Khaleel Mandel - "Extra Mile"

[boss]

Khaleel Mandel, rapper/singer-songwriter/composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist was born in Boston Massachusetts September 25, 1994. His father Carl Carter is a professional bass player from Connecticut, and his mother Florisca Carter is a Director of Operations for a charter school from West Indian island, Dominica.

During childhood Khaleel and his mother Florisca Carter were home alone a lot while Carl toured countries with various musical acts. Throughout the late 90s Khaleel would attend more of his father’s live performances. His parents would pay close attention to his reactions during these shows, then acting on their observance by gifting Khaleel his first drum-set at 4 years old.

In 2004 after Khaleel performed a rendition of “Rockin Robin” at Bridgeport’s Playhouse Theater. Out on a limb, his mother sent the DVD version of that performance to the casting agency for broadway musical The Lion King. Fast forward to 2005 Khaleel booked the role of Young Simba in the show’s West Coast Tour company. Khaleel won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical from San Diego’s annual National Youth Theater Awards. Making him the only actor who played Young Simba to win anything for the role. After leaving the show Khaleel went on to have numerous guest appearances for skits on Late Night With Conan o’Brien and a guest role on Season 8 of Law and Order SVU. 


While on tour with The Lion King Khaleel always found time to create his own music on his father’s Dell laptop and M-Audio keyboard. The clarity Khaleel gained from music softwares was strengthening by High School. Khaleel attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts, an independent Arts High School as a Theater Major in Natick, Massachusetts. Since he was a boarding student Khaleel took along all of his essential music/recoding equipment with him. Sections of his high school career by day he was a theater student, by night a musician honing his craft.

Khaleel's debut mixtape Dead Weight's base is planted in Hip Hop music. However the listening journey of Dead Weight brings us from New Age Reggae to Rap and cross hybrids of R&B/Funk. Half of the mixtape contains additional production from Khaleel while the other half are records solely composed/arranged/produced by him. Dead Weight is the first of five projects from Khaleel's recently founded brand Double Crown Inc. Double Crown artists include Khaleel, Vaughn Davis, Abelz, Keion Jevon & Simone Alyse.

“The Double Crown logo of two crowns, represents the emergence of two singular identities, forming, coming together as one. The first crown is of the Pschent, a double crown representing both Upper and Lower Egypt worn after the uniting of the two regions in Ancient Egypt. The second crown is the traditional solid gold crown typically seen in European rule. The concept of the double crowns symbolically represents the merging body with the mind. When both the physical and the metaphysical has aligned itself with one, then we are able to transcend into something way beyond the measures for which the mind can imagine."

As of now Khaleel and his DoubleCrown unit gather something new in their respective journeys daily. Having been in the seat of a listener for so many years, the role of the provider of sound still rings new to Khaleel. The foremost purpose for Double Crown is to make sure the original elements of Hip Hop remain presented in the public eye. Khaleel holds himself and his team accountable with the phrase, “Players put up stats, teams win with each other.”