Biography
Hoodie Allen infused greater pop sensibilities into the pop-rap style associated with peers such as Asher Roth and Sam Adams, transitioning from online favorite to commercially charting performer upon issuing the 2012 EP All American. His first full-length release, People Keep Talking, maintained his presence inside the U.S. Top Ten, while three additional LPs appeared throughout the latter half of the 2010s; among them, Happy Camper reached the summit of the U.S. rap chart in 2016. The decade concluded with Whatever USA in 2019, after which his initial output of the 2020s emerged in 2022 via several joint tracks with Connor Price, followed by the fifth album bub in 2023.
Steven Markowitz, who grew up on Long Island, embodied frat-rap from the outset after encountering producer RJF at a University of Pennsylvania party sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Pi. Together they issued the street albums Bagels & Beats and Making Waves, capturing MTV’s Best Music on Campus Award in 2009, yet widespread attention arrived with the 2010 song “You Are Not a Robot,” which incorporated a sample from Marina and the Diamonds’ “I Am Not a Robot” and appeared on the widely circulated mixtape Pep Rally. A nationwide headlining tour ensued, leading to his formal introduction via the self-released All American EP in 2012, which entered Billboard’s Top Albums at number ten and preceded the 2013 acoustic EP Americoustic.
A year afterward came the debut album People Keep Talking, spotlighting the singles “Movie” and “Dumb for You” plus contributions from Ed Sheeran and Alex Wiley; the project advanced to number eight on the Billboard 200. The follow-up Happy Camper arrived in 2016, attaining number 28 on the Billboard 200 while claiming the top spot on the rap chart and featuring the singles “Champagne and Pools” with Blackbear and Kyle plus “Are U Having Any Fun?” with Meghan Tonjes. The 2019 single “Never Going Back” served as the lead track for his fourth LP, Whatever USA. Early in the 2020s he joined Connor Price on several collaborative singles—the trap-oriented “Buddy,” “Chirp,” and the dance-driven “Vroom”—before unveiling the pop-punk-inflected single “Wouldn't That Be Nice” ahead of his fifth album, bub, which surfaced in March 2023.
Steven Markowitz, who grew up on Long Island, embodied frat-rap from the outset after encountering producer RJF at a University of Pennsylvania party sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Pi. Together they issued the street albums Bagels & Beats and Making Waves, capturing MTV’s Best Music on Campus Award in 2009, yet widespread attention arrived with the 2010 song “You Are Not a Robot,” which incorporated a sample from Marina and the Diamonds’ “I Am Not a Robot” and appeared on the widely circulated mixtape Pep Rally. A nationwide headlining tour ensued, leading to his formal introduction via the self-released All American EP in 2012, which entered Billboard’s Top Albums at number ten and preceded the 2013 acoustic EP Americoustic.
A year afterward came the debut album People Keep Talking, spotlighting the singles “Movie” and “Dumb for You” plus contributions from Ed Sheeran and Alex Wiley; the project advanced to number eight on the Billboard 200. The follow-up Happy Camper arrived in 2016, attaining number 28 on the Billboard 200 while claiming the top spot on the rap chart and featuring the singles “Champagne and Pools” with Blackbear and Kyle plus “Are U Having Any Fun?” with Meghan Tonjes. The 2019 single “Never Going Back” served as the lead track for his fourth LP, Whatever USA. Early in the 2020s he joined Connor Price on several collaborative singles—the trap-oriented “Buddy,” “Chirp,” and the dance-driven “Vroom”—before unveiling the pop-punk-inflected single “Wouldn't That Be Nice” ahead of his fifth album, bub, which surfaced in March 2023.
Singles
