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BIOGRAPHY
King June –
The Making of a Mogul
Born Derrick “King June” Ballard in Honolulu, Hawaii, June’s journey is a testament to resilience, ambition, and raw talent. Raised in a military household, constant travel exposed him to diverse cultures and perspectives, shaping a worldview that would later influence his artistry. Though he spent his early years moving city to city, Atlanta, Georgia— his family’s roots — became home and the foundation of his creative empire.
At just eight years old, June’s first love was baseball. But everything changed when his mother bought him his first rap album. The beats, the lyrics, the energy — it lit a fire that never went out. By age 11, June submitted his first demo to Slip-N-Slide Records, proving that even as a kid, he was serious about his dreams.
Tragedy struck when, at fifteen, June lost his closest friend and group member to violence. Instead of quitting, he turned the pain into purpose. Music became therapy — the one thing that kept him moving forward through every setback, from legal troubles and family separation to periods of homelessness.
Inspired by Master P, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Jermaine Dupri, King June adopted a mogul mentality early on. In high school, he sold his self-recorded CDs straight out of his locker. By 2012, he launched iDYMES Magazine, which went on to feature major artists like 6lack, Future, The Game, Waka Flocka, Gucci Mane, and K Camp, among others. This move not only solidified June’s name in the entertainment world but showcased his ability to create platforms — not just art.
Never one to be boxed in, June expanded into filmmaking. In 2021, he wrote, directed, and starred in his first feature film, Quad City. Since then, he has gone on to write, direct, and film over 20 projects and release 7 studio albums, all while authoring 4 books and publishing over 120 issues under his magazine imprint.
Now the founder of Eye V. League Entertainment, King June is focused on building an empire that represents authenticity and ambition. “It’s all part of my plan to insert my music and my message,” he says. “I don’t want to blend in — I want to stand apart.”
At 38 years old, King June’s story is just beginning. With over 200 songs recorded, a vision for creative independence, and an unshakable belief in his purpose, he’s not just chasing greatness — he’s defining it.
PHOTOS
King June - TF Is We Doin' (Music Video)
VIDEOS
MUSIC
June’s World is a raw and energetic soundtrack straight from the trenches to the nightlife — a sonic universe where Southern culture, street ambition, and late-night luxury collide. Crafted with a heavy blend of Baton Rouge grit and commercial Atlanta trap energy, the EP delivers hard-hitting production layered with hypnotic melodies, booming 808s, and infectious club-ready rhythms.
Throughout the project, King June bridges two worlds effortlessly: the reality of street survival and the flashy atmosphere of strip club culture. His vocals serve as the glue that binds the project together, flowing between aggressive street anthems, melodic flex records, and high-energy bangers designed to shake clubs and car systems alike.
June’s World captures the essence of Southern hustle — pain, ambition, motion, and celebration — while paying homage to the influence of Baton Rouge’s unapologetic intensity and Atlanta’s chart-dominating trap sound. Every record feels cinematic, giving listeners a front-row seat into King June’s lifestyle, mindset, and environment.
The EP is more than music — it’s an experience. From nightlife turn-ups to reflective moments in the shadows of success, June’s World creates a vivid atmosphere where authenticity meets entertainment. King June doesn’t just rap over beats — he orchestrates moods, creating a project that feels equally at home in the streets, the strip club, and the speakers of anyone chasing more out of life.
Dopamine is an introspective yet soulful journey through the highs, lows, temptations, and emotional addictions that come with ambition, survival, love, success, and self-expression. Entirely produced by Raleigh’s own LD Beats, the EP pairs warm soul samples, rich southern production, cinematic textures, and hard-hitting drums with King June’s signature storytelling and lyrical precision.
Built on chemistry that spans two decades, Dopamine represents more than just another collaboration — it is a full-circle moment. In 2006, King June and LD Beats recorded their very first project together, Tha Beast & The Prince. Now, in 2026, the duo reunites to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that debut with a more mature, refined, and emotionally layered sound that reflects growth, struggle, experience, and legacy.
Throughout the project, King June delivers sharp wordplay, vivid imagery, and honest storytelling over soulful production that feels both nostalgic and timeless. Each record invites listeners deeper into his abstract mind — a place where street wisdom, emotional vulnerability, player philosophy, ambition, paranoia, love, and spirituality all coexist. Rather than simply making songs, King June paints scenes and emotions, allowing the audience to experience the project like a series of cinematic memories and late-night conversations.
The EP also features two standout appearances from fellow Eye V. League Entertainment artist Trapwoke Town, whose energy and presence add another layer of grit, charisma, and southern authenticity to the project. Together, the collaborations highlight the chemistry and creative direction developing within the label while reinforcing the project’s rooted connection to Southern hip-hop culture.
