Taylor J

The​ ​fast-rising​ ​career​ ​of​ ​25-year-old​ ​St.​ ​Paul​ ​rapper​ ​and​ ​singer Taylor​ ​J​ ​is​ ​proof​ ​of​ ​the​ ​good​ ​things​ ​that​ ​can​ ​happen​ ​when​ ​an artist​ ​carefully​ ​balances​ ​quality​ ​and​ ​quantity.​ ​Taylor’s​ ​steady flow​ ​of​ ​projects,​ ​standout​ ​collaborations​ ​with​ ​artists​ ​ranging from​ ​Gucci​ ​Mane​ ​to​ ​Nipsey​ ​Hussle​ ​to​ ​Next​ ​singer​ ​RL,​ ​and​ ​the other​ ​moves​ ​he’s​ ​executed​ ​have​ ​made​ ​him​ ​a​ ​highly​ ​respected artist​ ​in​ ​his​ ​native​ ​Midwest​ ​and​ ​beyond.​ ​Over​ ​the​ ​years,​ ​Taylor has​ ​also​ ​earned​ ​praise​ ​from​ ​prestigious​ ​publications​ ​includingXXL​,​ ​​HotNewHipHop​,​ ​​Fake​ ​Shore​ ​Drive​,​ ​and​ ​many​ ​more.

A​ ​lifelong​ ​lover​ ​of​ ​music,​ ​Taylor​ ​had​ ​musical​ ​aspirations​ ​from an​ ​early​ ​age.​ ​He​ ​first​ ​started​ ​writing​ ​raps​ ​when​ ​he​ ​was​ ​only​ ​11, and​ ​he​ ​loved​ ​to​ ​sing​ ​along​ ​to​ ​songs​ ​from​ ​the​ ​early​ ​2000s;​ ​he​ ​laughs​ ​while​ ​remembering​ ​his​ ​funny​ ​habit​ ​of​ ​spontaneously​ ​belting​ ​out

Lil’​ ​Mo’s​ ​“Superwoman.”​ ​Later​ ​on,​ ​during​ ​his​ ​teens,​ ​Taylor​ ​took​ ​to​ ​battle​ ​rapping​ ​and​ ​formed​ ​a​ ​short-lived​ ​group​ ​called​ ​Midwest​ ​Mafia while​ ​attending​ ​his​ ​St.​ ​Paul​ ​high​ ​school.​ ​After​ ​graduation,​ ​Taylor​ ​was​ ​finally​ ​able​ ​to​ ​pursue​ ​music​ ​on​ ​a​ ​more​ ​consistent​ ​basis.​ ​His work​ ​soon​ ​began​ ​to​ ​pay​ ​off.

Taylor​ ​started​ ​to​ ​consistently​ ​unleash​ ​full-length​ ​mixtapes​ ​and​ ​EPs​ ​at​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​this​ ​decade.​ ​By​ ​the​ ​time​ ​of​ ​2012’s​ ​star-studdedControl​​ ​mixtape,​ ​hosted​ ​by​ ​legendary​ ​hip-hop​ ​journalist​ ​Shaheem​ ​Reid,​ ​Taylor​ ​was​ ​collaborating​ ​with​ ​and​ ​holding​ ​his​ ​own​ ​alongside big​ ​names​ ​like​ ​the​ ​aforementioned​ ​Gucci​ ​and​ ​Nipsey,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​Cyhi​ ​the​ ​Prynce​ ​and​ ​Fat​ ​Trel;​ ​the​ ​project​ ​also​ ​featured​ ​production from​ ​Jazze​ ​Pha,​ ​Honorable​ ​C.N.O.T.E,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​late​ ​Speaker​ ​Knockerz.​ ​While​ ​that​ ​level​ ​of​ ​acceptance​ ​from​ ​elite​ ​names​ ​might​ ​tempt some​ ​young​ ​artists​ ​to​ ​ease​ ​off​ ​the​ ​gas​ ​and​ ​enjoy​ ​their​ ​buzz,​ ​Taylor​ ​kept​ ​working,​ ​releasing​ ​more​ ​projects​ ​in​ ​the​ ​following​ ​years:Clubs,​ ​Drugs,​ ​and​ ​Hotels​;​ ​​Peer​ ​Pressure​;​ ​​King​ ​Taylor​;​ ​and​ ​​1991​​ ​just​ ​to​ ​name​ ​a​ ​few.

