Big Lean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Big Lean
Wright in May 2014
Background information
Birth name	Lorenzo Lee-jae Wright
Born	(1989-02-11) February 11, 1989 (age 36)
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Canadian hip hop hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Da Degrees
Children	1

Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright (born February 11, 1989), known as Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He started making music in 2008. This was two years after his friend and fellow rapper, Blits, passed away. Big Lean felt he should continue his friend's musical journey.

He became well-known in 2011. This happened when he was featured on the song "Reality" by DJ Charlie Brown. Other Toronto artists like P. Reign, Belly, and Jahvon were also on the track. Big Lean releases his music independently through his label, Da Degrees.

Later, he released his third mixtape, Can't Stop Now, in 2014. This mixtape included songs with Chief Keef, Juicy J, and Chinx Drugz. His first album, Enough is Enough, came out in 2015. It featured artists like Nipsey Hussle and Juelz Santana. His long-time friend, Boi-1da, helped produce the album. The album received a good review, getting a 7/10 rating from Exclaim!.

After releasing a freestyle version of "Leg Over", Big Lean was featured on the song In The Morning by Mr Eazi. This song reached number 7 on the Billboard charts. Its music video was released on March 1, 2017. Big Lean also appeared on 6ixBuzz's 2018 album 6ixUpsideDown. This album reached number 87 on the Canadian Albums Chart. He was on the song "M.I.A." with Safe.

Early Life and Background

Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright was born on February 11, 1989. He grew up in Parma Court in the East York area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Both of his parents were immigrants from Jamaica. He was one of three children. When he was young, his parents separated, and his mother raised him.

Lorenzo got the nickname "Lean" as a child. A friend misheard his mother calling him "Lee," which was a shorter version of his middle name, Lee-Jae. Lorenzo later used "Big Lean" as his stage name. He has shared that his mother always supported him. She told him he could achieve anything he set his mind to.

During his high school years, Lorenzo joined a top basketball program. It was called the Scarborough Basketball Association. However, he had to stop playing due to money challenges.

Big Lean's older brother, known as "Bigga," passed away in 2002. This was a very sad time for Lean. After this event, he found it hard to focus on school. He attended several high schools but had trouble attending regularly. He eventually left high school before finishing his final year.

Music Career Journey

Starting Out: 2008–2011

Big Lean began making music when he was 19 years old. This was two years after his friend and rapper Blits (Kareme Parks) passed away. Big Lean felt it was important to continue his friend's musical legacy. He started by releasing many freestyles and songs. At first, they did not gain much attention.

He released his first mixtape, I'm Here Now, on November 25, 2010. Most of the music for this mixtape was produced by Boi-1da. It also featured vocals from Belly. His childhood friend "Yung Tony," now known as OVO Hush, also helped with production.

His first big success came in 2011. DJ Charlie Brown released his first single, "Reality." This song brought together many Toronto artists, including P. Reign, Belly, Jahvon, and Big Lean. It was released on February 9, 2011. This song helped bring Lean into the spotlight alongside other successful artists. He also released his first single, "You Got It Good," on March 22, 2011.

Big Lean released his second mixtape, Something Gotta Give, on October 11, 2011. This mixtape featured guest artists like R.O.Z. and Sizzla. Boi-1da was the main producer for this album.

Growing Success: 2012–2016

He released the song "My Lifestyle" on December 27, 2012. This song featured Chief Keef. The next year, he released "Too much for TV" with Juicy J. He also released "Squeeze" featuring Chinx Drugz. A music video for "Squeeze" came out on September 6, 2013. All these songs were included on his third mixtape, "Can't Stop Now", which was released on July 15, 2013.

Lean returned to music in late 2014 with "Everything's alright." This song was produced by Pro Logic. It was the first song to promote his upcoming studio album. The music video for it included appearances from Sizzla and Jimmy Prime.

Big Lean released his first studio album, Enough is Enough, on September 4, 2015. Two singles also supported the album. These were "Benjamins" featuring Juelz Santana, released on March 6, 2015, and "California Water" featuring Nipsey Hussle. A music video for "California Water" was released a year later, on June 8, 2016. He also released other songs not on the album, like "Wavy" with Halal Gang member Mo-G on February 29, 2016, and "More Than Music" on March 13, 2016.

Big Lean released the song "Stamina" on September 11, 2016. This was after Drake gave him a shoutout earlier that year. Lean also appeared on the song "Ya Ya" by Baka Not Nice, released on November 6, 2016.

Recent Works: 2017–Present

A new version of his song "Stamina" featuring PartyNextDoor was released on January 7, 2017. This song was played on OVO Sound Radio. This led to Big Lean joining PartyNextDoor on his international tour. In March 2017, he released the song "On Deck."

After releasing a freestyle over "Leg Over", Big Lean was featured on the song In The Morning by Mr Eazi. The song reached number 7 on the Billboard charts on February 25, 2017. Its music video was released on March 1, 2017. He worked with the afrobeats singer again in August 2017 on "Long Time," which was produced by Juls. In December 2017, Big Lean was part of the Noisey documentary 6IX RISING. This 75-minute film showed the hip-hop music scene in Toronto, featuring many Canadian rap artists.

Lean asked British rapper Giggs to be on his second song of 2018, "Hermes." The song was released by the British media company GRM Daily on February 8, 2018. In the same year, Lean released the songs "Julie," "Don't Stop," and "Motivation." Big Lean was featured on 6ixBuzz's album 6ixUpsideDown, released on October 19, 2018. He was on the song "M.I.A." with Safe.

Lean signed Ryda to his independent label, Da Degrees. The two artists then released the songs "Dumb Rich" on April 19, 2019, and "Drop" on June 28, 2019. During this time, he also featured on Zoe Grind's song ATL with R.O.Z. He worked with Murda Beatz to release the song "Action" on July 26, 2019.

Other Projects

Da Degrees Record Label

Da Degrees is an independent record label. Big Lean co-founded it with his business partner, Lotto Max. The label also acts as a group for the artists signed to it. In 2010, Big Lean started his own independent record label, Da Degrees (which used to be called 380 Degrees). He started it with his long-time friend Joel Anthony Alexander, known as Lotto Max. Lean is currently signed to his own label. All his mixtapes and albums have been released through Da Degrees. Sadly, co-founder Lotto Max passed away in December 2015. This meant Lean became the only person running the label.

One of the first artists to sign with the label was Lean's friend and rapper R.O.Z. He signed when the label first started. More recently, Toronto artist Ryda joined the label in 2018. The group has released several mixtapes under the Da Degrees label.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

• 2015: Enough is Enough

Mixtapes

• 2010: I'm Here Now
• 2011: Something Gotta Give
• 2013: Can't Stop Now

Film and TV Appearances