Christopher Daniel Soriano Jr. (born January 4, 1997), better known by his stage name CJ, is an American rapper from

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He is best known for his 2020 breakout single "

Whoopty "Whoopty" is the debut single by American rapper CJ. The song was initially self-released on July 30, 2020, before being re-released by Warner Records following his signing to the label. The song reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot ...

", which peaked at number 3 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Official Charts: CJ Singles on UK Singles Chart
/ref> and at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was later included on his debut EP, ''Loyalty over Royalty'', released in February 2021.

Career

Soriano began rapping as a hobby at the age of 9, and began recording and uploading songs to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

at the age of 14. In July 2020, Soriano

self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

his first commercial breakthrough single, titled "

". The song contains a sample from

Arijit Singh Arijit Singh (born 25 April 1987) is an Indian singer and music composer. He sings predominantly in Bengali and Hindi, but has also performed in various other Indian languages. He is the recipient of a National Award and six Filmfare Awards ...

's "Sanam Re", with CJ rapping over the beat that he found on YouTube (later the rights were cleared). The song peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 2021, and the UK top three. He also reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Emerging Artists chart. He later signed a record deal with

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

and his uncle, record executive, James Cruz, on his record label, called Cruz Control Entertainment. He stated that various labels reached out to him, however, Warner had the "best situation". On January 26, 2021, CJ released the single, titled "Bop", the follow-up to "Whoopty". His debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, titled ''Loyalty Over Royalty'' was released on February 19, 2021. It was executive produced by

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

Influences

His music influences include

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 ...

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 ...

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

, and Pop Smoke.

Personal life

He is of Puerto Rican descent.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Notes

References

{{Authority control Living people American people of Puerto Rican descent Puerto Rican rappers Rappers from New York City 21st-century American rappers People from Staten Island 1997 births East Coast hip hop musicians Warner Records artists Drill musicians Trap musicians Gangsta rappers