The Kid LAROI - the 21-year-old rapper born Charlton Howard is proving that for an incoming generation filled with promising talent, yesterday’s borders aren’t today’s barriers. Born and raised in Sydney, LAROI was raised by his mother and his uncle and grew up consuming one of America’s most adored exports, listening to hip-hop and R&B icons like Tupac, Erykah Badu, The Fugees, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. He’s wanted to make music since he can remember, hoping to claim a spot within this specifically American legacy.

After competing in a local competition in 2016, he earned respect from industry execs, whose support led him to performances on stages alongside the late JuiceWRLD, whom he considered a close friend and mentor, THEY and more. In 2018, he recorded his debut EP 14 With A Dream, and watched standout “Blessings” take off. A well-timed freestyle over Drake’s Tay Keith-produced “Nonstop” added fuel to LAROI’s trailblazing fire.

“It’s really what I’ve always imagined... I always knew it was bigger than that,” LAROI says about his crossover success and finding an audience outside of Australia. After spending six of its 17 weeks at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the smash hit “Stay” is just a glimpse of what The Kid LAROI has coming. “I love everything I make. I take music super seriously, and I look at it as art,” says the teenage rap phenomenon. With a no. 1 debut project under his belt, and an undeniable belief in his potential and the fast-paced track record to prove it, LAROI, unexpected as his story is, is making it increasingly easy for the rest of the world to believe in him too.