In a birthday‑themed interview, Karamo walks through the music that has defined each chapter of his life. He opens with childhood memories of Sylvester’s disco hit “You Make Me Feel,” then recounts his first CD purchase—initially claiming NSYNC’s No Strings Attached before correcting himself to Bone Thugs‑N‑Harmony’s Eternal 99, a record his mother deemed “demonic.” He describes his teenage years as an eclectic mix played on a 5‑disc CD player, featuring artists such as Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, NSYNC, Puff Daddy, Mase, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Missy Elliott, and others. In college he gravitated toward neo‑soul (Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild) while still enjoying “hood” rap from T.I. and Chingy. During his stint on MTV’s The Real World the song that looped for him was T.I.’s “Whatchu Know About That.” He shares crushes on Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and a deep admiration for D’Angelo. As a father, the theme song from True Jackson, VP occupies his mind. Though he claims never to have been heart‑broken, he cites Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” as a hypothetical comfort. Today he feels represented by Megan Thee Stallion, appreciating her blend of party anthems and mental‑health awareness. His current “pump‑up” music is house/EDM mixes, and he selects Mos Def’s “Umi Says” as the thematic anthem for his 42nd year. Throughout, he reframes “coming out” as “letting people in,” emphasizing agency over narrative. The interview ends with a call for viewers to share their own life soundtracks.
Chapters
It's my birthday! It's my birthday, eh, eh, eh, eh. Listen, birthdays make us nostalgic, right? So as my birthday is here, I am thinking about all the memories, the moments, the music that has made my life. That when I think about all those great moments, these are the things that I think about. So we're calling this little moment the Soundtrack of My Life.
What's one of the first songs you can remember hearing on the radio?
One of the first songs that I remember hearing on the radio as a child is Sylvester, "You Make Me Feel." I think that's the title of it. I was born in 1980, November of 1980, and so disco was just coming to an end. So it was still being played in my house, and I just remember how that song just— his voice, just the music, it just felt good.
What's the first album you bought?
The very first album I bought, I think it was— album? The very first CD that I bought, okay, I'm not that old to buy albums, was NSYNC's No Strings Attached. Because no one knew at the time, well, I knew and certain friends knew, but because I had a crush on JC Chasez. Chavez? Chazez? How do we say his name? Just JC was fine from NSYNC, y'all. And so I wasn't a Justin one. I was more like, I didn't really get into the curly ramen hair noodle hair. I was more into JC. And, um, and yeah, so that was the first album. Hold on, that's a lie. I think I bought Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's album first. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Yeah, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was actually the first album I got. Yes! OK, cool. I can't remember the name. I think it was Eternal 99. I can't remember. But I just remember it because when I played it— it's all coming back now. My mother was upset that I had it on repeat. And it sounded demonic to her because of the way they rapped. And she would just— she would, like, pray over me. And she would, like— she threw out the CD. And then I had to, like, burn it from my friend. Oh my gosh. It was Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Was my first album.
Who was your top artist when you were a teenager?
Ooh, these are hard for me because I grew up in an era where music was huge. There was so much. The album that I would play the most when I was growing up would probably— oh my gosh, there was so much good music though. And also, my music taste was eclectic. Like, so when I was younger, we had this thing called a 5-disc CD player. So it could play multiple CDs, and you would just keep them all in there. And so my life was more so about like what 5 CDs went into this. And it would always be like sort of a Alanis Morissette, a No Doubt, an NSYNC, anything with like Puff Daddy or like Mase or like anything hip-hop. And then normally like some type of like Janet Jackson, Madonna, you know, like, so those were like a Missy Elliott. Like those are my 5 CDs always. It was like always from that kind of like, you know. Those, those songs. So anything playing on those 5 CDs have been what I jammed to at the time.
What song do you associate with you deciding to let people in?
As you all know, I don't use the term coming out. Coming out for me is a little bit outdated. I think it gives the power to the wrong person. So I— the process is actually letting people in. So the song for me that reminds me of letting people in, I guess, would be Bye Bye Bye. I'm not gonna sing it, but it's from those 5 beautiful young men in NSYNC. I was just saying peace out to anybody who didn't wanna come in my life. I was like, peace out. I'm still happy over here dancing, having a good time.
When you were in college, which artist could you not get enough of?
Ooh, so when I was in college, Neo Soul became really big, and that's when I really started to get into like, just like, learning about myself, loving my name, loving my culture, just loving everything. So it was like a lot of like Jill Scott. I couldn't get enough of a lot of music, Soulchild. But there was also a lot of like part of me that was very hood, that liked a lot of like T.I. and Chingy. It was like, you know, anything that was like really like be better and be like amazing. And then also like be gutter and be dirty. You know what I mean? That's sort of like where I got in the mix of.
It's the early 2000s and you're on MTV's The Real World. What was your song back then?
I was on The Real World and the song that I remember playing over and over again was T.I., "Whatchu Know About That." Y'all don't even know the song, do y'all?
Did you have a crush on a specific artist?
Oh, I had so many crushes. I had a girl crush on Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. A real crush on D'Angelo. He did a video where he was like naked spinning around. It's like so weird right now thinking back to my childhood. Who else? That was it. Let's just go with those for now.
Is there a song after you became a dad that brings back special memories with your sons?
This is gonna sound weird, but it's not a— it's a theme song. 'Cause my kids love True Jackson VP with Keke Palmer. And so I just remember that theme song playing over and over again because they would run home to watch True Jackson, VP over and over again. And so that song is in my head, but it's not a real song, but it is a real song. So.
Which song got you through your biggest heartbreak?
I've never been heartbroken. So I guess maybe like Toni Braxton, Unbreak My Heart would probably get me through a moment.
Which artist do you think represents you today?
I'm so multifaceted. I guess really Megan Thee Stallion, because I got her knees. She and I both know how to get down low. This new album, she's not only talking about like turning up, but she's also talking about mental health and taking care of herself. So I guess Megan Thee Stallion right now is representing me.
What song is your pump-up jam today?
My turn-up song right now would have to be anything that's house or EDM. I don't have a specific song, but like if it has a cool mix with like a current song, just EDM track. I'm just about it. I'm about it. I'm just into house mixes. That's all I wanna listen to is house mixes, house mixes.
What song will you be rocking out to for your next year of life?
Well, this is my 42nd year around the sun. So I don't know what song I'll be rocking out to. I don't know. You know, there's a song by Mos Def called "Umi Says." and I'm gonna use that as my theme song for my 42nd year. And that's the song I'll be rocking out to. It's a very mellow song, so don't be trying to find anything that's too hype. But the lyrics of that song just, just express, if I think back, what I want my 42nd year to be like. Music has always been a big part of my life. You've now heard my soundtrack, so I wanna hear about yours. Tell me what songs helped to shape you and shape your life. Comment below, 'cause I wanna know.
