Khalil Tatem (born August 19, 1997), better known by his stage name Killy (stylized as KILLY), is a Canadian rapper from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He is best known for his break-out single "Killamonjaro" which is certified Platinum by Music Canada, and his debut album "Surrender Your Soul" which is certified Gold by Music Canada.

Early life

Khalil Tatem was born August 19, 1997, to a

Bajan Bajan may refer to: Geography and culture Barbados * Barbadians, known by the colloquialism Bajan(s) (pronounced 'bay-jun') * Barbadian English language * Bajan Creole, a Creole language Other location * Something or someone from Baja ...

father and

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

mother. Killy grew up in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

before moving to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

at 8 years old. Killy attended a majority Francophone school whilst living in Toronto, though he was one of the only children that didn't speak French. After moving to Victoria, Killy began attending a school where he was one of the only minorities, saying that he was "under-represented." Disinterested in school, Killy took up soccer in his free time and discovered rap music while attending

Agincourt Collegiate Institute Agincourt Collegiate Institute (known locally as ACI or Agincourt), formerly known as Agincourt High School and Agincourt Continuation School is a secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Agincourt, a neighbourhood in the ...

, eventually making it a hobby. Killy moved back to Toronto as a teenager, living in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, where he began to focus more of his time on creating music.

Career

Killy has been rapping since 2015 and involved himself in the Toronto nightlife, quickly making connections. Killy recorded several songs in one studio session in 2015 and released them all in 2016, the only releases he made that year. He released his first song in 2016, titled ''Big Bux'' on

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 ...

and released three more tracks in 2016. The tracks gave Killy local buzz in Toronto which provoked him to record more music. In February 2017, Killy released ''Killamonjaro'', which went viral and was certified Platinum in Canada in January 2019. The song's popularity garnered him an interview on

Adam22 Adam John Grandmaison (born November 24, 1983), more commonly known as Adam22, is an American podcaster and YouTuber. He is best known for being the creator and host of pop culture-oriented podcast ''No Jumper''.Grierson, Tim. How Adam22 Tur ...

's "

No Jumper Adam John Grandmaison (born November 24, 1983), more commonly known as Adam22, is an American podcaster and YouTuber. He is best known for being the creator and host of pop culture-oriented podcast ''No Jumper''.Grierson, Tim. How Adam22 Tur ...

" podcast and a feature on

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

OVO Sound Radio OVO Sound (also known simply as OVO) is a Toronto-based Canadian record label, founded in 2012 by hip hop artist Drake, producer 40, and Oliver El-Khatib. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner ...

. Killy released his first studio album on March 5, 2018, titled ''Surrender Your Soul.'' The album spawned press from

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

and

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

news and "No Sad No Bad" which peaked at number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100 songs. On September 14, 2018, Killy released his first EP ''KILLSTREAK'', which includes five songs. On June 14, 2019, Killy released his new album ''LIGHT PATH 8,'' which includes 13 songs. On May 28, 2021, Killy released ''KILLSTREAK 2'', the follow-up to his 2018 EP of the same name. This time delivering a more complete project totaling 14 tracks, as well as a remix. On September 24, 2021, Killy released ''KILLSTREAK 2 (Deluxe)'', an expanded edition of ''KILLSTREAK 2'' bearing a total of 26 songs, including the highly anticipated ''DEAD FACES (ft.

AJ Tracey Ché Wolton Grant (born 4 March 1994), known professionally as AJ Tracey, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by ''The Guardian'' i ...

)''. On August 31, 2022, Killy released ''CEO'' which marks the first track released since he left Epic Records. On September 15, 2023, KILLY released his latest EP, ''KILLSTREAK 3'', also known as ''K3''. This album consists of 7 songs, with each track carrying its own unique significance. However, one particular song, ''Mind'', stands out as it delves into Killy's profound sense of sorrow after the tragic passing of his close friend Shamar Okyere, known as SEGA, which occurred on April 16, 2023.

Discography

* ''Surrender Your Soul'' (2018) *''KILLSTREAK'' (2018) * ''Light Path 8'' (2019) * ''KILLSTREAK 2'' (2021) * ''KILLSTREAK 2 (Deluxe)'' (2021) * ''Crazy Life of Sin'' (2022) * ''KILLSTREAK 3'' (2023)

Singles

* 2017: ''Killamonjaro'' * 2017: ''Distance'' * 2017: ''No Romance'' (feat. 16yrold) * 2017: ''Forecast'' * 2018: ''No Sad No Bad'' * 2018: ''Beautiful 00*'' * 2018: ''Very Scary'' * 2019: ''Swag Flu'' * 2019: ''Triple Helix'' * 2019: ''Drought'' (feat. 16yrold) * 2020: ''Fast Life'' (feat. Gab3) * 2020: ''Vendetta'' * 2020: ''VV's'' (feat.

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

6ixbuzz 6ixBuzzTV Ltd., doing business as 6ixBuzz (pronounced ''six-buzz''), is a Canadian media platform and record company based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2017 by Sarman Esagholian, and Abraham Tekabo the company provides entertainment stories, i ...

) * 2020: ''Sailor Moon'' * 2020: ''OH NO'' (feat. Y2K) * 2021: ''PYRO'' * 2021: ''PYRO emix(feat.

Scarlxrd Marius Lucas Antonio Listhrop (born 19 June 1994), better known as Scarlxrd (pronounced "Scarlord"), is an English rapper and former YouTuber. He is known for his unique musical style combining elements of trap music and Heavy metal music, heavy ...

) * 2021: ''TRUST NOBODY'' * 2021: ''RICK BOOTS'' * 2021: ''EUPHORIC'' * 2022: ''CEO'' * 2022: ''Vince Carter'' (feat. Smiley) * 2023: ''Shinigami Flow'' (prod. Jaegen) * 2023: ''Luv Typhoon'' (prod. Jaegen) * 2023: ''Need Your Love'' * 2023: ''Toronto'' (feat. SL) * 2023: ''Same Energy'' * 2023: ''LOOK AT WHAT WE STARTED'' (feat. SEGA) * 2023: ''Studio Freestyle'' (feat. SL)

Awards and nominations

KILLY has been nominated for the Juno Award four times. In 2019, for Breakthrough Artist of the Year,

Juno Fan Choice Award The Juno Fan Choice Award is an annual Juno Award presented since 2003 by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to the favourite artist or group of the year as voted by Canadian music fans. This is the only award that the winn ...

and Rap Recording of the Year for ''Surrender Your Soul''. In 2020, ''Light Path 8'' was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year. Gold/Platinum certifications from Music Canada:

References

{{Authority control 21st-century Canadian rappers 1997 births Living people Canadian male rappers Canadian people of Barbadian descent Canadian musicians of Filipino descent 21st-century Canadian male musicians Rappers from Toronto