Saaheem Malik Valdery (born February 24, 1997), better known by his stage name SahBabii, is an American rapper. Born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and raised in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, he is best known for his 2016 single " Pull Up wit ah Stick", which received

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America 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 ...

(RIAA). SahBabii peaked at No. 8 on ''

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 Next Big Sound chart in July 2017.

Early life

Saaheem Malik Valdery was born in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and raised in the city's South Side in the Wentworth Gardens projects. His aunt, TeeBaby, gave him the moniker "SahBabii" at a young age. In early 2010 at the age of 13, his family moved to

in pursuance of his older brother T3's career in music. They moved to Sylvan Hills and lived at 1095 Osborne Street.

Career

Saaheem began recording music under the name 'SahBabii' shortly after arriving in Atlanta. His older brother, T3, helped produce his songs, and SahBabii released two early mixtapes: ''Pimpin Ain't Eazy'' (2012) and ''Glocks & Thots'' (2013). Alongside music production, SahBabii would also begin posting videogame gameplay of

Grand Theft Auto Online ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbo ...

to two of his YouTube Channels, one titled "Noᴙmal" and the other titled "Normalty." After a nearly three-year hiatus and whilst working at

Dick's Sporting Goods Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized in all caps as DICK'S Sporting Goods) is an American chain of sporting goods stores founded in 1948 by Richard "Dick" Stack. It is the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States and is listed ...

, SahBabii released a follow-up

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'', in 2016. ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' was recorded on the music software program,

Cubase Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-do ...

, using a broken microphone in T3's bedroom. The mixtape featured the single, "Pull Up wit ah Stick" featuring rapper Loso Loaded, which went viral on

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 ...

after SahBabii posted a 15-second clip of the song before its release. SahBabii for Rolling Loud

Soon after, the song made headlines and garnered millions of plays on

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 ...

. The music video for the song was released in February 2017 and is currently sitting at over 70 million views on the

WorldStarHipHop WorldStarHipHop is a content-aggregating video blog. Zurawik, David.Worldstarhiphop.com makes a name for itself with shocking viral videos". ''The Baltimore Sun''. March 23, 2012. Retrieved on April 22, 2012Alternate link to the same article fr ...

YouTube channel. In March 2017, SahBabii reportedly signed a $2 million record deal with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. His family also founded the production company, Casting Bait Music Group, and SahBabii's father, Delval, became his manager. "Pull Up wit ah Stick" was later remixed by

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

Fetty Wap Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence after his 2014 song " Trap Queen" peaked at number two on the ''Bil ...

, and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

. The song was later remixed by

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 ...

which was released on the

Dedication 6 ''Dedication 6'' is a two part mixtape by American rapper Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama. The first part of the mixtape was released on December 25, 2017. A second part of the mixtape titled ''Dedication 6: Reloaded'' was released on January 26, 2 ...

mixtape.

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 ...

also expressed interest in adding a verse of his own to the official remix of the song. SahBabii was flown to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, UK by Young Thug where he also met Drake. In May 2017, it was announced that SahBabii would be remastering and re-releasing ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' with new tracks on the Warner Bros. label. ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' was mainly remastered by audio engineer

Alex Tumay Alexander Tumay (born July 19, 1986) is an American audio engineer and DJ from Atlanta, Georgia. He has recorded and mixed songs for major artists across the American hip hop industry, including Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Kanye West, Drake ...

and partially by T3, with Tumay remastering tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12, and T3 remastering tracks 4, 5, 7, and 9. It was also announced that producer

Mona Scott-Young Mona Scott-Young ( Scott; born February 15, 1967) is an American television producer and entrepreneur. She is the CEO of the multi-media entertainment company Monami Productions, best known for producing the VH1 reality television franchise ''Lo ...

was interested in shooting a reality television show centered on SahBabii and his family. Shortly after the end of the ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' press run, SahBabii's professional relationship with Warner Bros. Records came to an end. His breakthrough full-length project, ''Squidtastic'' was released in 2018. This was followed up by the EP ''3P'', in 2019. In early 2019, SahBabii publicly stated that he would retire. However, he decided against this, "because of the fans". He stated, "I couldn't just turn my back on them. I'ma still retire, though. But I just wanted to make sure I give my fans the most music I can give them before I stop". On July 8, 2020, SahBabii released the album ''Barnacles''. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' described the album as putting "the focus squarely on SahBabii's distinctive, dreamlike sound. With surreal production and off-kilter vocals, ''Barnacles'' is a unique look into what makes his music so appealing". His song Purple Umbrella samples "Star-Stealing Girl" from the Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack by

Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer and musician. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', '' Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own ...

. In February 2020, SahBabii was featured on rapper

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 ...

's project ''

A Love Letter to You 4 A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

(Deluxe)'' on the song 'Amazinggg.' On September 16, 2020, SahBabii released his single "Gates to the Sun (POLLEN Singles)" featuring Japanese musician Joji on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

. In November 2020, SahBabii was featured on rapper Nav's mixtape project ''

Emergency Tsunami ''Emergency Tsunami'' is the second commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Nav. It was released through XO and Republic Records on November 6, 2020. The mixtape contains guest appearances from Gunna, Young Thug, Lil Baby, Lil Keed, and SahBabii ...

