Rapper and singer/songwriter Desiigner transported the Atlanta trap aesthetic northward to the East Coast and achieved his major breakthrough in 2015 via the chart-topping, Grammy-nominated single "Panda." Shortly thereafter he secured a deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music imprint and dropped his first mixtape, New English, in 2016. His debut EP, L.O.D., appeared in 2018, while Diamonds Forever and 3 the Hard Way carried his output into the new decade.
A murky blend of Future, Migos, and Young Thug, the Brooklyn-bred artist born Sidney Royel Selby III first surfaced in 2014 as Dezolo, linking with MCs Phresh and Rowdy for the track “Danny DeVito.” Later in 2015 he emerged as Desiigner with “Panda,” drawing Kanye West’s notice; West incorporated the song into The Life of Pablo. West promptly added Desiigner to GOOD Music and issued the single under the label in early 2016. By April it reached number one on the U.S. charts, and in June it appeared on New English. While preparing a full-length debut, Desiigner put out “Timmy Turner” and then flooded 2017’s first months with additional material. Though initially planned as an album, L.O.D.—short for Life of Desiigner—was released in May 2018 by GOOD Music and Def Jam as an EP. That year he also joined Silk City and GoldLink on the buoyant house cut “Loud.”
The next year Desiigner parted ways with GOOD Music to launch his own LOD imprint. In 2020 he issued the singles “Diva,” “Survivor,” and “Hate Me Now (Freestyle),” followed by the EPs Diamonds Forever and 3 the Hard Way. Further singles arrived in subsequent years, including “Amen” and “I Get That” in 2021, the Slushii/DJ Whoo Kid collaboration “Bakin” alongside “Jaguar” in 2022, and “PMR” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie in 2023.
