Makonnen Sheran, born in Los Angeles, California on June 13, 1989, is a rapper, singer, and producer who goes by I LOVE MAKONNEN. His mother was a nail instructor and has worked in the beauty business for over 30 years. His grandmother was an opera singer, which influenced his musical career. First raised in L.A., he moved outside of Atlanta, Georgia following a custody battle. In Georgia, his mother helped him get into making and producing music.

After he accidentally shot and killed a friend, he was put under house arrest and it made him focus more on his music. During 2008 and 2009, Makonnen started making songs and uploading them to MySpace. He also created a blog where he would post interviews with musicians such as Lil B and Miguel.

He was released from house arrest in 2009. He later enrolled in a cosmetology school and became a part of a group called Phantom Posse. In January 2012, Makonnen met Atlanta producer Mike WiLL Made It and the two had a brief professional relationship. However, due to Mike Will's busy schedule, they soon went on their separate ways.

In March 2014, Makonnen reunited with Mike WiLL. With the help of the producer, he got to play some of his songs to Metro Boomin who instantly liked him and stayed in touch with him. Later, after recording six songs together, Metro brought fellow Atlanta producers Sonny Digital and 808 Mafia. Makonnen then recorded the song "Don't Sell Molly No More" with Sonny Digital, which would later help launch his career and introduced him to other Atlanta producers, such as DJ Spinz and Dun Deal. He started gaining local fame within the community with songs such as "Living on the Southside", "Sneaky Lady" and "My New Friend".

In July 2014, Makonnen released his self-titled EP "I Love Makonnen", which included the singles "Don't Sell Molly No More" and "Club Goin' Up on a Tuesday". He got thousands of new fans thanks to Mike WiLL's frequent collaborator Miley Cyrus who posted an image of his EP to Instagram.

Later in 2014, Makonnen reached mainstream success after Drake remixed his "Club Goin' Up on a Tuesday". He got signed to the rapper's OVO Sound and the remix that's retitled to simply "Tuesday" was later released under the label and quickly went viral. It peaked at No. 12 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hot R&B Song.