Biography
Norman North operates as the country alias of Houston hip-hop producer DJ Chose, who first earned recognition through beats created for Megan Thee Stallion, Trey Songz, Kodak Black, and Plies. Following a substantial catalog of rap credits throughout the 2010s, North pivoted to country material in 2020, driven by the urge to revisit sounds his late mother had favored. The resulting blend of introspective country and atmospheric hip-hop marked “The Dark,” the opening track from his 2020 EP Sunny Side. While he maintained his production identity as DJ Chose, North prioritized his country output across the 2020s, issuing regular singles alongside the 2023 album Place I Don’t Belong and the 2024 EP To Be Honest…
Raised in Sunnyside, a Houston suburb, Norman North absorbed country music throughout childhood. In later years he shifted toward hip-hop, collaborating first with Brook Gang on the hit “Pop That.” That connection quickly expanded into further work with Kodak Black, Plies, Akon, Trey Songz, Kevin Gates, and Megan Thee Stallion, who joined the 2020 remix of “Thick” near the moment he began issuing independent country recordings under the Norman North name.
The move into country followed his mother’s 2019 passing. No longer drawn to high-energy tracks, North wrote a single country song to recapture early memories tied to her; that effort soon multiplied into additional material. He issued the EPs Closure and Sunny Side in rapid succession during summer 2020. “The Dark,” taken from the second of those projects, attracted online listeners and prompted continued country activity into 2021, beginning with the single “Plain Jane,” followed by the EP The Otherside, then five more singles and the EP Sunny Side II.
North opened 2023 with the single “Rodeo,” the first of six tracks released ahead of the November arrival of Place I Don’t Belong; most of those preceding singles remained outside the full-length debut. “Forgive Me,” a duet with Willie Jones, launched 2024, after which he released “Heart Broke” and “Player No More” before unveiling the EP To Be Honest… in June.
Raised in Sunnyside, a Houston suburb, Norman North absorbed country music throughout childhood. In later years he shifted toward hip-hop, collaborating first with Brook Gang on the hit “Pop That.” That connection quickly expanded into further work with Kodak Black, Plies, Akon, Trey Songz, Kevin Gates, and Megan Thee Stallion, who joined the 2020 remix of “Thick” near the moment he began issuing independent country recordings under the Norman North name.
The move into country followed his mother’s 2019 passing. No longer drawn to high-energy tracks, North wrote a single country song to recapture early memories tied to her; that effort soon multiplied into additional material. He issued the EPs Closure and Sunny Side in rapid succession during summer 2020. “The Dark,” taken from the second of those projects, attracted online listeners and prompted continued country activity into 2021, beginning with the single “Plain Jane,” followed by the EP The Otherside, then five more singles and the EP Sunny Side II.
North opened 2023 with the single “Rodeo,” the first of six tracks released ahead of the November arrival of Place I Don’t Belong; most of those preceding singles remained outside the full-length debut. “Forgive Me,” a duet with Willie Jones, launched 2024, after which he released “Heart Broke” and “Player No More” before unveiling the EP To Be Honest… in June.
Albums
Singles
