Armani White, the charismatic West Philly rapper whose electric single + video “Billie Eilish” has exploded this summer to the tune of 30+ million global streams and over 38 billion views on TikTok, has been signed to Def Jam Recordings, it was announced today by Chairman & CEO Tunji Balogun.
“Billie Eilish” – a high-energy homage to the eponymous pop singer’s renowned fashion sense, set to a clever sample of NORE and the Neptunes’ classic “Nothin’” – crossed the 30 million stream mark last week as it reached #1 on Soundcloud in the US and #2 globally. “Billie” has truly gone viral socially, inspiring billions of views on TikTok and earning a big cosign from Tom Brady, who posted the track on his Instagram.
“Armani is a dynamic artist who’s been bubbling underground for a while now and has caught lightning in a bottle with ‘Billie Eilish’” said Balogun. “As infectious and urgent as ‘Billie’ is, Armani’s upcoming EP displays an energetic, three-dimensional artist with a unique perspective and an exciting approach to the game. We’re all excited to help him develop, connect with a wider audience, and become the star he’s shown he can be.”
“Billie Eilish helped me finish my 2022 wish list in a month,” said Armani White. “The sky opened up and things I couldn’t have imagined fell in front of me.”
Armani recently stopped by the Genius studios for an episode of ‘Verified,’ taking fans behind the lyrics into the making of the song. Working towards his highly-anticipated debut EP, Armani will release his next single, “Diamond Dallas,” on August 5. Armani is set to perform at Rolling Loud New York on September 23.
Stay tuned for more on the breakout sensation of the summer, Armani White…
ABOUT ARMANI WHITE:
Profound, yet buoyantly energetic, Armani White wants to trademark happy hood music. Pairing dexterous flows with dense introspection and spurts of impassioned melodies, the 26-year-old delivers a colorful, but poignant soundtrack for survivors. On the freewheeling “Billie Eilish,” he lets loose, fusing zany wordplay with machismo he earned from his upbringing in West Philadelphia, where he soaked up the sounds of Ludacris, State Property, and Eminem. The fledgling young MC, who grew up in a troubled home and found healing in beats and bars, took to spitting lyrics from his favorite rappers when he played outside with friends. At age 11, Armani and a friend began using trial versions of Mixcraft to compose their first tracks. After winning both Class Clown and Most Likely to Be Heard a Mile Away in his high school yearbook, the idea of a rap career quickly crystallized. “Stick Up” (2015) was a pulsing boom bap single coated in braggadocio and comical flashes of danger. The video netted tens of thousands of views, and Pharrell even played one of Armani’s songs on his Beats 1 Radio show. But the back-to-back tragedies of his father’s death of cancer, and his uncle’s killing put his musical plans on hold for a couple of years. He re-emerged with the lighthearted but existential “Public School” (2018), and Keep in Touch (2019), a project that reaffirmed his all-around songwriting abilities. Soon Armani was hitting the stage for shows with Vince Staples, Nas, James Blake, and Aminé, to name a few. Armani’s next EP, Things We Lost In The Fire (fall 2021) addressed personal tragedy with unflinching transparency. It was the prelude to “Billie Eilish” in the new year, and the deal with Def Jam in the bargain. “The reason why I call my songs happy hood music is because I went through a lot of trauma and pain,” Armani says, “and I take that dark, murky color, throw it at the wall and watch a rainbow come out.”
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Contact:
Joanne Hunter
Joanne.Hunter@umusic.com
