Bio

Antonio Khari – Blending the Beauty and the Grind of Artist Expression

Born and raised in Gary, Ind. with his mother Sheila, while being co-parented by his father Chester from the  westside of Chicago, Ill., Antonio Khari found a way to creatively blend the beauty and the grind of both scenarios through melodic notes and lyrics that inspire listeners of all ages. 

Antonio is CEO and signed artist to BLCK KNGDM Entertainment, LLC., a Chicago-based independent music and entertainment company, No stranger to the entertainment industry, his talent was cultivated early in life, and he performed with artists such as Deandre Patterson and Clay Aiken during his high school years, in addition to touring with renowned Midwest gospel sensation, Revived. After paying his dues as a background vocalist and beat producer, he sought to take command of runways and photoshoots as a long-time brand ambassador for PT Swagg Custom Couture.  His fashion career has taken him to the Big Apple, where he appeared in New York Fashion Week 2019, as well as appearances on the Fox hit show Empire.  However, his true musical awakening and solo journey began under 88 Keys Productions in 2013 which allowed him to release a variety of singles and playlists on SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music.  

Antonio recognized his identity as an artist after the creation of his first single, “Mountain High,” which yet to be released but holds sentiment in his heart.  In that, the piece is evidence that he has the musical chops to hold his own as a lyricist and producer. His body of work showcases his immense range and intellectual lyrical development, which allows the listener to experience his vulnerability, confidence, and purpose!

Inspired by actual events, Antonio puts pen to paper and uses the good, bad, and ugly as a tool to fuel his creative greatness and to express his feelings through music and performance.  This creative process is stabilizing and is his peace whenlife’s challenges arise. 

Antonio stepped on the stage for the first time as a solo artist at the iLick, iSuck, iSwallow Tequila Tasting Holiday event, hosted by GlassHouse Productions in December 2021. Prior to this performance, he devoted much of his time and resources toward writing and producing a number of singles, and released his critically-acclaimed, “KING ME” ep (2018), which debuted on SoundCloud and subsequently released on all major platforms. 

Since his introduction into the solo, independent artist arena, Antonio has crafted a number of crossover tracks, like the: groovy soul-capped tracks, “STEP,” “MAC ATTACK,” “RUN iT” (influenced by Pharcyde’s “Running”); and raw, raunchy, hard-edged bangers like, “$2BILL.”These titles quickly gained traction and resulted in being featured on a few playlists, including SoundCloud’s TheUpload & Spotify’s Release Radar. Additionally “KING ME: Two Below” followed soon after and due to the momentum of “KING ME,” a more Electro-inspired sound, the inspiration to release multiple singles in the genre, which gave birth to “The Greatest” and “Thriller,” to which another round of releases was born in 2021, gracing airwaves with the singles “Go Rounds” and “Can’t Get Enough.”

The success of these singles presented a collaborative opportunity with Beats, De Rap which resulted in producing “Gossip Folks.” In April 2022, Antonio Khari released ‘Honest’ which has not only placed itself in Khari’s Top 5 most streamed in the first 4-6 weeks, but has also been nationally and internationally streamed and playlist listed. The newest single ’Reign’ is set to join pre-released ‘Honest’ on the ‘Recess’ EP in August, With the upcoming debut album, “CROWN,” expected to drop no later than the Spring of 2023 officially on BLCK KNGDM Entertainment.

With his creative tenacity and fresh inspiration, he is currently diving, full force into the complexity of the Hip-Hop and R&B/Soul fusions of the artist, Antonio Khari.