KILLY

KILLY

Toronto rapper

* En anglais uniquement

Toronto-based rapper Killy achieved instant fame in 2017 with the singsongy, devil-may-care track "Killamonjaro." Despite his quick rise in 2017, a year in which he released that breakthrough Gray Jacques-produced single -- as well as a handful of additional cuts with streaming plays that likewise quickly eclipsed seven figures -- the young artist claimed that he had been developing his talent as far back as middle school. On the heels of that success, he issued multiple projects in a very short timeframe, moving from his 2018 debut album Surrender Your Soul to 2019's Light Path 8 in less than a year. Born Khalil Tatem in 1997, Killy grew up in Toronto the son of parents of Filipino and Bajan descent. Around age eight, he moved with his family to Victoria, British Columbia where he first became interested in rap music. Moving back to Toronto in his teens, he began focusing more of his free time on music. In 2015, he recorded several songs including "Bug Box," which garnered attention and helped build buzz. "Killamonjaro" arrived in 2017 and quickly went viral. In 2018, Killy followed the spate of his first commercially released singles with Surrender Your Soul, a short album with no featured appearances. Like the earlier material, it was released through Secret Sound Club and distributed by Universal Music Group. Outside his primary discography, Killy also collaborated with 16yrold ("No Romance") and Scooby and Black Elk ("Bass Traditions"). An EP, Killstreak, also arrived in 2018. Less than a year later, Killy released his sophomore full-length album, Light Path 8, which featured production contributions from Scott Storch, KBeaZy, Judge, and others. Also in 2019, he picked up three Juno Award nominations, including Rap Recording of the Year for Surrender Your Soul. © Andy Kellman /TiVo