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Growing up in Syracuse, and later moving to Raleigh, North Carolina to help launch his music career, R&B/hip-hop artist Toosii has blown up drastically since he first burst onto the scene over five years ago, and is now collaborating with some of the biggest stars in the industry.

Toosii said in an interview with DJ Vlad on YouTube that his “roots are in Syracuse,” but relocating was what really steered him on the right path, especially since North Carolina was already seeing a surge in up and coming artists with DaBaby, Rapsody and Cordae all starting to become big names. From Toosii’s first mixtapes to the October release of the EP “Boys Don’t Cry,” he displays new and developed skills perfected from years of working in the industry.

Journey to stardom

Despite the move to Raleigh at the age of 13, it was a slow transition to fame, as the 2017 mixtape “Why Not Now” and 2019 release “Who Dat” were only openers for the rapper’s discography. The mixtapes may have not garnered much interest from a national setting, but put him in a good spot among up and coming artists from the Carolinas.

Toosii’s first 2020 release, “Platinum Heart,” featured several songs such as “Love Cycle” and “Truth Be Told” that really boosted the rapper’s credibility, generating a buzz from the southern rap scene and intriguing major pieces in music.

“Love Cycle” soon drew interest from Summer Walker, one of R&B’s biggest talents. Walker later hopped on a remix of the track, making it a Billboard charting hit, Toosii’s most successful single to date and his number one song on Apple Music.

Despite it taking him a little over three years to gain some traction, Toosii had finally started to generate mainstream noise after his “Love Cycle” remix with Walker and other tracks such as “Sapiosexual” and “Poetic Pain.”

The unique, raspy voice that Toosii uses in his songs is a new sound in melodic rap, and was a big reason why fans of the sub-genre started tuning in to what he had to offer. The 2020 album “Poetic Pain” only pushed him further up the charts.

“Poetic Pain,” still sits as his highest charting Billboard album, debuting at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 200, and impressively only has two features — Walker and Chicago rapper Lil Durk, another face in the industry known for his occasionally sad, melodic tracks.

Post “Poetic Pain”

Following the widespread success of “Poetic Pain,” the May 2021 release of “Thank You For Believing” bolstered Toosii’s resume and drew interest from more of the industry’s bigger artists — no longer those who strictly focused on R&B or melodic rap.

Collaborations with DaBaby and Key Glock highlighted the project, and his track “spin music” with Fivio Foreign on the deluxe edition sees Toosii experiment with Fivio’s quintessential New York drill sound that he has perfected.

Toosii toys with different sounds on “Thank You For Believing” while also keeping up with the classic, melodic tracks that made him popular to begin with.

As he continued to secure tour dates, performances at big time festivals and saw “Thank You For Believing” debut at #25 on the Billboard Hot 200, Toosii was also named to the 2021 XXL Magazine Freshman ListArtist Spotlight: Syracuse-born rapper Toosii brings new sounds to melodic rap. He joined the likes of Pooh Shiesty, 42 Dugg and others on the list, cementing himself as a mainstream artist at this point.

Since his last album, Toosii has released two EPs in the last year: “Pretty Girls Love Toosii,” released in December 2021, featuring R&B giant Jacquees, and “Boys Don’t Cry,” which was just released on October 7, 2022.

“Boys Don’t Cry” created an immediate buzz, debuting at number ten on the Apple Music charts and at the number one spot on Apple Music’s R&B/Soul charts. The completely solo six track extended play sees the same combination of rap and melodic sad songs that fans have come to love, and gives them a taste of what the future holds.

Top tracks

Toosii has developed a deep catalog since his debut, but several songs have stuck out more than others to R&B listeners thanks to his eccentric ear for instrumentals and samples and the pain in his voice when singing about past experiences with heartbreak.

“heart cold,” one of the leadoff singles before the deluxe release of “Thank You For Believing” is a prime example of a heartbreak song. One of the lyrics reads “my heart cold, yeah, but that’s because I put someone else above me.”

The track includes a background sample as well, chanting “I don’t wanna keep second guessing, because guessing is useless.” The simple, relatable lyrics and samples surrounding heartbreak is why songs like “heart cold” have become chart toppers in R&B and how Toosii has blown up over the years.

On his most recent EP, the final track “Love Is…” displays a vulnerable side of Toosii as he dives deep into the details of a failed relationship. Utilizing a sample from “Love Is Weird” by Julia Michaels, he discusses long battles with depression, suicidal thoughts and his unwillingness to find love again after this past relationship.

He continues digging into deep subject material on the track, talking about the trust and bond Toosii had developed with his significant other, only for her to fall out of love and slowly distance herself away from the rapper.

Acting as a more upbeat track, “shop” off of “Thank You For Believing” serves as an upbeat radio hit that features fellow North Carolina rapper DaBaby. The sped-up guitar instrumental lets Toosii experiment with rapping, and showcase the ability to keep up with DaBaby on a high-octane, high-energy song.

The future

At the start of 2021, Billboard named Toosii as one of the 15 R&B and hip-hop artists to look out for, as his releases and growing portfolio of charting songs are proving why the Syracuse rapper has a lot left in the tank.

Moving forward, Toosii will continue to be a name to watch out for in the R&B and rap game. He’s signed to Capitol Records, the same label as mega stars Halsey, Sam Smith and many others.

It may take time for a Toosii album to hit the shelves, but his October release of “Boys Don’t Cry,” will be sure to hold off fans in the meantime.

Published on October 11, 2022 at 11:43 pm