In​ ​2016,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​revealed​ ​that​ ​Taylor​ ​had​ ​hit​ ​it​ ​off​ ​with​ ​Lex​ ​Luger,​ ​the​ ​influential​ ​super-producer​ ​who​ ​changed​ ​rap​ ​forever​ ​with​ ​his​ ​early work​ ​with​ ​Waka​ ​Flocka​ ​Flame​ ​and,​ ​later​ ​on,​ ​Jay-Z,​ ​Kanye​ ​West,​ ​and​ ​many​ ​others.​ ​It​ ​wasn’t​ ​like​ ​Taylor​ ​had​ ​to​ ​beg​ ​Lex​ ​to​ ​work​ ​with him​ ​--​ ​not​ ​at​ ​all.​ ​Rather,​ ​the​ ​pair’s​ ​creative​ ​relationship​ ​was​ ​purely​ ​organic;​ ​Taylor​ ​and​ ​Lex​ ​had​ ​mutual​ ​admiration​ ​for​ ​each​ ​other’s artistry.​ ​That​ ​translated​ ​to​ ​the​ ​success​ ​of​ ​their​ ​first​ ​project,​ T​​ he​ ​91​ ​Family​,​ ​which​ ​has​ ​since​ ​totaled​ ​5,000​ ​downloads​ ​on​ ​DatPiff​ ​and tens​ ​of​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​plays​ ​across​ ​other​ ​platforms.​ ​

Finally,​ ​in​ ​June​ ​2017,​ ​Taylor​ ​released​ ​his​ ​debut​ ​album​ ​and​ ​best​ ​project​ ​to​ ​date,​ ​the​ ​consistently​ ​strong​ W​​ ho​ ​Would’ve​ ​Thought​.​ ​In addition​ ​to​ ​instant​ ​bangers​ ​like​ ​“Five​ ​Times,”​ ​Taylor​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​lyricism​ ​and​ ​telling​ ​his​ ​story​ ​in​ ​detail​ ​on​ ​songs​ ​like​ ​“Impossible”​ ​and “WWT.”​ ​​Who​ ​Would’ve​ ​Thought​​ ​woke​ ​up​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​listeners​ ​who​ ​had​ ​previously​ ​slept​ ​on​ ​Taylor.​ ​“I’m​ ​more​ ​than​ ​happy​ ​with​ ​everything about​ ​that​ ​album,”​ ​he​ ​says.​ ​“I​ ​just​ ​know​ ​that​ ​that’s​ ​a​ ​great​ ​body​ ​of​ ​work.”

Taylor​ ​followed​ ​up​ ​​Who​ ​Would’ve​ ​Thought​​ ​with​ ​the​ ​​Coolin​ ​Till​ ​My​ ​2nd​ ​Album​ ​Drop​​ ​EP​ ​in​ ​November​ ​2017​ ​as​ ​an​ ​appetizer​ ​ahead​ ​of his​ ​sophomore​ ​album,​ ​​Only​ ​Us​.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​by​ ​then,​ ​Taylor​ ​had​ ​already​ ​planned​ ​out​ ​his​ ​entire​ ​2018​ ​--​ ​which​ ​is​ ​unsurprising​ ​considering that​ ​he’s​ ​an​ ​artist​ ​who​ ​consistently​ ​maintains​ ​his​ ​focus​ ​and​ ​vision​ ​for​ ​himself. 

In 2018 Taylor J Released his 2nd album "Only Us" along with multiple single's and videos. with Taylor's fanbase growing nationally Swisher Sweets took notice and naming him to their "Swisher Sweet Artist Class Of 2018" which gave Taylor the opportunity to perform at shows around the states headlined by major acts Gucci Mane, MGK, and Fetty Wap just to name a few. Around late December Kanye West stumbled upon Taylor's video for his single "Jumanji" and retweeted the video on his timeline gaining Taylor alot of media attention and boosting his fan base even more.