Dedication and motivation need to be learned, and that is something Kalunda is finally grasping. The twenty-six-year-old emcee hails from St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and has been a fan of the hip-hop genre for quite a while. His older cousin himself was a rapper at one point in time and served as a huge influence on Kalunda when he decided to do the same. While conversations with friends and writing assignments would feel daunting and cause him to shy away from telling the true story about his life, music, on the other hand, let him be as transparent and as vulnerable as he felt comfortable with. Eventually, his music operated as chapters in an autobiography sprinkled in with the staple one-liners and clever punchlines rap is known to have. When his older cousin eventually endured a traumatic psychosis, Kalunda began to understand exactly why music is so important in his life. While he has filled several venues across his hometown with decent crowds, he is finally ready to let his newfound confidence translate to the stage and spread his message.