Killy

Killy rocketed to prominence via the playful, insouciant 2017 single “Killamonjaro,” a platinum-certified Canadian success. Remarkably, he had begun rapping only two years earlier, yet he quickly capitalized on that breakthrough by issuing the charting full-length projects Surrender Your Soul in 2018 and Light Path 8 in 2019, collecting multiple Juno Award nominations and further gold and platinum singles along the way.

Khalil “Killy” Tatem discovered hip-hop during his high-school years in Toronto. He first tried his hand at rapping in 2015 and, within twelve months, posted his earliest tracks online, where “Señorita” emerged as the standout. Momentum on SoundCloud secured a major-label distribution arrangement for his own Secret Sound Club imprint. The Gray Jacques-produced “Killamonjaro,” the label’s inaugural release, thrust the rapper into national prominence in 2017 and eventually earned platinum status at home. The following March, after a string of teaser singles that included the gold-certified collaboration “Distance” with 100 Tones, he delivered Surrender Your Soul, which reached number 18 on the Canadian albums chart and yielded the additional platinum hit “No Sad No Bad.” Six months later the Killstreak EP arrived, featuring the gold single “Anti Everybody.” That project earned Killy three Juno nominations: Rap Recording of the Year for Surrender Your Soul, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and Fan Choice Award.

He resurfaced in June 2019—only three months after the Juno ceremony—with Light Path 8. Now aligned with Epic rather than Universal, the album showcased a broader production team that ran from Jam City to Scott Storch and debuted at number 24. Additional tracks such as “Vendetta,” “VV’s,” “Sailor Moon,” and “Oh No” continued to surface through 2020.