Lil Tjay

Lil Tjay exists between two worlds. He grew up in the South Bronx, where the tradition of hustlers turned rappers is less a myth than an everyday reality. Born in 2001, though, Tjay was also deeply obsessed with the culture of the internet; his two favourite artists are Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne. This duality is his greatest strength. The MC, born Tione Jayden Merritt, isn’t afraid to rap about both sides of his childhood. His first hit, 2018’s “Resume,” was released when Tjay was just a teen, and he credits his sharpened pen to his stint in prison on robbery charges a year earlier. As his career progressed, he became more comfortable with his fame and supplemented his melodic flow and infectious, unforgettable bars with talk of designer clothes and foreign cars. Tjay followed up his fittingly titled 2019 debut album, True 2 Myself, with 2021’s Destined 2 Win, which saw his chosen narrative evolve from his early days on the street to more recent emotional maturity. And on his 2023 LP 222—named for June 22, 2022, the date he was shot seven times during an attempted robbery—he became more openly confessional than ever before. “I feel like I can’t be scared to be vulnerable and maximize on tellin’ my story,” he told Apple Music. “I can’t be scared to be regular.” But even when he’s sharing his feelings like a would-be regular guy, there’s nothing pedestrian about his poignant rapping and singing alike.