AR Paisley (born Amarit Rehal in 1997) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. Paisley began his career by releasing his debut album "Screwface" in 2017. His second album "Timeless" was released in 2019. He released his most recent album "AR Paisley Vs AR Money" in 2020. His musical influences include

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

and

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, as well as the late

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

and

Biggie Smalls Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

. The

XXL Magazine ''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, published by Townsquare Media, founded in 1997. History In August 1997, Harris Publications released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover. In December 2006 ...

dubbed him as "a lyrical student of

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and Ludacris" while the Sidedoor Magazine included him in the list of top Canadian artists to look out for in 2021. His song "23 Freestyle" was listed in the top 10 Canadian songs of January 2021 by the

Complex Magazine Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, ''Complex'', by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular a ...

whilst his song "Still Grateful" was the HipHop Canada song of the day on December 5, 2020. His claim to notability arrived when popular Toronto meme

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account @6ixbuzztv posted, asking its followers to name the city's most underrated rapper, and the comments were immediately flooded with mentions of AR Paisley.

Early life and background

Paisley was born in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, on 1997 into an

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Cana ...

Punjabi

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

family and has been described as making waves in the Toronto rap scene. He completed his schooling at

Mississauga Secondary School Mississauga Secondary School (MSS) is a public high school located in Mississauga, Ontario. It operates under the Peel District School Board. Description Mississauga Secondary School offers a full range of courses providing all students the oppo ...

. During this time of high schooling, Paisley started rapping but didn't take it too seriously. Eventually, his focus on music stepped up, as he started doing

rap battles Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

around town and on radios. Paisley was "going through it" in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and dropped out, so music became his main outlet.

Personal life

Paisley has an interview with the

BBC Asian network BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...

. Paisley is frequently found on Spotify’s popular Northern Bars playlist. Paisley states that to overcome

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

, you must experience new things. This is because experiencing new things can trigger all sorts of inspiration. Paisley enjoys listening to old music and rap. Specifically, he listens to all the songs that have previously won

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, because that is a big dream of his.

Discography

EP's and albums

* "AR Paisley Vs. AR Money" April 15, 2020 * "Timeless" October 4, 2019 * "Screwface" March 5, 2019

Singles discography

* "''Still Around''" April 17, 2021 (Spotify exclusive) *"''Wayne Gretzky''" March 26, 2021 * "''Lemon Pepper Freestyle''" March 11, 2021 * "''Streets''" January 29, 2021 * "''23 Freestyle''" January 7, 2021 * "''Still Grateful''" November 29, 2020 * "''Backdoor''" 2020 * "''Gold Soul''" March 12, 2020 * "''Rain Dance''" February 27, 2020 * "''Price Gone Up (feat. 6ixbuzz, Bvlly, AR Paisley, 3MFrench)''" February 12, 2020 * "''Elegant''" July 9, 2019 * "''No Deal Freestyle''" May 3, 2019 * "''Dreams''" April 8, 2019 * "''Run it Up- Ft. JAY FLACO''" 2019 * "''Doze Off''" February 13, 2019 *"''Stick Up - Ft. Byg Byrd"'' January 3, 2018 * "''Maison Margiela''" December 12, 2018 * "''Unity Freestyle''" November 23, 2018 * "''Made Men - Ft. Jay Cee''" November 16, 2018 * "''Lavish''" November 4, 2018 * "''Icy''" November 4, 2018 * "''Paisley''" September 24, 2018 * "''Bada Bing''" 2018 * "''Beat the Odds''" June 27, 2018 * "''Popovich''" March 6, 2017 * "''Money Talk Freestyle''" March 6, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paisley, AR 1997 births Living people 21st-century Canadian rappers Canadian male rappers Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian people of Punjabi descent Canadian Sikhs Musicians from Mississauga 21st-century Canadian male musicians