Toosii
Toosii | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Nau'Jour Grainger |
Born | Syracuse, New York, U.S. | January 9, 2000
Origin | Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2017–present |
Labels |
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Website | toosii2x |
Nau'Jour Lazier Grainger (born January 9, 2000),[1] better known by his stage name Toosii, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. Beginning his career in 2017, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his 2023 single "Favorite Song", which first gained virality on the social media platform TikTok. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and preceded the release of his second studio album, Naujour (2023). The album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, although his debut album, Poetic Pain (2020), reached number 17 on the chart.
Early life
[edit]Nau'Jour Grainger[2] was born and grew up in Syracuse, New York,[3] but later relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 13. It was in Raleigh, North Carolina where he began to seriously pursue his musical career.[4][5] Rap was an escape route from his issues as a youth. He started recording music at age 16, while playing high school football and figuring out his life path.[4]
Career
[edit]2017–2020: Career beginnings, Who Dat and Poetic Pain
[edit]Toosii's stage name derived from his childhood nickname of "Toota", and changed it to Toosii after his football teammates said it as a joke, adding the two I's because "You need two eyes to see the vision".[6] Toosii was discovered by the South Coast Music Group. He signed with the record label in 2019.[7] Toosii was inspired to try music by both his brother and father and spent a period of time homeless before his career began to further develop.[2]
Toosii released several mixtapes during the roots of his career such as Label Me Diverse, Hell on Earth, and Why Not Now. He got his big break in 2019 with the release of the track "Red Lights", which went on to accrue millions of streams.[4] He then released his Who Dat mixtape on April 30, 2019, which was followed by the six-track mixtape, My Shit Now on January 3, 2020, consisting solely of remixes of popular tracks. On February 7, 2020, he released the 13-track Platinum Heart mixtape. Platinum Heart reached number-one on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart upon its initial release.[8] The mixtape was later reissued as a 20-track deluxe version. On September 18, 2020, his third South Coast Music Group-affiliated album Poetic Pain was released as his first project on Capitol Records.[9] His signing to Capitol was made on September 30, by Chris Turner (A&R) following the release of his official video for "Love Cycle" with Summer Walker.[10] Toosii was credited with 50,000 US adjusted sales and over 250 million combined global streams in 2020 at the time of this release. "Love Cycle" was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 11, 2021. His project Poetic Pain debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart in September 2020 and features the RIAA-certified gold single "Love Cycle" with Summer Walker.[11][12] \\
2021–2022: Thank You for Believing, Pretty Girls Love Toosii and Boys Don't Cry
[edit]Ahead of releasing his Thank You For Believing mixtape, Toosii was named "Up Now" by music streaming service Audiomack.[13] “I feel like I am the GOAT,” Toosii said. “Thank you Audiomack for the opportunity to be your next #UpNow artist.”
On May 7, 2021, Toosii released his seventh mixtape, Thank You for Believing. The tape's title shows "gratitude to those that had faith in him and helped get him where he is today". It contains 13 tracks, and features Mulatto, Key Glock, and DaBaby.[4] In 2021, he was featured on the XXL Freshman Class. On December 3, 2021, Toosii released a 3-track EP titled Pretty Girls Love Toosii which was assisted by a feature from Jacquees.[14] Just under a year later, on October 7, 2022, Toosii released his fourth EP, Boys Don't Cry which featured his TikTok viral, "Love Is..." alongside "Heartaches" which also gained traction on social media.[15] On November 11, 2022, Toosii released a deluxe to his EP titled, Boys Don't Cry: Men Do.[16] Just a week later, he released a visual to the intro of the deluxe EP, "Frozen Below Zero".[17]
2023–present: Naujour and Jaded
[edit]Beginning 2023, Toosii released his first single of the year, "Magic Potion" on January 27, 2023.[18] Just weeks later, Toosii released his Valentine's Day special, "Favorite Song".[19] The track marked Toosii's debut on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at #51.[20] The track received remixes from Khalid and Future released on May 5 and May 19.[21] The remixes assisted the song's commercial performance as the track peaked at #5 in the US during the week ending June 3, 2023.[20][22][23] The track also peaked at #25 on the Billboard Global 200. The track was certified platinum just three months after its release and 2x platinum in August 2023.[24] The hit track served as the lead single (alongside "Love Is...") for Toosii's sophomore, self-titled studio album, Naujour.[25][26] The album peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200, marking Toosii's second highest charting album.