At its core, Dopamine is about chasing feeling — the rush of success, the addiction to ambition, the need for connection, and the emotional highs that keep people moving despite pain and uncertainty. The project balances lyrical depth with soulful musicality, creating a body of work that feels reflective, immersive, and deeply personal.
For King June and LD Beats, Dopamine is not just a reunion — it is a celebration of brotherhood, evolution, and twenty years of creative history.
Calianta 3 is a smooth, cinematic fusion of West Coast flavor and Southern soul — a project that rides through palm-tree skylines, slab culture, late-night ambition, street loyalty, and player mentality with effortless style. Led by King June’s laid-back delivery and melodic storytelling, the EP blends funky basslines, soulful samples, trunk-rattling drums, and atmospheric production into a soundtrack made for nighttime drives, city lights, and real-life reflection.
At the center of the project is King June merging his Atlanta core with his California — specifically Bay Area — surface. The EP reflects the duality of his identity: Atlanta gave him his hunger, storytelling, sauce, and emotional grit, while California sharpened his cool, elevated his sound, and introduced a freer, more player-driven perspective. That contrast lives throughout the music, creating a sound that feels both country and coastal, soulful and slick, grounded yet futuristic.
Inspired by the swagger of classic California rap and the emotional depth of Southern hip-hop, Calianta 3 captures the feeling of being caught between two worlds: luxury and struggle, confidence and pressure, motion and isolation. The project moves like a cruise through Los Angeles boulevards, Oakland corners, and Atlanta backstreets all at once — blending Bay Area bounce, Southern rhythm, lowrider energy, player music, and introspective storytelling into one cohesive experience.
Throughout the EP, King June speaks on growth, survival, relationships, ambition, betrayal, and the pursuit of legacy while maintaining the cool, charismatic aura that defines the Calianta series. The music feels nostalgic and modern simultaneously — paying homage to the golden eras of Southern and West Coast rap while carving out a lane uniquely his own.
Visually and sonically, Calianta 3 is about motion, atmosphere, and identity. Neon lights, chrome reflections, blue-toned city nights, gold jewelry, old-school cars, and quiet introspection become symbols of transformation and self-made success.
At its core, Calianta 3 is player music with substance — music for hustlers, dreamers, outsiders, and anybody trying to remain solid while navigating the pressure of becoming something greater.
Museum Of The Misunderstood is an abstract sonic exhibit exploring identity, survival, Black expression, ambition, love, ego, and emotional isolation through the eyes of King June. Inspired by the fearless creativity and soulful experimentation of Outkast, the project blends southern hip-hop, funk, soul, psychedelic textures, spoken-word storytelling, and raw street poetry into a genre-bending experience that feels both nostalgic and futuristic.
Each track acts as a different “gallery” inside the museum — showcasing moments of pain, confidence, vulnerability, rebellion, romance, and self-discovery. King June uses vivid imagery, unconventional flows, live instrumentation, distorted melodies, and emotional honesty to paint portraits of people often overlooked, judged, or misunderstood by society.
The project’s aesthetic draws heavily from neo-expressionism and urban art culture, channeling the energy of late-night city lights, graffiti-covered walls, luxury dreams, inner chaos, and southern Black excellence. Like walking through an art exhibit after midnight, Museum Of The Misunderstood invites listeners into a world where imperfections become masterpieces and emotional scars become cultural artifacts.
At its core, the project is about transformation — turning trauma into art, isolation into confidence, and misunderstanding into legacy. King June positions himself not only as a rapper, but as a curator of emotion, culture, and modern Black creativity.
This is the debut album from Atlanta's own King June. "BIG Huncho" is the alter ego for the southern rapper. This project consists of catchy hooks, hard hittin' beats and an amazing vocal performance by the self proclaimed "The King Of The New South". This album showcases June's undeniable rapping talent and has raised the "bar" for all of his rap peers. He is most definitely destined for greatness and will be one of the greatest emcees to come out of the south. King June is reigning supreme.
I Come In Peace is King June’s most introspective and experimental statement to date—a sonic transmission sent straight from the Southside of Atlanta, with Ben Hill as its launchpad. Blending abstract, left-field hip hop production with soulful, melodic hooks, the project positions King June as both observer and outsider: an ATLien navigating his city, his past, and his evolution with clear eyes and heavy thoughts.
The album moves like a late-night drive through Atlanta—familiar streets seen from a different dimension. Unorthodox flows bend and stretch over experimental beats, while introspective bars unpack survival, identity, pressure, and purpose. King June doesn’t chase trends here; he orbits them, using raw honesty and creative risk to carve out his own lane.
