Adamn Killa

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Adamn Killa
Adamn Killa.jpg
Adamn Killa performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameAdam Kelly
Also known asAdamn Killa
Born (1996-10-13) October 13, 1996 (age 28)
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S [1]
Genres
Occupations
Years active2015-present [2]
Labels YEAR0001 [3]

Adam Kelly, pseudonymously known as Adamn Killa, is an American rapper and musical artist from Chicago, Illinois. Kelly has been recognized for his collaborations with members of the YEAR0001 collective, including Yung Lean, Bladee, and Thaiboy Digital, as well as for his experimental contributions to the hip-hop genre.

Contents

Career Overview

Adamn initially started making music at the age of 14, joining the group 197 O$G with fellow Chicago-rapper LUCKI. He first gained some traction while he was still in high school in 2014 when the song “#PhaseMe” with Monster Mike started to go viral on the now-defunct platform Vine). After high school, Adamn attended Illinois Central College on a full baseball scholarship, still creating music on the side as stated in an interview.

Adamn would start to build a real name for himself throughout 2016 when he started working with Swedish rappers Yung Lean, Bladee and Thaiboy Digital, creating popular songs like “Psycho,” “Ten” and “Cashin.” He would later drop out from college to join them throughout Europe for the Warlord Tour, leaving his baseball career behind and pursuing music full time from there on.

On March 30, 2016, Adamn released his debut mixtape, Back 2 Ballin under YEAR0001. Not even two months later, Adamn released what would become his biggest song to date, “Ten” featuring Yung Lean.

Adamn would eventually split away from Yung Lean and Bladee due to his falling out with his former European manager Emilio Fagone, one of the founders of YEAR0001. Their falling out was caused due to unpaid royalties and slimy business tactics. This wouldn’t deter Adamn as he continued to release music consistently. This did however cause his collaborations with YEAR0001 artists to eventually stop, effectively cutting off his overseas audience at the time.

The next couple of years would be stagnant for Adamn, as his growth slowed down due to him splitting away from the Sad Boys and Drain Gang. He would stay consistent though with 2017’s I Am Adamn and 2018’s Back 2 Ballin 2.

In a November 2024 interview, Adamn revealed that he was previously offered a record deal in 2018 from Kanye West to sign to G.O.O.D. Music, alongside many other major record labels. Adamn and his team turned down these offers however due to them not favoring Adamn’s creative or financial needs, instead choosing to remain fully independent.

In August of 2020, Adamn previewed one of his most highly-anticipated songs to date, “Cheerio” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. The song would cause a lot of hardships however, due to Uzi’s feature price of $20,000, paying producers, clearing the feature through Uzi’s label, amongst other things. The song would finally release almost a year later on June 20, 2021.

He would briefly step away from music in 2021 as it was no longer a reliable source of income. He focused his efforts into other ventures, such as investing into various crypto currencies and doing Uber/Uber Eats. He eventually returned to music as he wasn’t as happy while not creating.

Adamn started to see a resurgence in popularity throughout 2024 with songs like “Prada at 13,” “Torta Pounder” and “A.D.H.D Rant 1.” He would capitalize off this buzz by releasing his February 2025 mixtape A.D.H.D Rant Vol. 1.

On June 20, 2025, Adamn released his highly anticipated mixtape, Generation Run.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2020

2021

2025

References

  1. "Chicago rapper Adamn Killa deflects insults by turning them into jokes". Chicago Reader .
  2. "Adamn Killa Is Living on Rap's Weirdo Pop Frontier". Vice . Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  3. "Adamn Killa - Back 2 Ballin - YEAR0001". YEAR0001 . Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  4. "Meet Adamn Killa The South Side Chicagoan Riding His Own Experimental Wave". HotNewHipHop .
  5. "Adamn Killa Debuts Back 2 Ballin Mixtape". The Fader .
  6. "Chicago rapper Adamn Killa finds a great foil in wunderkind producer Ryan Hemsworth". Chicago Reader .
  7. "Adamn Killa and Yung Lean Join Forces for the Shlohmo-Produced "Ten"". Complex .
  8. "Chicago's Adamn Killa Announces 'MR650' Mixtape, Shares "Catch Me"". Complex .
  9. "Adamn Killa Is on Top of the World in "Commas" Video". XXL . Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  10. "Adamn Killa's new album "I am Adamn" is all about the producers". Earmilk. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  11. "Adamn Killa and Killavesi are the definition of relationship goals on their joint project Lover Not A Killa". The Fader . Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  12. "Adamn Killa Returns With "Adamn Everlasting (In Loving Memory of Jalen)"". HotNewHipHop .
  13. "Prolific Chicago rapper Adamn Killa makes his own fun in self-isolation on Hit the Adamn". Chicago Reader .
  14. "Lil Uzi Vert, DJ Drama, Don Cannon Accused Of Scamming Adamn Killa Of $20K". HotNewHipHop .
  15. Kelly, Adam (16 March 2025). "Adamn Killa on X". X. Retrieved 29 March 2025.