Lil Tjay

Lil Tjay is the recording name of Tione Kenyon Jayden Merritt, a rapper, singer and songwriter from the Bronx in New York City. He is born in 2001 and begins releasing music in 2017. His work sits across drill, East Coast hip hop, hip hop, pop rap and trap, and he is also described as a melodic rapper who often uses auto-tune.

Career

He starts posting music on SoundCloud in 2017. One of his early songs, “Resume”, gains online attention, and he places first at Coast 2 Coast LIVE NYC All Ages Edition in March 2018, where a record label A&R notices his performance. Soon afterwards he releases “Brothers”, which becomes his biggest song at that point and leads to a recording deal with Columbia Records.

Within his first ten months making music, he releases five tracks that each pass one million plays on SoundCloud. Among the songs that build his profile are “Brothers”, “Resume”, “Goat” and “Leaked”. In July 2018, he works with producer Cash Money AP on “None of Your Love”, which also earns tens of millions of plays.

Releases and chart success

His debut EP, No Comparison, appears at the end of 2018. In 2019 he features on Polo G’s “Pop Out”, which reaches number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and later on PRETTYMUCH’s “Lying”. He then releases the EP F.N; its lead single, “F.N”, becomes his first solo charting song and reaches number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.

His debut studio album, True 2 Myself, is released in 2019 and peaks at number five on the US Billboard 200. In 2021 he releases “Calling My Phone” with 6lack, which debuts at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and becomes his highest-charting single. Later that year he releases his second album, Destined 2 Win, which also reaches number five on the Billboard 200. He also appears on a remix of 24kGoldn’s “Valentino”.

Style and influences

Lil Tjay’s music is shaped by his upbringing in the Bronx. He describes his songs as melodic, whether he is singing or rapping about past struggles. He says his main musical influences are Drake, Meek Mill and Usher. He is often compared with fellow New York rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and he is also called the “Bronx Justin Bieber” because of his sampling of Justin Bieber’s “Baby”.

Personal events

He says that a year spent in prison helps his songwriting and marks a period when he believes his writing improves. In June 2022, he is shot during an attempted robbery. The song “Beat the Odds” is later released and reaches number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100; its video includes hospital footage from his recovery.

Other details

Lil Tjay records under Lil Tjay Publishing.