Dillan Alexander Richard King (born November 11, 1991) known professionally 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 ...
DillanPonders, is a Canadian rapper from
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. Ponders has performed across North America, as part of festivals like SXSW, Mondo. NYC and on the Smoker's Club tours, as well as alongside some of hip hop's left field leaders, including Flatbush Zombies, Pouya and Father. He's been featured in some of the genre's top publications, including Complex, Noisey, XXL and has headlined Spotify's Northern Bars and Hip Hop Central playlists.
Musical career
2011–13: Career beginnings, ''Dopamine'', ''Overdose'' and ''NUMB''
DillanPonders started writing and recording songs professionally in 2011, a year later he released his first body of work titled ''Dopamine'', an 18-tracks album which was released on June 10, 2012. In November 2012, he released ''Comatose'', an EP he is credited to have also engineered and mix and mastered. March 1, 2013 saw DillanPonders release ''LUST'', his third project, under Creative REbels World.
Through Creative REbels, he released ''Overdose'', a mixtape that was well received and won the first ''Rkulture'' "Mixtape of the Year" award in 2013. The mixtape literarily highlights the experiences of DillanPonders and his growth as a songwriter. It features production credits from BiirdxLahghost, BlackOut, HOLYDAY, Kaos, LEF7Y, MindBlown, MYCbeats, Protishead, and Runsbeatz. The mixtape also credits guest appearances from Aay Cee, ADAN, Guapo and T.City. In October, DillanPonders revealed the album cover of his trap-infused mixtape titled ''NUMB''. Described as a "gem of rap music" by Christian Courtois of ''IX Daily'', the mixtape was executively produced by Tay Lewis and was released on 13 November under SmashMouth Music Group.
2014–15: ''The Boy Who Lived'', ''You're Welcome'' and ''Retox''
DillanPonders started recording his sophomore album '' The Boy Who Lived'' in April 2014. On August 4, RESPECT. premiered "SmashMouth CReW Gang" and "Swallow", two drug-themed lead singles from the album. In an interview with ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
'', he revealed that the album is "about me knowing when to go hard and when not to" following questions raised around his use of drugs and smoking of
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
. Upon the release of the 10-track album which features a sole appearance from
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
singer Ziba, it was met with critical acclaim from mainstream hip hop music critics. ''RKutures Brandon Benguaich described the album as "magical" and "what we have been waiting for"; while Kevin Ahmadi agreed that it is "perfect for a debauched party playlist".
On 1 April 2015, he released the first installment of his ''You're Welcome'' mixtape, a remix project which served as a teaser for his EP '' Retox''. In anticipation of the EP, he released two singles titled "Stamina" which made the cut into ''Retox'' and "Circus" which featured vocals from Omari Shakir. Through SmashMouth Music Group, he finally released ''Retox'' in October to positive critical reception after the release of his popular song "Shroom Daddy".
2016–2018: ''Acid Reign, Acid Jazz and No Mans Land''
On 20 May 2016, DillanPonders dropped a single titled "Go Daddy Go", off his critically acclaimed project ''
Acid Reign
Acid Reign are an English thrash metal band from Harrogate. Originally active from 1985 to 1991, they rebooted in 2015 with just Howard "H" Smith remaining from the original line-up. Along with Onslaught, Sabbat and Xentrix, Acid Reign are ...
'', before releasing another single titled "Mandem" in anticipation of the album. DillianPonders enlisted the services of
Eestbound
Bryan Van Mierlo, professionally known as Eestbound, is a Canadian record producer. He has produced songs for such artists as Travis Scott, Young Thug, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Dicky, Young Dolph, Smoke DZA, and Sean Leon.
Production discograph ...
to produce "Heaven", a song he sees as a "representation of where me and my squad are at mentally".
On 29 December, he released ''ACID REIGN'' to positive reviews. The 12-track album featured on ''Boi-1das "Top 50 Toronto Releases of 2016". Leandre Nawej of ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' rated the project 7 stars out of 10 while Kevin Ritchie of ''
Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Na ...
'' rated it 3 out of 5 stars. Six songs from the album were used on the ''Acid Jazz'' EP, a collaboration between Ponders and JAZZ MONEY that mixed Ponders's raps with live instrumentation.
In spring 2017, Ponders hit the road supporting
Pouya
Kevin Pouya (born December 20, 1994), known mononymously as Pouya, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. Considered as a pioneer of the early underground rap scene that began on Soundcloud in 2012, along with discovering the well known hip ...
and
Fat Nick
Nicholas Voutsinas (born September 6, 1994), known professionally as Fat Nick, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. Initially rising to prominence alongside American rapper Pouya and their collective Buffet Boys, he is known for being a le ...
, opening to sellout crowds across Ontario and Quebec. He also released "PLANET PONDERS", which quickly hit 300,000 Spotify streams, and "Doubts", which was picked up by Complex Canada as one of the spring's top tracks.
Ponders released his most recent project, ''No Mans Land'', in August 2017. Riding its popularity, he headlined his first show in New York City in October.
2018–2021: ''The Boy Who Died, Knowhere and Because We're Alive''
Through 2018 & 2019, DillanPonders released two projects: ''The Boy Who Died'' and ''Knowhere''. ''The Boy Who Died'' closed the loop on Ponders' 2014 ''The Boy Who Lived'' project, and represented a musical and personal evolution for Ponders. Through ''Knowhere'', Ponders further expanded his international attention, particularly through the track "JURASSIC" which featured IDK, one of the hottest rappers of 2019.
In fall 2020, DillanPonders announced a new album and dropped its first single: "Jungle" featuring Métis singer/songwriter
On February 26, 2025 DillanPonders received the Guinness World for the most consecutive single released by a music act https://credentials.guinnessworldrecords.com/credentials/a91284c1-7ec0-4165-ba4a-9bf9fcbe0029