KB5iv3; The Audio Engineer responsible for bringing industry sounds to Baltimore Artist

Born in Sri Lanka, he touched down in Glen Burnie, Maryland at just two and a half years old. By age seven, he moved to Parkville, Maryland. A kid with NBA dreams and no idea that one day he’d become one of the most impactful Audio Engineers and creative forces in the city.

“I wanted to be an NBA player,” he says, keeping it a buck. “But those dreams got shattered in middle school.” Like a lot of us, when one dream fades, another one starts to bloom. For KB5IV3, that next passion was music.

“I wanted to be a producer,” he says. “but my beats were kinda mid and not really selling.” So, he did what hustlers do, pivoted. Realizing the game needed something else, he opened a studio and switched lanes to audio engineering. The response? Instant. “Studio time started selling like crack in the 80s.”

He tapped into something Baltimore didn’t even know it needed yet. While most of the city was still stuck in that gritty, underground sound, KB5IV3 was cooking up something cleaner, bigger, and radio-ready. “I was the first engineer in Baltimore to bring us that modern industry sound,” he says proudly. “Something that could sonically compete with the songs by our favorite mainstream artists.”

Since 2019/2020, he’s been setting the bar higher, pushing local artists to sound global bringing quality to the forefront while staying grounded in community. He is most notable for his work with Baltimore artist, Lor Loe, serving as both engineer and vocal producer in shaping the sound of his music..

KB also had the opportunity to be brought a studio back stage at a Rod Wave concert along with TyePacino to engineer a few songs for Lil Poppa. Provided the studio for 3 songs on NoSignal & YG Teck’s new collaboration album “No Comparison” which peaked at 53 on the Apple Music Top 100 Hip-Hop/Rap Charts on the first week without any promotion, marketing, or a music video. But the journey hasn’t been without pain.

KB5IV3, Twan & Lor Loe

One of his biggest challenges came with the passing of his brother and producer, Twan. “It’s changed my whole outlook on life learning how to navigate through that situation.” he says, but the weight in those words speaks volumes. That loss, though never fully healed, became part of his why. A silent driver behind every mix, every session, every win.

And through it all, KB5IV3 stays focused on evolution, creatively and spiritually. His studio is more than just a space to record it’s a place where artists find their sound, their confidence, and sometimes even their purpose.

From Sri Lanka to Baltimore, from hoop dreams to hit records, KB5IV3 is proof that no matter where you start, your vision can take you wherever you want to go as long as you trust the process, stay grounded, and never fold.