Biography
A shape-shifting rapper, singer, and social media personality, Cayo moves across introspective cloud rap, melodic R&B-inflected crossovers, and sharper street-smart or society-focused material while continually altering vocal tone, texture, and persona. Emerging in the late 2010s, the artist maintained a relentless output that encompassed at least sixteen full-length projects, the Sample City EP series, and the 2022 viral hit “Late.” Early 2024 saw a signing with TenThousand Projects, after which the Soser-assisted single “Close” reached the upper reaches of the Billboard TikTok Top 50.
Born Samar Jackson and previously known as Lil Pebble and Cayo Banks, he built an audience on YouTube and TikTok through short promotional clips. Following the atmospheric 2018 track “8 Mile” and 2019’s “Polo,” the self-released Skipp by the Water 2 appeared in April 2020 and inaugurated a burst of activity that soon included October’s Trick or Treat, the 2021 album Paul, February 2022’s PLANET DROOL and Deja Vu^, and the three-part Sample City EP series. Six additional albums arrived throughout 2022, capped by December’s Tenacious EP. The June 2022 single “Late” accumulated millions of streams and led to a collaboration with Trippie Redd on “Late 2.” The pace continued into 2023 with We Gon Be OK in January, MonclerMusik in April, Hyperthymesia in June, Sharknado, Vol 1 in August, and Zookeeper in October, alongside further EPs and singles that ranged from confessional pieces to character studies and from pop-culture references to examinations of relationships and socio-political themes.
Akamaru, an eighteen-track set and his first TenThousand Projects release, surfaced in January 2024. The March single “Close,” featuring Soser and built on a bass-heavy keyboard foundation, later appeared on Akamaru (Deluxe); it surpassed ten million streams and peaked at number nine on the Billboard TikTok Top 50. The label followed with Ain't Takin My Time in September 2024.
Born Samar Jackson and previously known as Lil Pebble and Cayo Banks, he built an audience on YouTube and TikTok through short promotional clips. Following the atmospheric 2018 track “8 Mile” and 2019’s “Polo,” the self-released Skipp by the Water 2 appeared in April 2020 and inaugurated a burst of activity that soon included October’s Trick or Treat, the 2021 album Paul, February 2022’s PLANET DROOL and Deja Vu^, and the three-part Sample City EP series. Six additional albums arrived throughout 2022, capped by December’s Tenacious EP. The June 2022 single “Late” accumulated millions of streams and led to a collaboration with Trippie Redd on “Late 2.” The pace continued into 2023 with We Gon Be OK in January, MonclerMusik in April, Hyperthymesia in June, Sharknado, Vol 1 in August, and Zookeeper in October, alongside further EPs and singles that ranged from confessional pieces to character studies and from pop-culture references to examinations of relationships and socio-political themes.
Akamaru, an eighteen-track set and his first TenThousand Projects release, surfaced in January 2024. The March single “Close,” featuring Soser and built on a bass-heavy keyboard foundation, later appeared on Akamaru (Deluxe); it surpassed ten million streams and peaked at number nine on the Billboard TikTok Top 50. The label followed with Ain't Takin My Time in September 2024.
Albums
Singles
