song from a cereal commercial popped in my head and I just started singing. Both of them, the parent and my mother turned to me and were shocked. They were like; I could really sing.” Then I asked him how he knew he was more than just ordinary, something special, He told me, “The more I sang the more attention I got. I figured, hey, most people probably can’t do this. I started singing in front of a people in church and they moved me up to the adult choir when I was 7.”

His musical influences include some of the great artist like Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Al Greene, Lenny Williams, The Temptations, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, Earth Wind and fire, Whitney Houston, The Isley Brothers, Dru hill and Jamie Foxx. The list probably goes on and on because this kid really loves music. When asked who are the three artist that he would like to feature on his first album, Kalu said; Jamie Foxx, John Legend and Lauren Hill, all known for their talent and

their take no prisoners, swagger.

KALU was given the opportunity to sing for newly elected President Obama at a pre-inauguration concert. He said, “Afterwards I had an opportunity to mingle with some celebrities; I ran into Jack Black and sang a little something for him. He had to be impressed because HE INVITED Jamie Foxx and his crew” [to hear KALU sing]. “Jamie Foxx was so impressed he broke out his personal video camera to record the event, and invited me to contact him and plan to do some work together.”

KALU talked about his decision to pursue a music career and how he hooked up with 4WARD Entertainment CEO Rick Lee through his best friend Chris Lee at the Naval Academy. “I was just blessed to be given an opportunity. I sang for Mr. Lee on a trip with him and Chris, and the rest is history. They believe in me.” About the song? “It has my name all over it, it was made for me, when Rick presented the song to me I contacted Daze out of Kentucky and Rick hooked me up with L Blaze out of Washington DC. They are the hottest brothers in the production business! We took the song to a whole nother level. It truly is me all the way.”

So then I got to the question all the young ladies out there want to know. I asked him how the ladies were treating him, being a nice looking young man with a great voice; and if he has a girlfriend. KALU says “Well the ladies have always treated me nice. I am single at the moment and know how to treat a woman that is worthy of my affections. So ladies if you think you’re that special someone hit me at www.Myspace.com/4wardentmgmt. I do love the ladies, especially the real ones with the beautiful smiles.”

As we started to wrap up the interview I just had a few more questions for KALU. I asked him what he wanted to accomplish in the music industry, and where did he see himself 5 – 10 yrs down the road. He said, “I want to be as successful as possible by making good music. I also want to try and incorporate the feelings of the 90’s in our generation.” Down the road he sees himself “on stage performing and doing what I do best, singing.” To end, I asked him if there is anything he’d like to say to his fans and he offered this: “I just want to thank everyone for all their support. I want to make my fans happy, so I assure you that there will be more great music to come.”

First and foremost there were many things that impressed me about this young brother. He definitely has the drive to be successful in whatever path in life he pursues. Whether he is KALU the music artist, Mr. Chidiebere Kalu at the Naval Academy, or just Chidi to his friends and family he is well rounded and destined for success. He has a down to earth personality, a ton of street smarts, and plenty of swag, all characteristics that will take you far in today’s market. I was in awe of this 19 year old. And while he understands that his future is bright, he also knows that he has much more to accomplish and only through hard work and dedication will he be able to attain the goals he has set for himself. So music world take note, and look out for this hot new artist known as KALU.

For a complete transcript of this interview, or permission to use this article, contact I am “The Real” Jeff Stewart at realjeffstewart@aol.com, or Rick Lee at http://www.myspace.com/4wardentmgmt