Lil Tracy
- Hip hop
- Trap
- SoundCloud rap
- emo rap
- cloud rap
- alternative rock[2]
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- Ishmael Butler
- Cheryl "Coko" Gamble
Jazz Ishmael Butler (born October 3, 1995),[5] professionally known as Lil Tracy, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He was also known under the name Yung Bruh during the beginning of his career. Tracy is best known for his collaborations with the late rapper Lil Peep,[6][7] specifically "Awful Things" which peaked at 79 on the Billboard Hot 100,[8] and for being a prominent member of the "SoundCloud rap" and underground rap scene.[9][10][11]
Early life
Jazz Butler was born on October 3, 1995, in Teaneck, New Jersey, to Ishmael Butler of Digable Planets[12] and Cheryl Gamble, known professionally as "Coko" from SWV.[13] Talking about growing up in Virginia Beach, Butler said "it sucked but I love it." He grew up listening to punk rock music and Southern hip-hop artists who inspired him to make music.[14] Butler's parents split up when he was young and he would spend time between his mother and father's homes. Butler lived in Seattle, Washington during his adolescent years and attended McClure Middle School and Garfield High School, and chose to be homeless at age 17.
Career
2012–2016: Career beginnings
Butler started to make music when he was 15[2] before moving to Los Angeles at 18 (without alerting his parents) to focus more on his music career and due to being homeless.[15] Butler originally started rapping under the name "Yung Bruh" taking heavy influence from the artist "90's bambino" and going as far as releasing dozens of songs with her, then releasing several mixtapes under the Thraxxhouse collective - which both were a part of. Some members of Thraxxhouse, including Tracy eventually started their own group, the collective GothBoiClique.[16] Through the group, Butler met New York rapper Lil Peep, the two quickly collaborated on the song "White Tee" from Peep's Crybaby mixtape which gathered attention through the hip-hop underground. He also released a single "Overdose" which escalated his career further.[17][18][2]
2017: Tracys Manga, XOXO, and Life of a Popstar
In mid-2016, Butler changed his stage name from Yung Bruh to Lil Tracy due to discovering that there was already another artist using the "Yung Bruh" moniker.[15] Under his new name he released his long-awaited mixtape Tracy's Manga on February 1, 2017.[16] Butler went on to release XOXO two months later on April 3.[19] Butler was featured on the single "Awful Things" from Lil Peep's debut album Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1[20] and it peaked at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8]
Butler released Life of a Popstar on July 31, 2017.[21][22]
2018–2019: Designer Talk, Sinner, and Anarchy
In 2018, Lil Tracy released two EPs: Designer Talk on October 5[23] and long-awaited Sinner on November 2.[24] Lil Tracy released his debut album, Anarchy, on September 20, 2019, with two singles "Bad For You" and "Beautiful Nightmare" promoting it. Additional the music video for "Shame" released the same day on his Youtube channel. The album is dedicated to his late friend and frequent collaborator Lil Peep.[25] The tracklist was later updated due the song "I Love My Fans" was omitted on the first release, although it was listed on the album back cover.[26][27]
2020–present: Designer Talk 2 and Saturn Child
On November 13, 2020, Lil Tracy released his second album, Designer Talk 2.[28]
On June 3, 2022, Lil Tracy released his third album, Saturn Child.
Discography
Albums
- e m o c e a n (2014)
- Anarchy (2019)
- Designer Talk 2 (2020)
- Saturn Child (2022)
Mixtapes
- XOXO (2017)
- Life of a Popstar (2017)
Extended plays
- Vampire Spending Money (with 90's Bambino) (2016)
- Castles (2016)
- Castles II (2017)
- Fly Away (with Lil Raven) (2017)
- Tracy's Manga (2017)
- Hollywood High (with Mackned) (2017)[29]
- Sinner (2018)
- Designer Talk (2018)
- Pray (with Drippin So Pretty) (2023)[30]
Compilation albums
- Tracy's World (2018)
References
- ^ Ezra Marcus (Spring 2019). "Lil Tracy's Third Life". Retrieved April 30, 2020.
Lil Tracy was born Jazz Butler in Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1995, the son of hip-hop and R&B royalty.
- ^ a b c Andrew Matson (July 17, 2017). "When Will Lil Tracy Break Out Of SoundCloud Purgatory?". Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
Tracy has been (..) While his style only partly conforms to genre conventions, he has become a leader in the Gen Z category of "SoundCloud rap,"
- ^ "Listen To Lil Tracy's New Song 'Hey'". www.themaskedgorilla.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ New Music Friday // 9.20.19, retrieved May 9, 2020
- ^ "Who is GothBoiClique member Lil Tracy? | 808sandblues". 808sandblues. May 11, 2017. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Tracy Nods To Lil Peep In 'Demons' Video". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Tracy Pays Tribute to Lil Peep With New "Demons" Video". Complex. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "Lil Peep Awful Things Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ "The Emo Fan's Guide To Emo Rap – Riot Fest". Riot Fest. September 27, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Who is Lil Tracy and how did he get so famous?". Newsday. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Turner, David. "They Came From Soundcloud: Lil Uzi Vert and the 6 Rappers Who Could Be Rock Stars". W Magazine. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Who Knew Coko Of SWV Has A Child With This POPULAR 90's Rapper? See Who". I Love Old School Music. January 30, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ "Coko". WE tv. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ 6FT (November 25, 2017), 6FT – The Lil Tracy Interview, retrieved March 5, 2018
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Mass Appeal (February 1, 2018), Open Space: Tracy, retrieved March 5, 2018
- ^ a b "Lil Tracy is Dominating 2017 – Underground Spotlight". RunPoint.org. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Lil Tracy (May 17, 2016), lil peep w/ yung bruh – white tee, retrieved March 5, 2018
- ^ "The Long Legacy and Tragically Short Life of". Mass Appeal. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ XOXO by LiL Tracy on Apple Music, April 3, 2017, retrieved March 5, 2018
- ^ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Life of a Popstar by LiL Tracy on Apple Music, November 24, 2017, retrieved March 5, 2018
- ^ "Listen to Lil Tracy's New 'Life of a Popstar' Project – XXL". XXL Mag. July 31, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "DESIGNER TALK – EP by Tracy". Genius. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ Sinner – EP by Lil Tracy, November 2, 2018, retrieved November 15, 2018
- ^ https://www.thefader.com/2019/09/20/lil-tracy-anarchy
- ^ https://genius.com/albums/Lil-tracy/Anarchy
- ^ https://www.last.fm/music/Lil+Tracy/Anarchy/+wiki
- ^ "New Music Friday – New Albums From Future, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz & More". HipHopDX. November 12, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ "Hollywood High EP - Mackned X Lil Tracy".
- ^ "Drippin So Pretty & Lil Tracy - Pray - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved January 20, 2023.