Lil Tracy

Jazz Ishmael Butler, known professionally as Lil Tracy, was born on October 3, 1995, in Teaneck, New Jersey. His musical background is notable; his father, Ishmael Butler, was part of the pioneering jazz-rap group Digable Planets, and his mother, Cheryl Gamble (Coko), was a member of the influential R&B trio SWV. Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and later Seattle, Washington, Tracy was exposed to a mix of punk rock and Southern hip-hop, which shaped his early musical interests. He began creating music at age 15, eventually moving to Los Angeles at 18 to fully pursue his career.

Initially performing as “Yung Bruh,” Tracy released several mixtapes under the Thraxxhouse collective. This period marked the beginning of his involvement in the underground rap scene. He later co-founded the GothBoiClique, a significant collective where he met Lil Peep. Their collaboration on “White Tee” from Peep’s _Crybaby_ mixtape gained considerable attention, establishing Tracy’s presence in the hip-hop underground. He later changed his stage name to Lil Tracy to avoid confusion with another artist, continuing to develop his unique sound that fuses hip-hop with emo, punk, and alternative styles.

Throughout his career, Lil Tracy has achieved several milestones. His collaboration “Awful Things” with Lil Peep, released in 2017, reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has released multiple projects, including _Tracy’s Manga_ (2017), _XOXO_ (2017), and _Life of a Popstar_ (2017). His debut album, _Anarchy_, was released in 2019, followed by _Designer Talk 2_ in 2020 and _Saturn Child_ in 2022. Each project has reinforced his status as an influential artist in the SoundCloud rap and emo rap genres, showcasing his ability to synthesize personal themes of isolation and depression into his music.