Kyle

Hailing from California's coast, the rapper Kyle combines an easygoing outlook with a readiness to explore personal struggles in his work. Multiple national charts across several countries welcomed him into their upper ranks during 2013, when he appeared on Martin Solveig and the Cataracs' "Hey Now." After steadily growing an audience on his own terms, he reached broader commercial success several years afterward via "iSpy," which benefited from Lil Yachty's contribution and climbed to the fourth slot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017 before earning multi-platinum recognition shortly ahead of Kyle's inclusion in XXL's yearly Freshman Class showcase. His first major-label album, Light of Mine, surfaced on Atlantic the next year and entered the Billboard 200's Top 30. Acting roles followed, including a lead part in the 2018 film The After Party, after which he delivered his second studio effort, See You When I Am Famous!!!!!!!!!!!!, in 2020 and joined Josh Golden for the 2021 single "But Cha." The independently issued third album It's Not So Bad arrived in 2022, while the dance-pop-oriented fourth set Smyle Again landed in 2024.

A native of Ventura, California, Kyle Harvey experienced his decisive hip-hop awakening at age ten upon encountering Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money" through his father's car stereo. Music had already captured his attention, yet that encounter redirected his path decisively. Early affinities for uncompromising figures such as Scarface and Jadakiss gave way to a stronger connection with the more introspective styles of Drake and Kid Cudi. In 2013, the year he turned twenty, Kyle independently issued his first mixtape, Beautiful Loser, which secured a contract with Indie-Pop Records; that same year he joined Martin Solveig and the Cataracs on "Hey Now," a track that reached the Top Ten in both Germany and Ireland. Several standalone releases appeared throughout 2015, among them pairings with G-Eazy and Kehlani, alongside the follow-up mixtape Smyle that featured Chance the Rapper; Kyle also lent his voice to Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's Surf.

First posted to SoundCloud in 2016, "iSpy" with Lil Yachty generated such strong reactions that Atlantic offered a contract the ensuing February and supported its ascent to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Double-platinum status followed just before the XXL Freshman Class nod increased visibility. Through the remainder of 2017 and into mid-2018, additional singles and guest spots paved the way for the debut album Light of Mine, which included another Kehlani collaboration plus appearances by 2 Chainz, Alessia Cara, and Khalid and debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 in June 2018. Later that year Kyle supplied "Moment" featuring Wiz Khalifa to the Netflix movie The After Party, in which he also performed, and reunited with Lil Yachty for "Hey Julie!"; both songs joined new tracks with MadeinTYO and Teyana Taylor on a deluxe edition of Light of Mine the following year. The 2020 singles "YES!" with Rich the Kid and K Camp and "What It Is" preceded the second album See You When I Am Famous!!!!!!!!!!!!, while 2021 brought the Josh Golden collaboration "But Cha" and the Dougie F partnership "Optimistic." After parting ways with Atlantic, Kyle released It's Not So Bad independently in 2022, followed by the singles "Carefree," "I Literally Never Think About You," and 2023's "Movin'." Further collaborations with Tinashe and Teezo Touchdown preceded the 2024 arrival of the dance-leaning fourth album Smyle Again.