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 |
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" became very popular, he signed with Columbia Records.
In 2019, he appeared on Polo G's song "Pop Out", which was his first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His own song "F.N" also made it onto the chart. These 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, making it his highest-charting song. In 2023, his song "Gangsta Boo" with Ice Spice also entered the chart. His third album, 222, was released in July 2023.
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Early life
Tione Merritt grew up in the Fordham area of the Bronx, New York City. He was raised by his single mother and has two younger siblings. Merritt has shared that he was a challenging child. When he was 15, he was arrested and spent a year in a youth detention center. It was there that he started writing rap songs, including his popular song "Resume," which he later released on SoundCloud.
Merritt's childhood friend, Smelly, passed away on August 14, 2016. Merritt remembers his friend in many of his songs, often mentioning the name "Smelly."
Career beginnings
2017–2019: First songs and albums
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In 2017, Lil Tjay started putting his music on SoundCloud. His song "Resume" was one of his first, released when he was 16. It quickly became popular online.
In March 2018, Merritt won a music competition in New York City. His performance caught the attention of a record label representative. Soon after, he released the song "Brothers". This became his biggest song at the time and led him to sign with Columbia Records.
In 2018, Merritt gained more attention on YouTube by using a part of Justin Bieber's song "Baby" in his own song, "None of Your Love".
Within his first ten months of making music, Merritt had five songs with over a million plays on SoundCloud. Songs like "Brothers," "Resume," "Goat," and "Leaked" each had tens of millions of streams. In July 2018, he worked with producer CashMoneyAP on "None of Your Love," which also got many plays. Merritt released his first short album, called an EP, titled No Comparison at the end of 2018.
In January 2019, Merritt was featured on rapper Polo G's song "Pop Out". This song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 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. This was his first song to chart on his own. Merritt released his first full album, True 2 Myself, on October 11, 2019. It debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
2020–2021: New EPs and albums
In early 2020, Merritt's song "20/20" also made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. On May 8, 2020, Merritt released an EP called State of Emergency. This EP focused on drill music, a popular style in New York City. One song from the EP, "Zoo York" (featuring Fivio Foreign and Pop Smoke), reached number 65 on the Hot 100. In July, Merritt was featured 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.
On February 12, 2021, Merritt released his song "Calling My Phone" with singer 6lack. This song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his highest-charting song. On March 19, Merritt released "Headshot" 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. In October, Merritt released "Not in the Mood" (featuring Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock), which was the first song from his next album.
2022–present: 222 album
In March 2022, Merritt started sharing parts of a new song called "In My Head". This song uses a part of Iyaz's song "Replay". It was released on April 1, 2022. On August 26, Merritt released his song "Beat the Odds," which talks about a difficult event he went through and his recovery.
In June 2023, Merritt announced a new album was coming. He released the songs "June 22nd" on June 23, and "Project Walls" featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again on July 7. He also shared the album's name, 222, and its cover and song list. The album includes other artists like Summer Walker, The Kid LAROI, Fivio Foreign, Jadakiss, Polo G, and Coco Jones. 222 was released on July 14, 2023.
2022 incident
On June 22, 2022, Tione Merritt was seriously injured during an attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. He was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. Another person with him, Antoine Boyd, was also injured but was in stable condition.
Police later arrested Mohamed Konate and charged him with attempted murder and robbery. Jeffery Valdez, who was with Merritt but not injured, and Antoine Boyd were also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, but these charges were later dropped. Merritt himself was not charged with any crime.
After the incident, there were rumors about Merritt's condition. However, on July 1, 2022, news came out that he was still in the hospital but was "alert and talking."
On August 24, 2022, Merritt shared a video update on his social media. He said he was doing better and would "come back stronger than ever." On August 26, 2022, Merritt released his song "Beat the Odds," which tells the story of his difficult experience and his journey to recovery.
2023 incident
On January 16, 2023, Merritt was arrested in the Bronx after a traffic stop. He was on his way to film with fellow rapper Ice Spice. Police found a handgun in the car and arrested him. He was charged with weapon possession.
Merritt's lawyer, Dawn Florio, stated that the gun found by police did not belong to Merritt. She also said that the police search was done illegally because the car was parked correctly, and Merritt was a passenger, not the driver.
Artistry
Lil Tjay is known for his melodic rap style, often using Auto-Tune in his songs. His music is influenced by growing up in the Bronx. He has been compared to another New York rapper, A Boogie wit da Hoodie. In an interview, he shared that his biggest musical inspirations are Drake, Meek Mill, and Usher. He also said that his time in a youth detention center helped him improve his songwriting skills. Merritt is sometimes called the "Bronx Justin Bieber" because he used a part of Justin Bieber's song "Baby" in his song "None of Your Love."
Live performances
In 2019, Merritt joined Seattle rapper Lil Mosey on his tour across the country. He also performed at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami Gardens, Florida, and in Los Angeles. He often performs at concerts with his close friend Jay Gwuapo.
In September 2022, a few months after his injury, Merritt performed his first concert since the incident. He returned to the stage for his 2022 Rolling Loud performance in New York on September 23.
Discography
Studio albums
- True 2 Myself (2019)
- Destined 2 Win (2021)
- 222 (2023)
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
