Ellington

Growing up gospel—that's Miss KeKe, aka the Queen of Mississippi's "Fokus." This 25-year-old Jackson native says her faith in God and hard work brought her to where she is today. She is a promoter in the music industry, helping local artists launch their careers.

"Coming from a gospel family, I got an early start by helping promote gospel shows," KeKe explains. She calls herself the "first lady" of the Mississippi Artists and Producers (MAP) Coalition.

In this business, she puts independent artists first and comforts them when they need it.

The "We Are the Streets Volume 3" mixed tape from MAP is about to premiere. "We're going to be more upbeat and show you how we do it," she enthuses. There is spoken word, rock, hip-hop and R&B featured on the CD, KeKe says.

"I am the Mississippi No. 1 promoter when it comes to entertainment," KeKe says. She markets artists, helping them get exposure and throw mainstream shows. KeKe works with two names she looks up to—Kevin Stokes and Aziatikk Black. She also works with artists and shows in Atlanta.

When rapper David Banner got his deal, she was acquainted with him and supported him every step of the way. She started his first fan club, which remains one of his biggest fan sites.

Lately, KeKe's passion has been writing books. "I began to write a book to encourage myself to be able to maintain this because I always had a passion for music," she explains. She wrote "The Book of Focus—Stay Fokused." She is now writing the second installment, "The Book of Focus—Chasing Dreams." She is working on having both books published.

Keke explains that she sees life for what it is. "I don't try to sugarcoat it because when it's all said and done, it is what it is," she says. She now has her own promotion company and record company: She runs Fokus Management Group and MonstaTribeEntertainment—her artist is WorkHorse, her brother.

KeKe explains that Monsta has no color. "This is a diverse company, and it doesn't matter to me if you're black or white," she says.

"You have to carry on the inspiration that the dreams are yours, and you have to be able to maintain the focus," she says.