Lakeyah Danaee Robinson (born February 28, 2001), known mononymously as Lakeyah, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, she began rapping at the age of 15. At 18, she moved to Atlanta and was signed to

Quality Control Music Quality Control Music (also known as Quality Control or QC) is an American hip hop record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a reco ...

. In 2021, she was announced as part of the ''XXL'' magazine freshman class, the first from Milwaukee.

Early life

Lakeyah Danaee Robinson was born on February 28, 2001, in

, where she was also raised. In high school, she began on the slam poetry team before she was convinced by friends at the age of 15 to rap for the #SoGoneChallenge where people submit performances of rap verses to the instrumental of the song "

So Gone "So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth stud ...

" by Monica. In 2017, she joined the music duo "BTM" (Beyond the Music) and they achieved over one million

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

views. In 2019, she went on a birthday trip for her 18th birthday to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

and visited rapper T.I.'s Trap Museum and its exhibit on Quality Control Music. Inspired to move to Atlanta, she enrolled at the

Art Institute of Atlanta The Art Institute of Atlanta is a private art school in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Education Principle Foundation. The school is one of eight Art Institutes. It awards associate's and bachelor's degrees, including Bachelor of Fine Art ...

for college but dropped out after two months.

Career

Lakeyah stayed in Atlanta after dropping out of college and went viral for the #FirstDayOutChallenge, a rap challenge celebrating rapper JT from music group

City Girls City Girls is an American hip hop duo consisting of Yung Miami (Caresha Romeka Brownlee; born February 1994) and JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson; born December 1992). The duo originate from Miami, Florida, and garnered attention after making an un ...

being released from prison. After that challenge and going viral from a freestyle over the song "We Paid" by

42 Dugg Dion Marquise Hayes (born November 25, 1995), known professionally as 42 Dugg, is an American rapper. He is jointly signed to rappers Lil Baby and Yo Gotti's respective labels 4 Pockets Full (4PF) and Collective Music Group (CMG), in conjunction ...

and

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

, she was signed to

. On October 9, 2020, Lakeyah released her first single, "Big FlexHER", featuring

. It amassed over 400,000 views in five days and currently has over three million views. On December 11, 2020, Lakeyah released her debut album, ''Time's Up''. It included the single "Female Goat" featuring

and a Midwest style beat by

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

producer Reuel StopPlaying. It is Lakeyah's most popular track on

, with over 16 million views. In the spring of 2021, Lakeyah was named a brand ambassador for

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

's lingerie line,

Savage X Fenty Savage X Fenty is a lingerie brand founded by Barbadian singer Rihanna that emphasizes confidence and inclusivity and is designed for all genders, sizes, and backgrounds. Along with lingerie, the line features bras, underwear, sleepwear, and lo ...

. On April 9, 2021, Lakeyah released her second project, ''In Due Time''. The album included features from

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

and

Yung Bleu Jeremy Biddle (born April 5, 1994), known professionally as Yung Bleu and Bleu Vandross, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2020 single " You're Mines Still", which peaked at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after i ...

. After the album's release, Lakeyah was 4th on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

''s Breakthrough 25 charts, which ranks the fastest rising new artists, behind Cico P. On June 16, 2021, ''XXL'' magazine named Lakeyah to the 2021 XXL Freshman Class, a spotlight for up and coming rappers that previously featured

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, Travis Scott,

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape ''10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

, and

Megan thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of he ...

. She was the first Milwaukee rapper named an XXL freshman in its 14 year history.

Discography

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Lakeyah 2001 births Living people 21st-century American rappers Rappers from Wisconsin People from Milwaukee American women rappers African-American women rappers LGBT African Americans LGBT people from Wisconsin 21st-century American women Lesbian musicians LGBT rappers 21st-century women rappers