2rare

A brash, devil-may-care melodic rapper, 2rare began attracting notice toward the close of the 2010s and achieved his breakthrough in 2020 via the boastful single “Big Drippa,” whose streams quickly climbed into the millions. The Philadelphian’s online audience surged sharply in 2022 after he joined Lil Durk on “Q-Pid” and appeared on NLE Choppa’s “Do It Again,” while further singles through 2023 heightened expectations for the Second Estate signee’s debut full-length.

Born Naseem Young, the MC turned to music during his teenage years once he concluded that academics and football offered less satisfaction than hip-hop. The independently released, easygoing anthem “Big Bag” placed him on the map in 2019 and led to a joint deal with 10K Projects, Homemade Projects, and Internet Money Records. His official commercial debut arrived with “Big Drippa” in February 2020, whose streams soon surpassed six figures across platforms; “New Virus” and “Waikiki” followed before year’s end. The tougher “Rare Story” emerged in 2021, and after additional singles, “Q-Pid” featuring Lil Durk caught fire in 2022. At the height of that track’s popularity, 2rare was revealed as the first artist signed to the Warner-supported Second Estate and was presented at the label’s launch party with a reported cash amount exceeding one million dollars. The following day NLE Choppa issued the 2rare-assisted “Do It Again,” which became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, reaching number 85 overall and number 30 on the R&B/hip-hop chart. Momentum persisted into late 2022 and early 2023 with “Lil Mama,” “Rare’s Room,” and “Rare Steppa,” plus a guest appearance on French Montana’s “RATATAAAAA.”