Caleborate Talks Growing Up With a Playwright Father, Giving Up Hoops For Raps, Real Person, and Performs “4 Willem” Live In Studio

Caleborate breaks breaks our ongoing theme of bad dad relationships leading to great art. When his folks split as a kid, he and his brother decided to stay with their father. His dad was a working playwright and occasional teacher. They were no strangers to making a dollar stretch, and making it work. He instilled a sense of wonder and creativity in Caleb, acting in many of his fathers plays as a kid.

After quitting basketball at 16, He started working on raps. His dad knew a guy with a studio and he started to hone his skills. After bouncing around a few colleges in the Bay Area, he met his current manager while working at the flagship Levi’s store in SF. He’s been putting in a ton of work, releasing Real Person, 1993, and Hella Good all within a 2 year period.

Hear us discuss all of this and more and see him perform “4 Willem.”

Lee