Joshua Dai’Quan Goods (born April 28, 1992), known professionally as Tate Kobang, is an American rapper and songwriter. Although active in the Baltimore hip-hop scene since 2011, he rose to prominence with "Bank Rolls (Remix)," a 90-second promotional single for his April 2015 release “Live Hazey,” released on
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 ...
on April 19, 2015, in remembrance of his mother. In 2020, he co-wrote the single " Mr. Right Now" by
21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two ...
and
Metro Boomin
Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap.
...
(featuring
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
).
Early and personal life
Tate Kobang grew up in Northeast Baltimore, Maryland before moving to
York, Pennsylvania
York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
. In 2013, his mother and father passed away suddenly within months of each other, making him responsible for his 8 younger siblings at age 21, prompting him to continue music at a more serious level to provide for his family.
Influences
Although he originally wanted to be a
video game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which f ...
, Kobang’s interest in music stemmed at an early age—he sang in his
church choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...
at age 5, and began writing music around age 11. He also learned to read music and play the
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
and
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
in
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
, and took
music production
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
classes in high school. Kobang’s uncle, Baltimore rapper Killa Q, introduced him to rap, and even had Kobang write for him. Kobang also credits artists
Mr. Cheeks
Terrance Kelly (born March 28, 1971), known professionally as Mr. Cheeks, is an American rapper best known for his work with the musical group Lost Boyz, and as a solo (music), solo artist with the single "Lights, Camera, Action!".
Biography ...
,
Method Man
Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
In honor of his late mother’s birthday, a tribute that’s been done since 2013, Kobang released Bank Rolls (Remix) on April 19, 2015 as a promotional hit for his newest mixtape. Bank Rolls (Remix) was a featured song in Watch Dogs 2. The song uses Baltimore rapper Tim Trees' 2000 song “Bank Roll” and features a verse that remembers Baltimore DJ
K-Swift
Khia Danielle Edgerton (October 19, 1978 – July 21, 2008), better known by the stage name K-Swift, was an American DJ, MC, radio personality and entrepreneur.
Early years
Born to Joseph and Juanita Edgerton, K-Swift was raised in Randallstow ...
, who died in 2008. That day is also the day of
Freddie Gray
On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African American, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department over his legal possession of a knife. While being transported in a police van, Gray sustained injuries and was taken to ...
's death after being in a coma from injury complications allegedly caused by the Baltimore Police Department. With heavy media attention and national focus on Baltimore at this time, Kobang released the song to bring a sense of happiness and pride to the city. Following the viral success of the 90-second video, Kobang went into the studio with the producer of the original track,
Rod Lee
Rod Lee is an American, Baltimore, Maryland-based DJ, record producer,
Signing with 300 Entertainment
Shortly after its release, “Bank Rolls (Remix)” gained the attention of veteran industry leader
Lyor Cohen
Lyor Cohen born October 3, 1959) is an American record executive and entrepreneur. Cohen has been actively involved in hip hop at various record labels for more than 30 years. He started by managing rappers for Rush Productions, then led Def J ...
’s and Baltimore native
Kevin Liles
Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...
’
300 Entertainment
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, el ...
. At first, Kobang was hesitant but considered the offer after researching the industry leading names behind the label. In July 2015, Kobang traveled to New York City to sign a record deal with 300 Entertainment. In January 2016, he appeared on the label's 13-city Young Hustle Tour which featured acts such as
Rich The Kid
Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), professionally known as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. He released his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'', on March 30, 2018. His second studio album, ''The World Is Yours 2'', was releas ...
,
T-Wayne
Tyshon Dwayne Nobles (born October 27, 1990), better known by his stage name T-Wayne, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. His rap name is a combination of his first name and his middle name. He has also occasionally taken the pseudonym R ...
, TK N Cash, and Rejjie Snow.
Since We’re Here
Kobang released the Since We’re Here mixtape in April 2016, which consisted of freestyle and remixed songs. A video for “Poppin”, a single from the mixtape, was released on April 26, 2016. The video was filmed spontaneously at a
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
Waffle House. On May 20, 2016, Kobang released a video for “Don’t Need”, which features artist Freeband TEST.
Silent Waves
Silent Waves, presented by DTLR and Under Armour. Kobang offers up 11 tracks on the mixtape which is hosted by DJ Flow with just one feature from fellow Baltimore artist Young Moose. Also hometown Producers such as GeniroBeatz, D Dae, YG! Beats and much more.
Tate Ko
On November 27, 2017, Kobang released his highly anticipated mixtape Tate Ko. The 15-track project was led by his hit single "North North" and included features from Swizz Beatz, Chaz French, Deetranada, Young Money Yawn and West Side Goldie. Production came from Swizz, YG! Beats, Millz Douglas, Reazy Renegade, Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Kobang himself.
28
On April 28, 2018 Kobang Released Mixtape which showcased his Production team he formed to create his bouncy Sound Featuring YG!Beats, Millz Douglas and Genirobeatz. The mixtape features 7 tracks of all club bangers and features 1 Feat from Band Boy Skooda. This mixtape also is a celebration of him and his producer birthday YG!beats which is the meaning behind 28.
Discography
* Bank Rolls Remix - July 2015 (Single)
* Oh My - February 2016 (Single)
* Since We're Here - April 2016 (Mixtape)
* Yeah Prod By GeniroBeatz - March 2017 (Single)
* Silent Waves - March 2017 (Mixtape)
* Tate Ko - November 2017 (Mixtape)
* 28 - April 2018 (EP)
Notable mentions
Kobang's “Bank Rolls (Remix)” appears at #87 on
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
’s list of the 100 Best Tracks of 2015, as well as on
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
Music's Favorite Songs of 2015 in the hip hop genre. Also featured in Watch Dogs 2 a game produced by Ubisoft. The song also made it to PigeonsandPlanes.com's Best Songs of 2015 at #66, as well as TheStashed.com's list of 25 Artists to Watch in 2016 at #22.