Artist Profile: Toosii “the hottest new artist in the world”
February 24, 2021
Hailing from Syracuse New York, Toosii, real name Nau’Jour Grainger, is one of the hottest new talents out in 2021. At the age of 13 a young Grainger moved to Raleigh North Carolina. In an exclusive interview with Flaunt Magazine Toosii credits his musical passion to his move to Raleigh with the now 21-year-old MC stating, “when I moved to North Carolina I fell in love with music… I used music as a way to cope with everything I was going through.” At just 21-years-old Toosii has already achieved a lot, as he signed a record deal with South Coast Music Group (SCMG) in the fall of 2020, and achieved his first RIAA certification with his single “Love Cycle” which went gold.
when I moved to North Carolina I fell in love with music… I used music as a way to cope with everything I was going through
— Toosii via Flaunt Magazine
Toosii’s talent and music has really stood out to me due to the fact that he puts his heart and soul into every song. His most extensive project, “Platinum Heart” is a great example of this. On the track “Truth Be Told” Toosii rhymes “got family, so I’ma make mine, even if it’s clouds in the daytime you always find a way to make my day shine.” These lovey sing-song bars are also accompanied by lyrics like “we gon’ slide first, put ‘em in that hearse, we don’t do get-backs.” This kind of contrast and flexibility is one of the main reasons why I like Toosii, and why I think he has such a mainstream appeal. He can go from singing a hook like Keith Sweat to rapping about shootouts and murder.
we gon’ slide first, put ‘em in that hearse, we don’t do get-backs
— Toosii
Toosii’s breakout single, “Love Cycle” which was also featured on “Platinum Heart,” has been in my rotation all year. On the hook Toosii sings, “you got me stuck inside your love cycle, I read your love bible, we give the hood guidance, we keep the hood smilin’.” In an exclusive interview with Flaunt Magazine Toosii reflects on the track stating “I know what it’s like to be stuck inside somebody’s love cycle.” To “constantly feel like no matter what it is they do you always want to be with them.” It’s this kind of humanity and willingness to show insecurities that makes Toosii a real artist.
I know what it’s like to be stuck inside somebody’s love cycle
— Toosii via Flaunt Magazine
In addition to the original version of “Love Cycle” (which is my favorite) Toosii also released an official remix featuring Summer Walker. Besides the remix, “Platinum Heart” and the deluxe edition of the project contain no features. Coming in at 20 songs for a total runtime of just under an hour, the deluxe edition of “Platinum Heart” is 100% all Toosii. In the same interview with Flaunt Magazine Toosii revealed that this move was intentional and that he has no desire to “be that artist who blew up off of a feature.” He went on to explain that “until I set the roots for myself, I don’t want to do any features.” However he has confirmed that there will be features on his next project.
Another reason to bet on Toosii’s success is his consistency. Many artists have that one project that defines them and is the peak of their popularity. Toosii’s follow up to “Platinum Heart,” titled “Poetic Pain” proved Toosii has longevity as it delivered more quality content and again touched down on Billboard’s hip-hop charts. My personal favorite off of the album, “Sinner’s Prayer,” boasts over five million plays on Spotify alone, and is not even the most played song on the project. On the chorus of “Sinner’s Prayer” Toosii again highlights his singing abilities as well as his street credit stating, “they think im a p*ssy ‘cause I sing a lil’ bit b*tch I’m dangerous.”
they think im a p*ssy ‘cause I sing a lil’ bit b*tch I’m dangerous
— Toosii
Fellow label-mate and North Carolina resident, DaBaby, has also shared some high praise of Toosii. “He’s the hottest new artist in the world” said DaBaby, which is big coming from an industry heavyweight who undoubtedly had one of the best years in 2020 of anyone. Jeff Vaughn, the president of Capitol Records under which Toosii is signed to SCMG, was quoted by Billboard as saying that “Toosii possesses that rare combination of creativity, intelligence, and ambition that you only find in the greats.”
With four full length projects under his belt, and some serious connections in the rap industry, it will be interesting to see what comes next for Toosii. In a February 5th Instagram post Toosii alluded to his next project dropping sometime soon. According to the post it will be an album titled “Thanks For Believing.” Young, successful, and full of drive, Toosii is definitely a name that will become familiar to those following the Hip-Hop scene in coming years and I for one am excited to see what comes next.
