Toosii

Nau'Jour Lazier Grainger (born January 9, 2000), better known by his stage name Toosii, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Beginning his career in 2017, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his 2023 single " Favorite Song", which first gained virality on the social media platform TikTok. The song peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, earned double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and preceded the release of his second studio album, '' Naujour'' (2023). The album peaked at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200, although his debut album, ''Poetic Pain'' (2020), reached number 17 on the chart.

Early life

Nau'Jour Grainger was born and grew up in Syracuse, New York, but later relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 13. It was in Raleigh, North Carolina where he began to seriously pursue his musical career. Rap was an escape route from his issues as a youth. He started recording music at age 16, while playing high school football and figuring out his life path.

Career

2017–2020: Career beginnings, ''Who Dat'' and ''Poetic Pain''

Toosii's stage name derived from his childhood nickname of "Toota", and changed it to Toosii after his football teammates said it as a joke, adding the two I's because "You need two eyes to see the vision". Toosii was discovered by the South Coast Music Group. He signed with the record label in 2019. Toosii was inspired to try music by both his brother and father and spent a period of time homeless before his career began to further develop.

Toosii released several mixtapes during the roots of his career such as ''Label Me Diverse'', ''Hell on Earth'', and ''Why Not Now''. He got his big break in 2019 with the release of the track "Red Lights", which went on to accrue millions of streams. He then released his ''Who Dat'' mixtape on April 30, 2019, which was followed by the six-track mixtape, ''My Shit Now'' on January 3, 2020, consisting solely of remixes of popular tracks. On February 7, 2020, he released the 13-track ''Platinum Heart'' mixtape. ''Platinum Heart'' reached number-one on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Albums chart upon its initial release. The mixtape was later reissued as a 20-track deluxe version. On September 18, 2020, his third South Coast Music Group-affiliated album ''Poetic Pain'' was released as his first project on Capitol Records. His signing to Capitol was made on September 30, by Chris Turner (A&R) following the release of his official video for "Love Cycle" with Summer Walker. Toosii was credited with 50,000 US adjusted sales and over 250 million combined global streams in 2020 at the time of this release. "Love Cycle" was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 11, 2021. His project ''Poetic Pain'' debuted at number 17 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in September 2020 and features the RIAA-certified gold single "Love Cycle" with Summer Walker.
\\

2021–2022: ''Thank You for Believing'', ''Pretty Girls Love Toosii'' and ''Boys Don't Cry''

Ahead of releasing his Thank You For Believing mixtape, Toosii was named "Up Now" by music streaming service Audiomack. “I feel like I am the GOAT,” Toosii said. “Thank you Audiomack for the opportunity to be your next #UpNow artist.”

On May 7, 2021, Toosii released his seventh mixtape, ''Thank You for Believing''. The tape's title shows "gratitude to those that had faith in him and helped get him where he is today". It contains 13 tracks, and features Mulatto, Key Glock, and DaBaby. In 2021, he was featured on the XXL Freshman Class. On December 3, 2021, Toosii released a 3-track EP titled ''Pretty Girls Love Toosii'' which was assisted by a feature from Jacquees. Just under a year later, on October 7, 2022, Toosii released his fourth EP, ''Boys Don't Cry'' which featured his TikTok viral, "Love Is..." alongside "Heartaches" which also gained traction on social media. On November 11, 2022, Toosii released a deluxe to his EP titled, ''Boys Don't Cry: Men Do''. Just a week later, he released a visual to the intro of the deluxe EP, "Frozen Below Zero".

2023–present: ''Naujour'' and ''Jaded''

Beginning 2023, Toosii released his first single of the year, "Magic Potion" on January 27, 2023. Just weeks later, Toosii released his Valentine's Day special, " Favorite Song". The track marked Toosii's debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after debuting at #51. The track received remixes from Khalid and Future released on May 5 and May 19. The remixes assisted the song's commercial performance as the track peaked at #5 in the US during the week ending June 3, 2023. The track also peaked at #25 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. The track was certified platinum just three months after its release and 2× platinum in August 2023. The hit track served as the lead single (alongside "Love Is...") for Toosii's sophomore, self-titled studio album, '' Naujour''. The album peaked at #19 on the ''Billboard'' 200, marking Toosii's second highest-charting album.

Continuing off of his success, on November 3, 2023, Toosii released "Suffice", the lead single to his upcoming eighth mixtape, ''Jaded'', which includes a guest appearance from the American pop rock band, LANY.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

Other charted and certified songs

Guest appearances

Notes

References

{{reflist

2000 births
Living people
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American rappers
Alternative R&B musicians
Capitol Records artists
Musicians from Syracuse, New York
Rappers from New York (state)
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
American trap musicians