Continuing off of his success, on November 3, 2023, Toosii released "Suffice", the lead single to his upcoming eighth mixtape, Jaded, which includes a guest appearance from the American pop rock band, LANY.[27]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [28] |
US R&B/HH [29] |
US Rap [30] |
CAN [31] | ||||
Poetic Pain |
|
17 | 12 | 12 | — | ||
Naujour | 19 | 6 | 5 | 88 |
| ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Mixtapes
[edit]Title | Mixtape details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [28] |
US R&B/HH |
US Rap | |||
Label Me Diverse |
|
— | — | — | |
Hell on Earth |
|
— | — | — | |
Why Not Now |
|
— | — | — | |
Who Dat |
|
— | — | — | |
My Shit Now |
|
— | — | — | |
Platinum Heart |
|
196 | — | — | |
Thank You for Believing[4] |
|
25 [36] |
16 | 14 | |
Jaded |
|
50 | — | — | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Extended plays
[edit]Title | EP details |
---|---|
Big Steppa |
|
Dickpressed |
|
Pretty Girls Love Toosii |
|
Boys Don't Cry[40] |
|
Singles
[edit]Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [41] |
US R&B/HH [42] |
US Rap [43] |
CAN [44] |
UK [45] |
WW [46] | ||||||||
"Karma"[47] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||
"Right Track"[48] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Red Lights"[49] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Platinum Heart | |||||
"5 Stars"[50] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"You're Mine Still"[51] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
"Rip 2.0"[52] | — | — | — | — | — | — | My Shit Now | ||||||
"Push Start"[53] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
"Love Cycle"[54] (solo or with Summer Walker) |
—[A] | 44 | — | — | — | — | Platinum Heart and Poetic Pain | ||||||
"Poetic Pain"[56] | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
Poetic Pain | |||||
"Met in LA"[57] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dickpressed | ||||||
"Pain & Problems"[58] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||
"Dark Fights"[59] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Back Together"[60] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Thank You for Believing | |||||
"What It Cost"[61] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Heart Cold"[62] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Spin Music"[63] (with Fivio Foreign) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Keeper" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
"Love Is..." | —[B] | 33 | — | — | — | — |
|
Boys Don't Cry and Naujour | |||||
"Lonely" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
"Heartaches" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Boys Don't Cry | ||||||
"Colorblind"[65] (with Ahksxma) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||
"Fire in the Booth, Pt. 1"[66] (with Charlie Sloth) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"Magic Potion"[67] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
"Favorite Song"[68][21] (solo or with Khalid or Future) [C] |
5 [69] |
2 | 1 | 41 | 87 | 25 | Naujour | ||||||
"Suffice" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Jaded | ||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Other charted and certified songs
[edit]Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Bub. [71] |
US R&B/HH [72] | ||||
"Reminiscing" | 2020 | — | — |
|
Platinum Heart |
"Sapiosexual" | — | — |
|
Poetic Pain | |
"Pull Up" (featuring 21 Savage) |
2023 | 17 | 49 | Naujour | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Guest appearances
[edit]Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Hero" | 2020 | Neno Calvin, Lil Poppa | Magnolia Manson |
"Flight to China | Wiz Khalifa | Road to Fast 9 | |
"Last Time" | JxHines | Love Stories | |
"One Time" | Queen Naija | Missunderstood | |
"Traumatized" | Phora | With Love 2 | |
"Bidness" | DaBaby | My Brother's Keeper (Long Live G) | |
"Chicken" | Aminé | Limbo (Deluxe) | |
"Murda" | Stunna 4 Vegas, Murda Beatz | Welcome To 4 Vegas | |
"All of Your Love" | Hotboii | Double O Baby | |
"Interact" | Smoove'L | Ice Cups and Shootouts | |
"Beneficial" | Popp Hunna | Mud Baby | |
"Feel Better" | 2021 | BRS Kash | Kash Only |
"No Love Too" | 100k Track, YNW Melly, FCG Heem, DKE AUTHOR | Mercury | |
"WYTD" | Tokyo Jetz | Cancel Culture | |
"Gone Too Soon" | Nuski2Squad | Lil Nuski | |
"Love Hurts" | Lil Tjay | Destined 2 Win | |
