Kid Ink

Kid Ink was born as Brian Todd Collins on April 1, 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. In the absence of a father, he was raised by his mother with financial support provided by his grandfather. He has an older brother, two step-brothers, and two step sisters. He met fitness-model Asiah Azante when they were both still teenagers. After a decade-long relationship, the couple became engaged in June 2015. They welcomed their baby daughter, Aislin Parvaneh Collins, in February 2016.

Since the beginning of his career, Kid Ink has produced music that crosses boundaries and refuses to adhere to any restrictive definitions. He took up the stage name ‘Rockstar’ in 2009, and released the mixtape ‘World Tour’ independently and exclusively to digital media outlets the following year. After the mixtape became a success, he signed to ‘Tha Alumni Group label’. He adopted the moniker ‘Kid Ink’ in 2010, releasing his second mixtape ‘Crash Landing’ to mark the occasion. In June of the same year he launched his third mixtape ‘Daydreamer’, with original productions from various artists including Lex Luger, Tha Bizness, and Jahlil Beats, and then in October, the fourth one, ‘Wheels Up’, featuring the likes of Nipsey Hussle, Tyga, 2 Chainz, and Travis Porter.

‘Up & Away’, his first studio album, was released in CD and LP format, as well as digitally, on June 12, 2012; it featured six singles, including ‘Time of Your Life’, ‘Lost in the Sauce’, and ‘Drippin’. The producers were DJ Ill Will, ‘The Arsenals’, DJ Spinz, Ned Cameron, and more. The album reached #3 spot on the ‘US R&B/Hip-Hop’ chart. ‘Rocketshipshawty’, his fifth mixtape, was released on November 21, 2012.

In January 2013, Kid Ink revealed on Twitter that he has signed to ‘RCA Records’, and subsequently released a new single ‘Bad Ass’. His EP ‘Almost Home’, serving as his major label debut, was released on 28 May 2013. The second single from the EP, ‘Money and the Power’, appeared in the soundtrack of ‘NBA Live 14’, and on HBO’ s reality sports documentary television series ‘Hard Knocks’. It was also chosen as one of the theme songs for ‘Wrestlemania 31’. Kid Ink, supported by Skylar Grey and Travis Barker, gave a live performance of the song at the event.

He dropped his second studio album ‘My Own Lane’ on January 7, 2014. The album topped the ‘US Rap Albums’ chart, and reached at #2 spot on the ‘US R&B/Hip-Hop’ chart. On February 9, 2016, the album was certified Gold by ‘RIAA’. ‘Show Me’, the lead single from the album, which features a hook from Chris Brown, was certified double Platinum. He launched his sixth mixtape ‘4B’s’ (a collaborative effort with ‘Batgang’) on August 26, 2014.

‘Full Speed’, released on January 30, 2015, and through ‘Tha Alumni Music Group’, ‘88 Classic’, and ‘RCA Records’, was his third studio album. It topped both the ‘US Rap Albums’ chart and the ‘US R&B/Hip-Hop’ chart and was supported by four singles, ‘Body Language’(featuring Usher and Tinashe), ‘Hotel’ (featuring Chris Brown), ‘Be Real’ (featuring Dej Loaf), and ‘Dolo’ (featuring R. Kelly). ‘Be Real’ became his second single to be certified Platinum.

Kid Ink has tattoos all over his body; the most prominent are the ones on each side of his chest, one for his mother and the other for his grandfather.

He was arrested in August 2014 for “disturbing the peace” at ‘1Oak’ nightclub in Las Vegas, but was released in the afternoon of the same day without posting any bail.