Joel Kesean
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Joel Kesean | |
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.jpg) Joel Kesean performing in Los Santos, 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joel Kesean Glover |
| Also known as | J-Dash, Lil Robin |
| Born | July 23, 1988 Port-au-Grégoire, Île d'Émeraude |
| Origin | Los Santos, Rizealand |
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| Years active | 2005-present |
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| Spouse(s) | Kuda Glover (nee Asanti) |
| Children | 2:
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Joel Kesean Glover (born 23 July, 1988), professionally known as Joel Kesean, is a Emeraudian-Rizealander rapper, songwriter, singer, music producer, actor and record executive. He is most well known for his often socially conscious lyrical content and his experimental muscial style that often pushes the boundaries of hip-hop. He is held in high regard by many of his contemporaries within hip-hop and the wider music world, and he is often labelled as one of the greatest rappers of his generation.
Joel was born to Jeoffrey Glover and Yolene Dubuisson; Yolene was the cousin of Robin Gautier, as his mother and her father were siblings. Joel was born in Port-au-Grégoire as Yolene and Jeoffrey were on visit to Île d'Émeraude to see Yolene's extended relatives. Raised in the Los Santos, San Andreas area after moving there at 2 years old, he began his career at the age of 17 performing first under the name Lil Robin as a nod to his famous first cousin once-removed and then as J-Dash before finally dropping his stage name and performing under his first and middle names. He first gained regional fame after signing with the Irving-based Alpha Wolf Entertainment record label in 2008, and in 2010 he would release his debut studio album Proclamation, which had the conscious hip-hop that would come to define his discography. He first gained international fame after featuring on Jaydee Walker (who performed as JD at the time) and Dandre Bates's hit 2011 single "Negroes in Verlois"; his 2012 album The Miseducation of Joel Kesean Glover, which recounted his upbringing in the poverty ridden and gang filled Los Santos, and his 2014 album We Will Overcome, which tackled the social realities of the Bahian diaspora over a randé/jazz influenced sound would all but solidify his celebrity, with both having topped charts all over the world.
After releasing the critically acclaimed and commercially successfull albums F*CK in 2016 and Street Messiah in 2019, Joel announced in 2020 that he would take a brief hiatus from making music after the death of his mother Yolene, who he had been very close to. In late 2022, however, he would announce that a new yet-to-be-named album was on the way and slated for a 2023 release, effectively ending his hiatus.