Biography
From Torrance, California, the charismatic and down-to-earth singer, rapper, and songwriter Rae Khalil fuses progressive R&B with organic hip-hop while projecting an upbeat outlook. She began building her profile in the late 2010s after releasing a pair of independent projects, then co-wrote Anderson .Paak’s Grammy-winning single “Lockdown.” Paak soon placed her on his Def Jam-distributed Apeshit imprint, where she prepared her first full-length album, CRYBABY, issued in 2024. She also lent her voice to the Grammy-nominated Why Lawd? by Paak and Knxwledge, and additional artists such as SiR, Carrtoons, and Pip Millett have invited her into the studio.
Born Kenya Rae Johnson, she was raised in Los Angeles County amid a household soundtrack that ranged from classic soul, jazz, and funk to punk and golden-age hip-hop. Early admirations for Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu were later joined by an interest in rhyme writing sparked by Wu-Tang Clan and Chance the Rapper. A connection made on the Vampr platform introduced her to producer Jared Rubens; together they issued several 2018 singles that culminated in the December release of her debut album Girlfriend. The follow-up, FORTHEWORLD, arrived in June 2020 and included the woozy dancefloor funk track “ALLSTAR,” recorded with Free Nationals, Anderson .Paak’s autonomous backing band. Weeks afterward, on Juneteenth, Paak dropped “Lockdown,” which Khalil co-wrote and which earned the 2021 Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
While continuing to release standalone singles, she contributed to Raedio’s Bankroll EP, Zombie Juice’s “Alto” (also featuring Devin the Dude), and SiR’s “Life Is Good.” In 2024 she joined Pip Millett on “Eating Out” and appeared on two songs from the Grammy-nominated NxWorries album Why Lawd? Her own Apeshit debut, CRYBABY, surfaced that August. The lead single “IS IT WORTH IT” paired her with Paak and Alissia Benveniste, while additional tracks showcased Freddie Gibbs, Benny Sings, Tiana Major9, and Zacari.
Born Kenya Rae Johnson, she was raised in Los Angeles County amid a household soundtrack that ranged from classic soul, jazz, and funk to punk and golden-age hip-hop. Early admirations for Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu were later joined by an interest in rhyme writing sparked by Wu-Tang Clan and Chance the Rapper. A connection made on the Vampr platform introduced her to producer Jared Rubens; together they issued several 2018 singles that culminated in the December release of her debut album Girlfriend. The follow-up, FORTHEWORLD, arrived in June 2020 and included the woozy dancefloor funk track “ALLSTAR,” recorded with Free Nationals, Anderson .Paak’s autonomous backing band. Weeks afterward, on Juneteenth, Paak dropped “Lockdown,” which Khalil co-wrote and which earned the 2021 Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
While continuing to release standalone singles, she contributed to Raedio’s Bankroll EP, Zombie Juice’s “Alto” (also featuring Devin the Dude), and SiR’s “Life Is Good.” In 2024 she joined Pip Millett on “Eating Out” and appeared on two songs from the Grammy-nominated NxWorries album Why Lawd? Her own Apeshit debut, CRYBABY, surfaced that August. The lead single “IS IT WORTH IT” paired her with Paak and Alissia Benveniste, while additional tracks showcased Freddie Gibbs, Benny Sings, Tiana Major9, and Zacari.
Albums
Singles
