Biography

Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive and actor. He rose to prominence in 2016 after the release of his debut single "Panda", which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In February 2016, rapper and producer Kanye West (who sampled "Panda" for his seventh album The Life of Pablo), announced Desiigner's signing to his GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings.

Early life

Selby was born on May 3, 1997, in Brooklyn, New York. He is of Barbadian descent and is the grandson of blues musician Sidney "Guitar Crusher" Selby. He grew up in the Louis Armstrong housing projects in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He began practicing vocals at school choir and church. At the age of 14, after being shot, he embarked on his music career.

Career

Desiigner embarked on his music career under his original moniker Dezolo, before he began putting out work on these tracks under the alias of Designer Royel, especially with Royel (which is his middle part to his birth name). His sister convinced him to drop the "Royel" part, and then keeping the "Designer" part as his new stage name, doubling the "I"'s. On December 3, 2015, under his new pseudonym, Desiigner released his debut track, called "Zombie Walk". The song was produced by The Shell God. On December 15, 2015, Desiigner released his commercial debut single, titled "Panda" on SoundCloud. The song released on iTunes within five days later, before being re-released as of February 2016. On February 11, 2016, Desiigner signed a recording contract with Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. After signing a record deal, Desiigner subsequently appeared on two tracks — "Pt. 2" (which features an interpolation of "Panda") and "Freestyle 4" — that was taken from Kanye West's seventh album The Life of Pablo. Desiigner then went on to perform at the 2016's South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. In an interview with Billboard, Desiigner confirmed the release of his first upcoming mixtape, titled Trap History Month.

On May 5, 2016, producer Mike Dean announced that he would be serving as the executive producer for Desiigner's upcoming debut studio album. On May 24, Desiigner announced that the title to his upcoming debut album would be called The Life of Desiigner. In June 2016, XXL magazine revealed their annual "Freshmen Class" for 2016, and Desiigner was included on the list with nine other new artists. In June 2016, "Champions" was released as the lead single from the GOOD Music's upcoming compilation album, Cruel Winter. Desiigner made a guest appearance on this track, alongside his label-mate Kanye West, and other rappers such as Gucci Mane, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti and Quavo. In the same month, Desiigner made his US television debut, when he performed his single, "Panda" at the 2016's BET Awards. On June 26, 2016, Desiigner released his first full-length mixtape, titled New English on Tidal, following a live premiere of the mixtape on June 22. In July 2016, American pop singer Demi Lovato brought out Desiigner at her concert in New York. On July 21, 2016, Desiigner premiered the track, called "Tiimmy Turner", which was released as a single on iTunes the next day.Desiigner appeared as a special guest on the Netflix series Bill Nye Saves the World.

Legal issues

On September 8, 2016, Desiigner and three other people were arrested in New York City, after a 911 caller claimed that he pulled a gun on them. Desiigner was later found in an SUV with four other people and the vehicle was searched. The police allegedly found oxycodone and guns, for which he and the other individuals received drug and weapon charges. They were all detained in custody. On September 10, 2016, he was acquitted of the felony gun charge. On September 12, 2016, it was found that the pills left in his car were anabolic steroids and that they belonged to his driver.

Musical style

Desiigner's musical style is influenced by southern hip hop, namely trap music which originated in Atlanta, Georgia. His rapping technique and vocals have been compared to that of Atlanta-based rapper Future. When asked about the frequent comparisons, he told Complex: "God gave him a blessing, but he gave me a blessing too. I ain't gonna doubt the man's music. He make beautiful music too. Music is made every day. Big ups to him, big ups to Future. I actually like Future's music. I like his music, you feel me. I’m not a hater or a critic on him, you know, I do me. God bless him, God bless me." 

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