Check Out Carlton Rashad’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlton Rashad.

Hi Carlton, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hello! Thank you for this opportunity! Yes, so, I was born and raised right here in Kansas City, MO. I grew up around music… in church, school, and my mama’s car (haha). So, I’ve always had a passion for singing and performing. Everyone in my family is musically inclined; they play instruments, writes songs, sing, or just has a great ear for music. My great Uncle is the late great, soul funk singer/songwriter and musician, Charles McCormick of the Legendary group Bloodstone. So, I’ve been enriched with so much great musical heritage. I wrote my first song when I was 11 or 12 years old, respectfully. My family would say that even as a young kid, I had a lot of personality and they knew I’d be destined for the stage. I was (and still am) very active in church. I sang in the youth choir, youth ensemble, men’s choir, mass choir, and on the praise team – and eventually took over the music department at my church when I was 19 years old and was the head director for the General Baptist State Convention Choir (MO, KS, NE) for 6 years.

I started performing professionally on the Kansas City music scene in 2014 alongside my cousin Mitchell “SliKc” Chandler and two of our classmates from Paseo – Leonard Tann & Markis Samuels in our group Versetile. We released 2 projects together (The Experience – 2016 and Life & Love – 2018). From there, life happened, and I began doing a lot of solo work (encouraged by SliKc, haha), which catapulted me to where I am today. I now have an album out entitled “Dear Future Love,” 3 singles, “Vibe,” “More,” and my recent single called “Love You” with an accompanying music video.

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to perform the National Anthem for both Sporting Kansas City and Kansas City Current soccer team matches! As well as for the Kansas City Royals! And I was allowed to perform as an opening act for R&B singer Lloyd. I’ve been privileged to serve with some of KC’s finest artists and bands like Charlotte Fletcher & Soigné, Love Mae C., Le Velle, Re DeVine, JaySol, Lee Langston, Desmond Mason, Go Hard, Diamond Empire, Funk Syndicate, and my band, The Guys!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Haha, I laugh because the journey to get here has been everything but smooth. It’s been interesting. Full of highs and lows. I’ve been turned down and denied plenty of opportunities I wanted. I’ve also received opportunities I wanted. I’ve had moments where I wanted to say forget it and focus on something else. But I have more moments where I want to run on and go harder because it means much to me. I’ve undergone various changes in my music life – like with my group, Versatile – going from 4 to 3 of us, down to only 2. Then we decided to focus on solo endeavors – even though SliKc & I still work and collaborate – just those changes were a lot to handle. I am learning new norms on my own – trying to maneuver through the disappointments and seeing the brighter side of things. Yeah, it’s been interesting. Ha.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So, I am a music artist, singer/songwriter, and performer. I am a versatile artist – I can sing anything or try to sing anything, haha. I am proud of my consistency as an artist. And grateful that others are recognizing that. One of my greatest moments as an artist was winning Best Male Vocalist at the 2021 Kansas City People’s Choice Awards! I remember being so excited because Kansas City voted for me. It’s a testament to the work that I’ve been putting in. The thing that sets me apart from others is my energy. My way is my way, and that’s where I keep it. I stay in my lane. I work hard to make myself better.

Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in blessings and favor. And my words have power. I’m truly a product of that – speaking life into what I want to see or do. So many things I’ve spoken into existence years and months before, whatever is coming to pass. So, I always choose to speak life. I believe that God has entrusted us with gifts and talents. He’s already given us the tools we need – we have trust and believe and work while we wait for the fruits of our labor to manifest.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/imcarltonrashad
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carltonrashad
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@carltonrashadmusic
• Other: https://linktr.ee/sangcarlton?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=90febe98-58c7-4393-a332-e476bee0e14f

Image Credits
JOH Media LLC, GUI Media FABtainment