“I Come In Peace” isn’t a slogan—it’s a declaration. The project balances aggression with vulnerability, confidence with reflection. One moment King June is wrestling with internal conflict and personal growth, the next he’s offering soulful reassurance, grounding the abstract soundscape in emotion and lived experience.
I Come In Peace is not just an album—it’s a message. A reminder that even in chaos, evolution is possible. King June arrives as an alien to the industry norms, but rooted firmly in Atlanta soil, delivering a project that feels futuristic, personal, and timeless all at once.
King June has risen. This Project displays the self proclaimed "New King Of The South" rapping capabilities over soulful beats. His creative punchlines and intricate flows will have all of you glued from start to finish. Every song tells a story. June, touches on topics, we all can relate to. "The Ben Hill Project" will go down as an instant classic and puts King June in the same conversation as the greats that came before him. The only difference is time and damage.
I Ain’t Trippin’ finds King June in full control of his voice, delivering a raw, street-level meditation on loyalty, survival, and self-discipline. The album moves like a late-night walk through the city—calm on the surface, heavy underneath—where every decision feels like it could tip the scales in either direction.
Across the project, June reflects on friend betrayal, broken trust, and the quiet realization that not everyone around you wants to see you win. Rather than dwelling in bitterness, he channels those moments into sharp observations and measured resolve. The title I Ain’t Trippin’ isn’t denial—it’s a mindset. A refusal to let emotion cloud judgment, even when the pressure is real.
Lyrically, the album balances positivity and temptation. June openly wrestles with thoughts of doing “whatever it takes” to get money, exposing the mental tug-of-war between patience and desperation, growth and survival. His delivery is controlled and reflective, making the darker thoughts feel honest rather than glorified. There’s an underlying tension throughout the record: ambition pushing forward while conscience keeps tapping the brakes.
Sonically, the project feels gritty and nocturnal—perfect for long drives, quiet moments, and introspection. The beats leave space for the words to breathe, allowing June’s perspective to stay front and center. Every track feels personal, like pages pulled straight from a journal rather than performances aimed at attention.
I Ain’t Trippin’ is an album about discipline over emotion, clarity over chaos, and staying grounded when the world gives you every reason not to. King June doesn’t claim to have all the answers—but he shows you exactly what it looks like to keep moving forward without losing yourself.
Songs 4 Her is King June at his most intimate and intentional—a late-night soundtrack designed for cruising top down, city lights blurring past, and conversations that only happen after midnight. This project lives in the space between confidence and vulnerability, where rap bravado meets R&B emotion without forcing either to compromise.
Blending smooth melodies with sharp, conversational bars, King June moves effortlessly between roles: the romantic, the realist, the provider, and the observer. Each track feels like a letter written to her—whether she’s a lover, a muse, or the one who got away. The production leans warm and atmospheric, favoring rich basslines, subtle guitar riffs, and slow-burn rhythms that ride just as smooth as the stories being told.
Rather than chasing radio moments, Songs 4 Her prioritizes mood and connection. It’s music for late drives, candlelit rooms, and unfiltered honesty. June’s delivery stays calm but commanding, letting emotion speak louder than volume, and proving that vulnerability can still carry power.
At its core, Songs 4 Her is a grown man’s album—romantic without being soft, confident without being cold. It’s not just something you listen to; it’s something you feel, making it the perfect companion for nights that don’t need explaining.
The Dolemite Special is King June at his most charismatic, stepping fully into his alter ego Dolemite—a slick-talking, sharp-minded hustler who turns street wisdom into high-class entertainment. Rooted in the soul of Atlanta’s Ben Hill neighborhood, the album blends gritty Southern realism with showman flair, creating a project that feels both timeless and unapologetically bold.
Built on rich, soulful samples and head-nodding production, King June delivers infectious flows and clever wordplay with effortless confidence. Each track feels like a performance—braggadocious without being hollow, witty without losing edge. Dolemite isn’t just a character; he’s a mindset, allowing June to exaggerate, narrate, and entertain while still grounding every bar in lived experience.
Lyrically, the album balances street tales, self-belief, and playful bravado, all wrapped in smooth cadences and quotable lines. There’s a cinematic quality to the music—songs feel like scenes, moments, and monologues from a larger story about ambition, survival, and style.
The Dolemite Special is more than a rap album—it’s a persona on wax. Confident, soulful, and slick, King June proves he can command attention not just as an artist, but as a full-fledged character, leaving listeners entertained, inspired, and ready for whatever Dolemite does next.