Jahkoy

In the middle of the 2010s, Jahkoy surfaced as a contemporary R&B singer and songwriter who labeled his mode-switching approach “bipolar sound” and even titled his own imprint Bipolar before linking with a major label. Although the Toronto native eventually left that description behind, his catalog has remained defined by stylistic range, encompassing classic-soul ballads, trap-styled slow jams, pop-flavored club tracks, and other emotionally direct material that resists easy grouping. He logged his first Billboard chart entry with the 2016 single “California Heaven,” co-wrote the 2018 Top 40 pop hit “What About Me” for Lil Wayne, and has issued an extensive run of singles, EPs, and albums whose most recent entry is the 2021 full-length Tangible.

Born and raised in Toronto, Jahkoy Palmer performed as a rapper under the name Raheem while still in his early teens. Shortly before turning twenty he switched to his given name and delivered his first mixtape in 2013. Forward Thinking, his second self-released project, arrived the following year and documented his move into R&B. Strengthened by an association with Def Jam plus endorsements from Elton John, formative influence Pharrell Williams, and high-profile DJ Zane Lowe, Jahkoy issued the 2016 EP Foreign Water, which contained the ScHoolboy Q collaboration “California Heaven”; the track reached Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart the next January and later peaked at number 31.

Once that initial major chart placement was secured, Jahkoy kept releasing singles on his own and supplied the song “What About Me,” a number 24 pop hit for Lil Wayne in 2018. Among his further independent releases he compiled the EPs 404 and 323, issued in 2019 and 2021 respectively, with 323 acting as a preview to the album Tangible that appeared near the end of 2021. Rapper Fabolous, an artist Jahkoy had opened for early in his career, appeared among the featured guests alongside Pleasure P, Ye Ali, and Amaal.