'', on the song 'Do Ya Deed'. He made an appearance in early 2021 on the track "Solitaires" with Ateyaba. Sahbabii's debut studio album, ''Do It For Demon'', was released on October 27, 2021. The album is named after and dedicated to his late cousin 'DemonChild' (Demon) who was killed in a shooting in 2020. In an interview with ''Acclaim'' magazine in December 2021, SahBabii mentioned that Do It For Demon was the first of his projects that was recorded on professional equipment and that he and T3 built an entirely new studio for it. Mic described the album as "a rousing showcase of the artist's vulnerability", while noting that "the sexual animal references and unpredictable ad-libs that OG fans love are still warranted space". On December 6, 2022, alongside a massive list of other Hip-Hop artists, SahBabii was the subject of having 41 of his songs leaked and circulated online. On December 26, 2022, SahBabii would post on his Snapchat account, "I've been workin on a new project that's coming very soon next year. None of my most recent music has leaked. Enjoy "LeaKout" until that day comes I appreciate the love." On December 27, 2022, SahBabii released the project ''LeakOut'' consisting of music that had been leaked online in the weeks prior. Squid Gate

On January 31, 2023, SahBabii released a single titled "How Bout U?" On May 16, 2023, SahBabii released a single titled "Lost All My Feelings." On November 8, 2024, SahBabii released ''Saaheem'', a studio album titled after his given name. The album contains his 2023 single "Lost All My Feelings". On November 17, 2024, Sahbabii announced his 2025 Resurrection Tour through North America, to promote his album ''Saaheem''.

Influences

In an interview with ''XXL'',

Hypebeast Hypebeast may refer to: * Hypebeast culture, a contemporary youth culture focused on clothing styles *Hypebeast (company) Hypebeast is a Hong Kong–listed company that focuses on contemporary culture and lifestyle. It was originally founded in 2 ...

, an
Acclaim Mag
SahBabii cited T3,

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

, Rich Homie Quan, Ca$h Out and

Nujabes , born , better known by his stage name Nujabes (; ), was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from Japanese hip hop, hip hop, soul music, soul, and jazz, a ...

as his main influences.

Controversies

Feud with rapper Offset

In May 2017, rapper Offset from the group

Migos Migos () were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and their "cousin" friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were bo ...

posted a video on his Instagram account criticizing the recent trend of hip-hop/rap artists wearing inverted crosses jewelry, "All y'all niggas wearing upside-down crosses, these are my little partners man...stop that shit boy, you look lame. All that worship the devil shit. Get with God, man." SahBabii angrily responded to Offset on his Instagram account with a post of a screenshot from the original video Offset posted, writing in the caption, "Nigga You Look Lame Fuck You Talm Boud My Cross Gon Stay Upside Down Y'all Niggas Donate $1,000 to

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

But Will Throw $10,000 in a Club I Will Beat Yo Ass." He also made another post with the caption, "Show These Niggas Respect Now Fuck Migos!! We Ain't Going For No Disrespect Nobody Asked This Lame Ass Nigga Opinion." Offset later responded to SahBabii by posting a video where he claims SahBabii is not affiliated with PDE (Paradise East Apartments in Atlanta), Slaughter Gang, the Mob, and is not originally from Atlanta and also his jewelry is not authentic. He also mentioned that he will come to SahBabii's neighborhood and have SahBabii's own neighborhood associates beat him up. SahBabii then responded in a video where he claims Offset instigated this argument, and then he called Offset a '

faggot ''Faggot'', often shortened to ''fag'', is a Pejorative, slur in the English language that was used to refer to gay men but its meaning has expanded to other members of the queer community. In American youth culture around the turn of the 21s ...

' for wearing

pigtail A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...

s and

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

his hair various colors throughout his career. SahBabii continued in another video where he claims his inverted crosses jewelry is not

sacrilegious Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

but it is symbolic of the self-created ideology he believes in called 'Unknownism' which aims to seek the truth. A month later in June 2017, SahBabii conducted an interview with

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

and spoke about his negative interactions with Offset and how Offset should not be speaking down on his young musical peers, "But I feel like he don't need to be speaking down on people. I don't speak on no other religions or nothing like that, so I don't think he should be speaking down on young people." He also expressed regret for even responding to Offset's original video as he claims to be a person who does not engage in any feuds or arguments, "I wish I wouldn't never even responded to that, because I ain't the type to do all that Internet beef."

Tours

Headlining

Resurrection Tour (2025)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Barnacles'' (2020) * ''Do It for Demon'' (2021) * ''LeakOut'' (2022) * ''Saaheem'' (2024) – No. 123 US ''Billboard'' 200

Mixtapes

* ''Pimpin Ain't Eazy'' (2012) * ''Glocks & Thots'' (2013) * ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' (2016) * ''S.A.N.D.A.S.'' (Remastered) * ''Squidtastic'' (2018)