Richard Davies Lyrics and Profile

American rapper, singer and songwriter Brian Todd Collins was born in 1986. Better known by his stage name, Kid Ink, he began his music career while still at school composing beats during after-school programmes.

Inspired by names such as Swizz Beatz and Happy’s Pharrell Williams, Kid Ink opted to become a full-time rapper aged just 22.

Initially, Kid Ink was known as Rockstar, and, upon the release of his first compilation of songs, called World Tour, he began to gain popularity. This did not go unnoticed in the music industry and big name DJ III Will signed Collins to his own independent record label, Tha Alumni Group. It was at this point that he changed his stage name to Kid Ink.

He went on to sign a recording deal with RCA Records, with his first major label single, Bad Ass, being released in 2013 and featuring Meek Mill and Wale. He has since had a number of acclaimed albums including Up & Away, Almost Home and a studio album, My Own Lane. Some of his top singles include Iz U Down and Show Me, both of which were taken from the My Own Lane album.

Talking about the inspiration behind his eclectic songs, Kid Ink harks back to stars such as Timbaland, saying: “These were artists and producers who were writing for other people in all types of genres. It just gave me an open ear for all different types of music and that's how I approached it.”