Lakeyah

Lakeyah Danaee Robinson, born on February 28, 2001, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began her musical journey at an early age. She developed her rap skills in high school, initially participating in slam poetry. At 15, she was encouraged by friends to join the #SoGoneChallenge, where participants rap over the instrumental of Monica’s “So Gone,” marking an early step in her online presence. In 2017, she was part of the music duo “BTM” (Beyond the Music), which accumulated over one million views on YouTube, demonstrating her early impact in the digital space.

At 18, Lakeyah moved to Atlanta, Georgia, a pivotal point in her career. She gained significant attention through viral freestyles and participation in challenges like the #FirstDayOutChallenge, celebrating JT from City Girls’ release from prison, and a freestyle over “We Paid” by 42 Dugg and Lil Baby. These viral moments led to her signing with Quality Control Music in 2020. Her debut single, “Big FlexHer,” featuring 42 Dugg, was released on October 9, 2020, quickly garnering over 400,000 views within five days and eventually exceeding six million views. This was followed by her debut album, “Time’s Up,” on December 11, 2020, which included tracks like “Female Goat” featuring City Girls, her most popular YouTube track with over 25 million views.

In 2021, Lakeyah’s career continued to advance with the release of her second project, “In Due Time,” featuring collaborations with Gucci Mane and Yung Bleu. This project led to her ranking 4th on Rolling Stone’s Breakthrough 25 charts. A significant milestone occurred on June 16, 2021, when she was named to the XXL Freshman Class, becoming the first Milwaukee rapper to achieve this recognition. The same year, she released the mixtape “My Time” as part of the Gangsta Grillz series, hosted by DJ Drama, featuring Tee Grizzley. In 2022, she expanded into television, appearing as a regular on the BET reality show “The Impact: Atlanta” for both seasons. She also released two EPs, “No Pressure Part 1” and “No Pressure Part 2,” which included collaborations with artists such as Latto, Gloss Up, Lucky Daye, Flo Milli, and Layton Greene. Her single “F.Y.T.” featuring Jacquees was released on November 18, 2024, and later appeared on her mixtape “Keymix lll.”