Biography
Raynford Humphrey, known professionally as both P Reign and Preme, draws on his street-honed background as a rapper while proving adaptable enough to succeed in assorted other styles. Backing from Toronto counterpart Drake secured him a deal with RCA, which in turn produced the charting single “DnF” in 2014, the Dear America EP’s entry on the Billboard 200 that same year, and the long-awaited full-length Light of Day in 2018. Tiësto’s dancefloor take on the Post Malone-assisted album track “Jackie Chan” crossed over into clubs, and Preme joined Jamaican dancehall performer Popcaan for the 2020 EP Link Up.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, the self-described “King of da North” had released only one mixtape before opening for Drake on the 2010 Away from Home tour. He followed that exposure with featured spots on Alyssa Reid’s “Alone Again” and Hedley’s “Invincible,” both major Canadian pop successes in 2011. After signing with RCA, Humphrey delivered the 2014 EP Dear America, which included guest appearances by Future, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, PartyNextDoor, and others; led by the advance single “DnF” that reached number 41 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart, the five-track project debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200.
Although cleared of weapons charges years earlier, American officials barred Humphrey from the Canadian-U.S. border until 2015. Once the restriction ended, he headed straight to Los Angeles to record. The eleven-track mixtape Off the Books surfaced late that year and was later trimmed to six tracks for RCA’s commercial edition in 2016. Humphrey then switched to the name Preme and issued the 2017 singles “Tango (Go)” and “Can't Hang,” both produced by Murda Beatz and CuBeatz.
His first proper album, Light of Day, arrived on RCA in 2018 with Lil Wayne on the single “Hot Boy” and Offset, YG, and Ty Dolla $ign appearing elsewhere. Dutch DJ Tiësto and Canadian DJ Dzeko reworked the album cut “Jackie Chan” featuring Post Malone into a club version that became a major crossover hit, charting in dozens of countries and reaching the top ten in Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands, and elsewhere. In 2019 Preme linked with Wiz Khalifa and Trippie Redd on the single “Alright,” then collaborated with Popcaan on the rap-dancehall fusion EP Link Up in 2020, which also featured Khalifa, DaVido, and French Montana. ~ Andy Kellman
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, the self-described “King of da North” had released only one mixtape before opening for Drake on the 2010 Away from Home tour. He followed that exposure with featured spots on Alyssa Reid’s “Alone Again” and Hedley’s “Invincible,” both major Canadian pop successes in 2011. After signing with RCA, Humphrey delivered the 2014 EP Dear America, which included guest appearances by Future, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, PartyNextDoor, and others; led by the advance single “DnF” that reached number 41 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart, the five-track project debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200.
Although cleared of weapons charges years earlier, American officials barred Humphrey from the Canadian-U.S. border until 2015. Once the restriction ended, he headed straight to Los Angeles to record. The eleven-track mixtape Off the Books surfaced late that year and was later trimmed to six tracks for RCA’s commercial edition in 2016. Humphrey then switched to the name Preme and issued the 2017 singles “Tango (Go)” and “Can't Hang,” both produced by Murda Beatz and CuBeatz.
His first proper album, Light of Day, arrived on RCA in 2018 with Lil Wayne on the single “Hot Boy” and Offset, YG, and Ty Dolla $ign appearing elsewhere. Dutch DJ Tiësto and Canadian DJ Dzeko reworked the album cut “Jackie Chan” featuring Post Malone into a club version that became a major crossover hit, charting in dozens of countries and reaching the top ten in Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands, and elsewhere. In 2019 Preme linked with Wiz Khalifa and Trippie Redd on the single “Alright,” then collaborated with Popcaan on the rap-dancehall fusion EP Link Up in 2020, which also featured Khalifa, DaVido, and French Montana. ~ Andy Kellman
Albums
Singles
