How old is iLoveMakonnen? Age, real name and all about the rapper as he announces retirement

Well-known rapper iLoveMakonnen has announced his retirement through a social media post. Notably, this is the second time, having previously announced his departure from the music scene in 2016. The 35-year-old artist has gained recognition for his singles such as Tuesday and Side to Side.

On September 5, 2024, Malkonnen Kamali Sheran, known as iLoveMakonnen, shared a statement via Instagram. His post included the caption:

"Thank you for being apart of my musical journey! See u in the streets filled with art."

Notably, the statement featured in the post reads:

"I am retiring ilovemakonnen. Thank you all for ur support and interests over the years. It's time I move on and go live my life. Heavy in the streets is my last song."

The comments section was flooded with different responses. Some fans urged the artist to rethink his decision, adding that the music industry needs him. Fans even thanked him for releasing his single alongside another person telling him to enjoy the retirement.

While iLoveMakonnen did not reveal the reasons behind the retirement, he had previously mentioned in a conversation with his fans on X in 2016 that he would not have retired if he had been allowed to release his music the way he wanted to. He added:

"Nobody wants sneaky lady, nobody tryna hear that real music, so I need exit and let others prevail…No dream, the world doesn't need Makonnen the world needs people to be themselves like Makonnen…Ima let them have it, cus I have more to get, and I'm not greedy so that's why I'll leave and let y'all have it."

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iLoveMakonnen has multiple albums and mixtapes in his credits

iLoveMakonnen, born on April 12, 1989, hails from Los Angeles, California. He began his music career more than ten years ago and has accumulated a huge fanbase with his rapping skills.

In an interview with XXL Magazine in 2014, Kamali Sheran revealed that he attended high school in Atlanta. He opened up about his childhood by addressing the time he spent in Los Angeles and said:

"It was cool. It was in the city. It was gangbanged out everywhere. It was semi-nice, semi-poverty. Just LA sh*t. It's not super, glamorous Hollywood LA, but like South Central LA. Mid-City and all of downtown LA. All that sh*t before it got real nice."

iLoveMakonnen initially shared his singles on MySpace, and his meeting with record producer Mike Will Made It contributed to launching his successful career. His single Don't Sell Molly No More, which came out in 2014, received a positive response and continued releasing more songs.

His first major project was his self-titled EP, which included seven songs in the soundtrack. He also released a lot of mixtapes throughout his career, such as Holiday Special and A Trillion Light Years. Kamali Sheran's debut album, My Parade, came out in April 2021, followed by Summer '22 a year later.

The singer has been featured in the songs of artists like Carnage and Steve Aoki. He even portrayed himself in the documentary film, Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss. While speaking to XXL Magazine, Kamali Sheran stated that he grew up listening to local music in Los Angeles and played the keyboard inside his room. He added:

"You know, f*cking started figuring sh*t out and going hard. Hard work, long nights and staying out all night. Traveling here or there – just being about this sh*t until making it to here. Just right now f*cking no time to just sit down. This is the rest time. Sit down in an interview and talk about all this sh*t we've been doing."

iLoveMakonnen also addressed his influences by saying that he is a "mixed human being" and has been in places that are full of Blacks, Whites, Vietnamese, and Spanish people. He said his music is also inspired by these locations.