"A.M. Flights" | Lil Poppa | Blessed, I Guess | |
"More Pain" | FCG Heem | Neighborhood Poetry | |
"Finally Made It" | YBT | Tryna Win | |
"2 Pills" | Rico Cartel | Legendary Nightz | |
"Soul Fly" | Dee Gomes | Undrafted | |
"Rich Today" | CFL Billions | LONG LIVE BOOGIE | |
"One Time" | 2022 | Luh Dino | Prayer Heals Pain The Aftermath |
"Dead Roses" | Yungeen Ace | All On Me | |
"Take Care" | Lil Gotit, Millie Go Lightly | The Cheater | |
"Starfall" | DaeDalTm | Prouda Myself | |
"W Hotel" | 2024 | Pressa | Non-album single |
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Love Cycle" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[55]
- ^ "Love Is..." did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[64]
- ^ The original version, remix with Khalid and toxic remix with Future all appear on Naujour.
References
[edit]- ^ "x.com".
- ^ a b "Toosii | A True 'Platinum Heart'". Flaunt Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Feldstein, Josh (October 11, 2022). "Artist Spotlight: Syracuse-born rapper Toosii brings new sounds to melodic rap". The Daily Orange. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e DJ First Class (May 7, 2021). "Toosii wants to 'Thank You For Believing' on new album". Revolt. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "DaBaby's SCMG Labelmate Toosii Inks Capitol Records Deal". HipHopDX. October 1, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Toosii's ABCs, June 24, 2021, retrieved June 24, 2021
- ^ "South Coast Music Group Star Toosii Signs With Capitol Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. September 19, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Toosii And South Coast Music Group Partner With Capitol Records". Capitol Records. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Toosii and Summer Walker share "Love Cycle" video". The Fader. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Toosii Celebrates 1st-Ever RIAA Plaque 2-Years After Signing Deal With DaBaby's Label". HipHopDX. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Announcing Toosii as Audiomack's #UpNow Artist". Audiomack World. April 19, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Cho, Regina (December 3, 2021). "Toosii drops new 'Pretty Girls Love Toosii' trio". Revolt. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Jiggy (October 10, 2022). "TOOSII DROPS NEW EP 'BOYS DON'T CRY'". The Source. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Class, DJ First (November 11, 2022). "Toosii delivers new 'Boys Don't Cry: Men Do' deluxe album". Revolt. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (November 25, 2022). "Toosii drops new "Frozen Below Zero" visual". Revolt. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Schube, Will (January 27, 2023). "Toosii Returns With New Single 'Magic Potion'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (February 17, 2023). "Toosii drops off new "Favorite Song" track". Revolt. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Zellner, Xander (February 27, 2023). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Toosii Arrives With a New 'Favorite Song'". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Toosii Set for Summer Headline 'Toosii: NAUJOUR TOUR'". V13. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Ahmed, Insanul (June 9, 2023). "Toosii on How "Favorite Song" Became a Top 10 Hit, Says 'It's 90 Percent Female at My Shows'". Complex. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Amorosi, A.D. (June 15, 2023). "Hitmakers of the Month: Toosii, Tatiana Manaois and Producer Adelso Tell How They Joined Forces for This Summer's 'Favorite Song'". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Gold & Platinum: Toosii". RIAA. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "TOOSII ANNOUNCES U.S. HEADLINE TOUR IN SUPPORT OF HIS DEBUT ALBUM, NAUJOUR, SET FOR JUNE 2 RELEASE". Live Nation Entertainment. May 10, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Werthman, Kyle Denis,Carl Lamarre,Jason Lipshutz,Andrew Unterberger,Heran; Mamo, Kyle; Denis, Carl; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew; Werthman, Christine (May 31, 2023). "How Did Toosii's 'Favorite Song' Become One of the Biggest Rap Breakout Hits of the Year?". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fisher, Caroline (November 4, 2023). "Toosii Drops Emotional New Single "Suffice"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Chart Search: Toosii, Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Naujour: @billboardcharts (June 12, 2023). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
