Sy Ari Brockington (born January 8, 1986), known professionally as Sy Ari da Kid, is an American singer, songwriter, and broadcaster.

Early life

Brockington was born in

The Bronx, New York City The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

but moved to

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 ...

at the age of nine. As a child he dreamed of being a professional basketball player, but soon turned to rap after the influence of his brother and cousin. He attended Robert L. Osborne High School, alongside rapper K Camp. After graduation, Brockington would appear in battle raps on Atlanta's HOT 107.9 FM, where he was noted for 11 consecutive victories.

Career

Brockington taught himself to produce and record with Pro Tools, which soon caught the attention of

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

winning songwriter and producer Brian Michael Cox. Signed to December First Publishing Group, Brockington later launched Arrogant Music in 2006, through which he distributes his releases. He released some mixtapes in 2011, including ''The Ultrasound'', his first formal solo project. It was followed by three mixtapes in January 2012, including two installments in his ''The Best of Da Kid'' series. In the following years, he continued to release multiple mixtapes while working with artists including

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led him to ...

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 ...

Travis Porter Travis Porter is an American hip hop trio from Atlanta, Georgia. The group consists of stepbrothers Ali and Quez, and their friend Strap, whom they met in middle school. The group released the biographical film ''Proud to be a Problem'' in May 20 ...

and Roscoe Dash. On February 4, 2016, Brockington released the fourth entry in his ''Heartbreak'' series: ''B4 the Heartbreak'', which featured

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He began his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single ...

on its lead single "Priorities". The mixtape also included features from Chasity, Lewis Sky and Tink. He later confirmed a follow-up project was in the making, titled ''2Soon.'' He signed with Birdman's

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Birdman (rapper), Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans– ...

in 2017, who released the mixtape on May 10 of that year. He parted ways with the label in April 2019.

Artistry

Talking about his musical process, Brockington said, "I don't write. I like to freestyle until I come off with a good hook or a good start to a verse. I don't like creating from scratch with other artists and producers as much as I should." He also felt he was not narrowed down by a single genre. He said, "I'm not an

Atlanta 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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

rapper, I feel I'm beyond a rapper. I like all genres of music and can create them as well". In late 2015, rumours circulated that Brockington was ghostwriting for Canadian rapper

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 ...

. After releasing a song with Quentin Miller, who

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group the Blo ...

exposed as a co-writer for Drake, Brockington was forced to distance himself from the suggestions.

Personal life

Brockington is a single father, something he regularly discusses in interviews. He describes how he wants to be a voice for single fathers, of which there are few in his industry who openly speak about the topic.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sy Ari Da Kid 1986 births Living people American rappers Rappers from the Bronx Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American rappers