High-energy rapper and Grammy-winning songwriter Pardison Fontaine gained recognition primarily through his close ties to Cardi B, for whom he penned multiple tracks that she either led or joined as a featured voice. He broke out from underground circles in 2017 by co-writing her chart-topping pop debut "Bodak Yellow" along with G-Eazy's Top Ten single "No Limit," while also bridging later hits such as "I Like It" with Cardi, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin, the "Savage Remix" by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé, and "WAP" shared by Cardi and Megan. Stepping out front, Fontaine scored a Top 40 pop entry via 2018's "Backin' It Up" alongside Cardi, then followed with the album Under8ed and several standalone tracks.
Born Jorden Kyle Lanier Thorpe and frequently listed as Jordan Thorpe, he prioritized basketball through his opening semester at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Delaware, where an athletic scholarship covered his tuition. Choosing what he called a "now or never" move, he left to focus on music back in his hometown of Newburgh, New York. His first recordings surfaced in the early 2010s, followed by the 2015 mixtape Not Supposed to Be Here and a string of singles over the ensuing two years that featured "Jumpin Jumpin" as a standout.
Fontaine's songwriting profile surged in 2017 once "Bodak Yellow" became Cardi B's breakthrough number one. Further behind-the-scenes work yielded G-Eazy's number five "No Limit" and Rita Ora's "Girls," both carrying Cardi features, plus five contributions to Kanye West's Ye. Momentum held into 2018 with "I Like It," which topped the chart for Cardi, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin. That September he advanced as lead artist on Atlantic's release "Backin' It Up," another Cardi pairing that hit number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned platinum status. Fontaine dropped solo cuts such as "Rodman" and "Peach" in 2019 before issuing Under8ed, then in 2020 reached the summit of the Hot 100 with Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage Remix" featuring Beyoncé and the Cardi-and-Megan track "WAP." The former later took Best Rap Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. In subsequent years he put out independent singles including "Wrong wit Me," "By Myself," and "Hoop Earrings."
