Daniel Nwosu Jr. (born March 22, 1994), professionally known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Dax (often stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

), is a Canadian rapper and singer-songwriter.

Early life

Daniel Nwosu Jr. was born to immigrant

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

parents on March 22, 1994, in St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. Nwosu grew up in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, He attended

Casper College Casper College is a Public college, public community college in Casper, Wyoming. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive community colleges in the region. Established in 1945 as Wyoming's first junior college and initially located on the ...

in Casper, Wyoming during the 2013-2014 school year, where he played on the basketball team. He later transferred to play Division-1 basketball for the

Montana Grizzlies The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the nicknames given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana, located in Missoula, Montana, Missoula. The university is a member of the Big Sky Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fieldin ...

during the 2014-15 season. He then attended the Newman University, where he played guard for the Newman Jets basketball team. He initially wrote poetry and was a motivational speaker prior to pursuing a rap career. During his time at Newman University, he worked as a janitor, a job where he says that he was able to develop his poetry and rap skills during downtime.

Career

After receiving positive feedback from a basketball teammate about his poetry in 2016, he began releasing and promoting music through his

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

account, releasing his mixtape ''2pac Reincarnation Vol 2: As Told By Dax'' in 2017. He rose to prominence after the release of the official music video for his song "Cash Me Outside" featuring

Danielle Bregoli Danielle Peskowitz Bregoli (born March 26, 2003), better known by her stage name Bhad Bhabie (, "bad baby"), is an American rapper and Internet personality. During an appearance on the talk show '' Dr. Phil'' in September 2016, her comment of ...

. In August 2018, Dax released his first EP, entitled ''It’s Different Now'' which features guest appearances from other rappers including O.T. Genasis and Futuristic. The following year, he was featured on

Hopsin Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He is known for his use of white colored eye contacts in his music videos and perform ...

's song "You Should've Known". In June 2019, Dax went on "It goes up" tour with

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper and singer. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold ...

and then later announced his first solo headlining tour "It's Different Now Tour" via

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

and embarked on his tour in October across America and Canada. In 2020, he released a 7-track EP, ''I'll Say It for You,'' which received generally positive reviews and was preceded by the single "Dear God". Later that year he released two more singles, "Faster" featuring Tech N9ne and "I don't want another sorry" featuring

Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music. His de ...

. In April 2020, he released the single "Coronavirus (State Of Emergency)", which was written about the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In July 2021, Dax released a sequel to "Dear God" called "Child of God". In the following month, he announced his debut studio album and released "Propaganda" featuring Tom Macdonald as album's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

. The song peaked at number 15 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

s R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart and at number 9 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart. In early October 2021, album's third single "40 Days, 40 Nights" featuring

Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, and two Extended play, EPs, Ngcobo released his debut album ' ...

was released. On October 15, 2021, his debut studio album ''Pain Paints Paintings'' was released digitally through Living Legends Entertainment. On March 11, 2022, he released a new single titled " Dear Alcohol", which was written about

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. It debuted at number 9 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

and at 28 on the U.S.

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, and was eventually certified Platinum by both the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and

Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...

. On June 10, 2022, he released a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

crossover remix for the song featuring vocals from country singer

Elle King Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her musical style is influenced by Country music, country, Rock music, rock, and blues. She signed with RCA Records to ...

. In August of that same year, Dax signed a record deal with Records, LLC and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. He received a nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the

2023 Canadian Country Music Awards The 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards, honouring achievements in Canadian country music, were presented on September 16, 2023, at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario. For the first time in 25 years they were broadcas ...

. In October 2023, Dax released a country music crossover remix of his song " To Be a Man" featuring

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carol ...

, the song topped the ''Billboard'' Country Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. In April 2024, Dax announced he was opening for

Joyner Lucas Gary Maurice "Joyner" Lucas Jr. (born August 17, 1988) is an American rapper, actor and entrepreneur. Lucas first received exposure after the release of his single "Ross Capicchioni" in 2015. In June 2017, he released his fourth mixtape, ''508-5 ...

's Not Now I'm Busy tour, which he became a headliner in. In that same year, he performed at several

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

Artistry

Style and influence

Initially, Dax did not take rap seriously because of his interest in basketball but there was a phase where he grew up listening to

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

. He stated that, he was never really a hip-hop enthusiast but he started listening when

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

took over the scene. Dax has also cited artists like

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

. He compares his style to artists such as

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

, and Hopsin.

Feuds

KSI

On November 18, 2018,

KSI Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji (born 19 June 1993), better known by his online alias KSI, is an English influencer, professional boxer and musician. He is a co-founding member of YouTube group the Sidemen, the CEO of Misfits Boxing a ...

appeared on the ''What's Good?'' Podcast, where he called out various internet rappers. In the interview KSI said both Quadeca and Dax were worse than him at rapping. Quadeca went on to post a full diss track against him on November 23, 2018, called "Insecure". Shortly after, Dax also responded with his own diss track, which was a remix of Eminem's diss track toward Machine Gun Kelly, " Killshot". KSI then responded to Dax and Quadeca's track with a reaction video, also accompanied by a diss track called "Ares". He challenged Dax to a private boxing match, with Dax accepting but repeatedly delaying it. He then later appeared on Deji's diss track "Unforgivable" against KSI.

Tory Lanez

On January 24, 2019,

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. First discovered by Sean Kingston, he received initial recognition for his mixtape ''Conflicts of My S ...

claimed through a tweet that he is the "best rapper alive". Dax responded by posting a video on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, featuring a diss track titled "I'm Not Joyner Or Don Q" aimed at him. Lanez posted a video on Instagram in response in which he pressures Dax to apologize for the diss track. Dax addressed the situation in interviews with

DJ Akademiks Livingston George Allen, known professionally as DJ Akademiks (or simply Akademiks, or by his stage name Lil AK), is a Jamaican-American podcaster, YouTuber and live streamer who specializes in music industry music journalism, journalism. Afte ...

, '' Impaulsive'', and '' No Jumper'', saying that apologizing was the right thing to do because he did not want a fight to break out.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official Website

Dax
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Dax
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dax 1994 births Living people 21st-century Black Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian rappers 21st-century Nigerian rappers Canadian contemporary R&B singers Canadian Christians Canadian male rappers 21st-century male rappers Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian people of Igbo descent Canadian performers of Christian music Columbia Records artists Country rappers Hardcore hip-hop artists Musicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Musicians from Wichita, Kansas Music YouTubers Nigerian Christians Nigerian male rappers Nigerian male singer-songwriters Newman University, Wichita alumni Rappers from Los Angeles Singer-songwriters from Kansas Singer-songwriters from California Sony Music artists