- Jaded: @billboardcharts (October 14, 2024). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- Naujour:"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums:Week of June 17, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- Naujour: "Top Rap Albums:Week of June 17, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Toosii Drops Off "Poetic Pain" Ft. Lil Durk & Summer Walker". HotNewHipHop. September 19, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Spotify – Hell on Earth". Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Spotify.
- ^ "Who Dat by Toosii on Apple Music". Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Apple Music.
- ^ "Mixtape of My Shit Now by Toosii". February 6, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via My Mixtapez.
- ^ "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (1/2)..." Retrieved May 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Big Steppa – EP by Toosii on Apple Music". Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Apple Music.
- ^ "Dickpressed – EP by Toosii on Apple Music". Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Apple Music.
- ^ "Pretty Girls Love Toosii – EP by Toosii on Apple Music". Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via Apple Music.
- ^ "Boys Don't Cry - EP by Toosii on Apple Music". Retrieved September 23, 2022 – via Apple Music.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of May 20, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ Peaks on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs:
- "Love Is...": "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of July 30, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- "Favorite Song": "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of June 24, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ "Hot Rap Songs: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of June 17, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Toosii | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of June 3, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Karma - Single by Toosii, retrieved March 30, 2018
- ^ Right Track - Single by Toosii, retrieved October 29, 2018
- ^ Red Lights - Single by Toosii, retrieved October 11, 2019
- ^ 5 Stars - Single by Toosii, retrieved April 21, 2020
- ^ You're Mine Still - Single by Toosii, retrieved May 10, 2020
- ^ Rip 2.0 - Single by Toosii, retrieved August 7, 2020
- ^ Push Start - Single by Toosii, retrieved August 18, 2020
- ^ Love Cycle - Single by Toosii & Summer Walker, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ "Summer Walker Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ Poetic Pain - Single by Toosii, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ Met in LA - Single by Toosii, retrieved October 21, 2021
- ^ Pain & Problems - Single by Toosii, retrieved October 21, 2021
- ^ Dark Fights - Single by Toosii, retrieved December 18, 2021
- ^ back together, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ what it cost, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ heart cold - Single by Toosii, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ spin music, retrieved August 28, 2021
- ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of July 30, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ Colorblind - Single by Ahksxma & Toosii, retrieved November 1, 2022
- ^ Fire in the Booth, Pt. 1 - Single by Charlie Sloth & Toosii, retrieved November 16, 2022
- ^ Schube, Will (January 27, 2023). "Toosii Returns With New Single 'Magic Potion'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (February 17, 2023). "Toosii drops off new "Favorite Song" track". Revolt. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Trust, Gary (May 30, 2023). "Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' Leads Billboard Hot 100 for Eighth Week, Bad Bunny's 'Where She Goes' Debuts in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian certifications – Toosii". Music Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ "21 Savage Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "21 Savage Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2023.