A Boogie Wit da Hoodie

Nonchalant flows, memorable hooks, trap beats that make plenty of room for melody, and the occasional hint of R&B smoothness all combine into an effortless style for Bronx rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie. The rapper hit the scene in 2016, releasing his debut mixtape, Artist, on his own label, but later signing with Atlantic. He scored big with the triple-platinum single “Drowning” in 2017, which led to the Top Ten hit The Bigger Artist and its chart-topping 2018 follow-up, Hoodie SZN. Boogie continued his commercial hot streak with projects like 2020′s Artist 2.0 and the 2024 studio album Better Off Alone. Born Artist Dubose in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, Boogie took inspiration from Kanye West and 50 Cent and began rapping during his teenage years. After spending some time in Florida, where be recorded his first songs, he returned home to New York in 2015 and founded Highbridge the Label with fellow rapper Quincy "QP" Acheampong. In March, he dropped his debut mixtape, Artist, that yielded the platinum singles “My S**t” and “Jungle.” Just one month later, he dropped “Bag on Me” featuring Don Q. With a Meek Mill and DJ Khaled co-sign soon after and the Highbridge the Label: The Takeover, Vol. 1 mixtape released in May, the Atlantic label signed a deal with Highbridge and issued the singles “Bando” and “Timeless.” The TBA EP followed in October. At the start of 2017, Boogie was featured in XXL’s Freshman Class feature. Later the same year, he released his debut full-length, The Bigger Artist, a number four Billboard 200 entry packed with appearances from Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Kodak Black, and Robin Thicke. In early 2018, Boogie featured on 6ix9ine’s hit single “Keke” alongside Fetty Wap, then returned in June with his second EP, International Artist, another guest-heavy release that included J Alvarez, Jessie Reyez, and many more. His second full-length album, Hoodie SZN, arrived at the end of the year and topped the Billboard 200. Throughout 2019, Boogie kept a high profile by being featured on an array of singles by other acts including Ally Brooke’s “Lips Don’t Lie” and Khalid’s “Right Back,” while issuing singles of his own like “Mood Swings” and “Reply.” Third studio album Artist 2.0 arrived in February of 2020, debuting at number two on the Billboard charts its first week of release and including a plethora of guest stars like Young Thug, DaBaby, Lil Uzi Vert, and more. As fans awaited the release of fourth studio album A Boogie vs. Artist, the rapper released the EP B4 AVA in December of 2021. The seven-song project reached as high as number 26 on the charts and included an appearance from Lil Durk on the song “24 Hours.” Fourth studio album Me vs. Myself followed almost exactly a year later, with its original November 2022 release date pushed back a month so as not to compete with the Drake/21 Savage collaborative album Her Loss which was being released around the same time. Along with rapping, Boogie handled some of the production on Me vs. Myself, and was joined by several big name guests on the album, such as G Herbo, Roddy Ricch, H.E.R., and others. The album debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard charts. In 2023, along with performing sold-out shows on multiple tours in support of the album, Boogie was featured on the lead single from the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the Metro Boomin-produced “Calling.” In advance of his next album, he released a three-song EP entitled B4 BOA in September of 2023, followed in May of 2024 by his fifth studio album Better Off Alone. The LP was once again heavy on features, including spots from Lil Durk, Young Thug, Future, and others. It debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. ~ David Jeffries