Lil Tjay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lil Tjay
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Lil Tjay in August 2024
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| Birth name | Tione Jayden Merritt |
| Born | April 30, 2001 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
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Tione Jayden Merritt (born April 30, 2001), known as Lil Tjay, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He became famous in 2017 with his song "Resume". After his 2018 hit "Brothers", he signed with Columbia Records. This song became very popular, selling millions of copies.
In 2019, he was featured on Polo G's song "Pop Out", which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His own song, "F.N", was his first solo song to appear on that chart. Both songs came out before his first album, True 2 Myself (2019), which reached number five on the Billboard 200 album chart.
His second album, Destined 2 Win (2021), included the song "Calling My Phone" with 6lack. This song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2023 song "Gangsta Boo" with Ice Spice also made it onto the chart. His third album, 222, was released in July 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Tione Jayden Merritt was born and grew up in the Fordham area of the Bronx, New York City. He was raised by his single mother and has two younger brothers and sisters. As a child, Tione sometimes got into trouble.
When he was 15, he spent some time in a special place for young people. It was there that he started writing rap songs. One of these songs was "Resume," which he later released on SoundCloud.
Tione's childhood friend, Smelly, passed away on August 14, 2016. Tione often remembers his friend in his songs, mentioning "Smelly" in his lyrics.
Lil Tjay's Music Career
Starting Out and First Album (2017–2019)
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In 2017, Lil Tjay started sharing his music on SoundCloud. His song "Resume" was one of his first, released when he was 16, and it quickly became popular online.
In March 2018, Lil Tjay won a music competition in New York City. His performance caught the eye of people from a record label. Soon after, he released "Brothers", which became a huge hit and led to him signing with Columbia Records.
In 2018, he gained more attention on YouTube by using a sample from Justin Bieber's song "Baby" in his own song, "None of Your Love".
Within his first ten months in music, Lil Tjay had five songs with over a million plays on SoundCloud. Songs like "Brothers," "Resume," "Goat," and "Leaked" had tens of millions of streams. In July 2018, he worked with producer CashMoneyAP on "None of Your Love," which also got many plays. He released his first EP, No Comparison, at the end of 2018.
In January 2019, Lil Tjay was featured on rapper Polo G's song "Pop Out", which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In July, he was on the boy band PrettyMuch's song "Lying". Later that year, he released an EP called F.N. The main song from this project, "F.N", reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first solo song to chart. Lil Tjay released his first album, True 2 Myself, on October 11, 2019. It debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In December, he was featured on a remix of 24kGoldn's song "Valentino".
New Music and Albums (2020–2021)
In early 2020, Lil Tjay's song "20/20" also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 94. On May 8, 2020, he released the EP State of Emergency. This EP focused on drill music, a popular style in New York City. The EP had seven songs, including "Zoo York" (featuring Fivio Foreign and Pop Smoke), which reached number 65 on the Hot 100. In July, Lil Tjay was on Pop Smoke's album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, on the song "Mood Swings", which reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In August, XXL magazine included Lil Tjay in their 2020 Freshman Class list of rising artists.
On February 12, 2021, Lil Tjay released his song "Calling My Phone" with Atlanta singer 6lack. A music video was also released. This song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting song ever. On March 19, he released "Headshot", a song with Polo G and Fivio Foreign. This was the second song from his second album, Destined 2 Win, which came out on April 2, 2021. The album has twenty-one songs. On October 22, Lil Tjay released "Not in the Mood" (featuring Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock), which was the first song from his third album. He had teased this song on TikTok before its release.
Latest Album 222 (2022–Present)
In early March 2022, Lil Tjay started teasing a new song called "In My Head". This song uses a sample from Iyaz's "Replay". It was released on April 1, 2022. In April, Lil Tjay released a freestyle song called "Lavish" on his YouTube channel. The next day, he announced his EP Strictly 4 My Fans. On August 26, Lil Tjay released his song "Beat the Odds". This song talks about a serious event where he was shot and how he is recovering. On November 17, he shared a preview for his song "Give You What You Want," which was released later that day.
In late June 2023, Lil Tjay announced on social media that a new album was coming. He released the song "June 22nd" on June 23. On Instagram, he shared that the album would be called 222. On July 7, he released "Project Walls" featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and also showed the album's cover and list of songs. The album included other artists like Summer Walker, The Kid LAROI, Fivio Foreign, Jadakiss, Polo G, and Coco Jones. Before the album came out, Lil Tjay released short videos about it on social media. He also performed "Bla Bla" with Fivio Foreign at Wireless Festival 2023. 222 was released on July 14, 2023.
Health Update (2022)
On June 22, 2022, Lil Tjay was seriously injured in an event in Edgewater, New Jersey. He was taken to the hospital for emergency care. Another person with him was also injured but was in stable condition.
On August 24, 2022, Lil Tjay shared a video update on his social media. In the video, he said he was doing much better and would "come back stronger than ever." He was wearing a neck brace.
On August 26, 2022, Lil Tjay released his song "Beat the Odds." This song shares details about his experience and his journey to recovery.
Music Style
Lil Tjay is known for his melodic rap style, which often includes Auto-Tune. His music is influenced by growing up in the Bronx. Some people compare his style to another New York rapper, A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
In an interview, Lil Tjay shared that his biggest musical inspirations are Drake, Meek Mill, and Usher. He described his music as having a melodic sound, especially when he sings or raps about challenges he has faced. He also believes that the time he spent writing songs when he was younger helped him become a better songwriter. Some people call him the "Bronx Justin Bieber" because he used a sample from Justin Bieber's song "Baby" in his song "None of Your Love."
Live Performances
In 2019, Lil Tjay joined Seattle rapper Lil Mosey on his tour across the country. He also performed at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami Gardens, Florida, in May 2019, and at the Los Angeles festival in December. He often performs at concerts with his close friend Jay Gwuapo.
In September 2022, a few months after his injury, Lil Tjay performed his first concert since then. He returned to the stage for his 2022 Rolling Loud performance on September 23 in New York.
Albums and Tours
Studio Albums
- True 2 Myself (2019)
- Destined 2 Win (2021)
- 222 (2023)
- Farewell (2024)
Tours
- No Escape (2019)
- True 2 Myself (2020)
- Destined 2 Win (2021)
- Born 2 Be Great (2023)
- Beat The Odds (2023)
- The Good Life (2024)
- Past 2 Present (2024)
See also
In Spanish: Lil Tjay para niños
