Toosii

Nau’Jour Lazier Grainger, known professionally as Toosii, was born on January 9, 2000, in Syracuse, New York. He later moved to Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 13, where he began to pursue his music career seriously. Starting to record music at 16, Toosii used rap as an outlet. His stage name, derived from his childhood nickname “Toota,” was suggested by football teammates who added the two ‘I’s, signifying ‘two eyes to see the vision.’ Discovered by South Coast Music Group, he signed with the record label in 2019 after a period of homelessness. His early career saw the release of mixtapes like ‘Label Me Diverse,’ ‘Hell on Earth,’ and ‘Why Not Now.’

Toosii’s big break came in 2019 with the track “Red Lights,” which accumulated millions of streams. This was followed by the ‘Who Dat’ mixtape in April 2019, and ‘My Shit Now’ in January 2020, consisting of remixes. His ‘Platinum Heart’ mixtape, released in February 2020, reached number one on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and was later reissued as a 20-track deluxe version. In September 2020, he released his third SCMG-affiliated album, ‘Poetic Pain,’ as his first project under Capitol Records, featuring the RIAA-certified gold single “Love Cycle” with Summer Walker. This album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. He concluded 2020 with the EPs ‘Big Steppa’ and ‘Dickpressed.’

The momentum continued in 2021 with the release of his seventh mixtape, ‘Thank You for Believing,’ which peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 and included collaborations with Mulatto, Key Glock, and DaBaby. He was recognized as an XXL Freshman Class member in 2021. In December 2021, he released the 3-track EP ‘Pretty Girls Love Toosii.’ His 2022 releases included the EP ‘Boys Don’t Cry,’ featuring TikTok viral tracks “Love Is…” and “Heartaches,” followed by a deluxe version, ‘Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do,’ in November 2022. The year 2023 saw the release of “Magic Potion” and “Favorite Song,” the latter of which debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 5, earning double platinum certification. This success preceded his second studio album, ‘Naujour,’ which reached number 19 on the Billboard 200. In November 2023, he released “Suffice,” the lead single from his eighth mixtape, ‘Jaded.’ In August 2025, Toosii announced a temporary pause in his music career to pursue college football at Sacramento State University, which he accepted in September 2025.