GASHI

GASHI delivers personal, introspective lyrics over hazy, atmospheric synths and beats. Early in his career, he fluidly switched between tough rapping and yearning, sentimental crooning before adopting a moody pop-meets-R&B sound on releases such as 2020′s full-length 1984 and 2022 follow-up Elevators.
Born Labinot Gashi, he spent his childhood in several African and European countries before moving to Brooklyn in the late ’90s. Rap music helped him learn English, and eventually he decided to pursue a career in music. After dropping out of college, he started working on a mixtape as the Kid Gashi. Later, he shortened it to just Gashi, and then modified the formatting to GASHI. Following the 2011 mixtape Last of a Rare Breed, he formed the group Moxy in 2012, in addition to releasing the single “Rocket.” The mixtapes I’ll Be Right with You (2013) and 4Play (2014) followed. GASHI’s Stairs EP arrived on the Order Label in 2016. He also made two appearances on DJ Snake’s Encore album, including “Oh Me Oh My,” also featuring Migos and Travis Scott. GASHI’s 2017 “Disrespectful” single ended up being his biggest hit so far, racking up millions of streams.
The following year, his singles included “Creep on Me,” featuring French Montana and DJ Snake. He released several singles throughout 2019, including “My Year” with G-Eazy, “Roses,” and “Safety,” again featuring DJ Snake. GASHI’s self-titled debut album arrived that September on RCA Records. After featuring on Felix Jaehn’s “Sicko” in early 2020, he issued his own single, “Cabin Fever.” More tracks followed prior to the August release of 1984, which included cameos by Sting, G-Eazy, and Devault. The atmospheric trap-pop full-length Elevators appeared in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson