Certified Trapper

Certified Trapper emerged as one of the breakout figures in Milwaukee’s vibrant rap community, recognized for his stream-of-consciousness lyricism, self-directed clips, and extraordinary output that has at times topped a dozen mixtapes annually. Coverage in prominent publications such as Pitchfork and Rolling Stone followed, along with comparisons to similarly eccentric artists including Lil B and RXK Nephew. Although he first posted tracks online during his teenage years in the mid-2010s, momentum built sharply around 2021 through accelerated mixtape drops and mounting online interest in his visuals. A creative alliance with Detroit rapper BabyTron yielded multiple joint recordings, and major-label support arrived for projects including 2022’s I’m Certified and 2023’s Trapper of the Year, while fresh singles such as 2024’s “Hole in His Neck” kept appearing.

Born Daishun Graham on Milwaukee’s East Side, he experimented with beat-making on a home computer at age nine and began SoundCloud uploads in 2014 under aliases like Foreignn_Daidai and Lotta Guwopp. Formal commitment to the craft developed after he completed audio-production studies at Milwaukee Area Technical College in 2019. Under the Certified Trapper name he issued tracks and videos starting in 2020, maintaining a pace of more than a dozen mixtapes each year in 2021 and 2022. A short documentary by popular local YouTuber Tommy G in 2022 brought wider notice. He then joined the Columbia imprint Signal Records, delivering I’m Certified in late 2022, I’m Certified 2, and Trapper of the Year in 2023. Continued collaborations with Detroit’s BabyTron led to joint tours and a shared manager. The 2023 single “Oi (Beat da Koto Nai),” featured on the Deep End EP, achieved viral traction, followed by further 2024 releases such as “Aqua” and “Hole in His Neck.”