Prince Kay One

One of Germany's fastest rising hip-hop artists in the new millennium, Prince Kay One (aka Kay One) was born Kenneth Glöckler in Friedrichshafen, Germany on September 7, 1984. Raised by a German father and a Filipino mother, Glöckler grew up in Ravensburg, and developed an interest in rap in his early teens. At 13, he was doing freestyle raps with his friends and his brother, and at age 16, he won Stuttgart's Royal Rumble rap competition. Taking the stage name Kay One, Glöckler signed with Royal Bunker Records, and formed the duo Chablife with fellow rapper Jaysus. Chablife didn't have much chart success, and Kay One moved on to German Dream Entertainment, without better luck. In 2007, noted rapper Bushido signed Kay One to his Ersguterjunge label; Kay One started making guest appearances on tracks with his Ersguterjunge labelmates, and his profile rose high enough that he was named "Best Newcomer of 2008" by Juice Magazine without having released an album of his own. After making his acting debut in the 2010 Bushido vehicle Zeiten Andern Dich, Kay One finally dropped his debut album, Kenneth Allein Zu Haus, and the first single, "Ich Brech die Herzen," rose to 67 on the German singles charts. The follow-up, 2012's Prince of Belvedair, became a hit, going to number four on the German sales chart. Kay One had finally broken through, but his success was tarnished when he had a falling out with Bushido which, after much squabbling through social media, led to him leaving the Ersguterjunge label. Kay One responded by launching his own label, AP Allstars, and inaugurating the company with a single, "V.I.P.," which included guest appearances by Pusha T, Melody Thornton, Mario Winans, Red Cafe, and the Product G&B. In 2013, Kay One changed his stage name to Prince Kay One and released his third album, Rich Kidz. Produced by KNS tha Engineer, the album became Prince Kay One's first full-length release to go to number one on the German charts.