Joyner Lucas
Biography
Gary Maurice "Joyner" Lucas Jr. was born on August 17, 1988, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He began rapping at the age of 10. Lucas initially used the stage name G-Storm, before changing it to Future Joyner in 2007. That same year, he and his cousin Cyrus tha Great formed a group called Film Skool Rejekts and released a mixtape titled "Workprint: The Greatest Mixtape of All Time". He later dropped "Future" from his name to avoid confusion with the popular rapper Future and became known as Joyner Lucas.
Career Beginnings
Lucas released his first solo mixtape, "Listen to Me," in 2011. This was followed by "LFO's (Low Frequency Oscillators)" in 2013 and "Along Came Joyner" in 2015. The latter featured the single "Ross Capicchioni," a narrative track that garnered significant attention and critical acclaim. The success of the song and its viral music video led to a spot in the 2015 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher. In 2016, he signed with Atlantic Records.
Breakthrough and Viral Success
In 2017, Lucas released his fourth mixtape, "508-507-2209," which was his first project on a major label. Later that year, he released the single "I'm Not Racist," which went viral due to its controversial and thought-provoking music video depicting a conversation between a white man and a black man. The video received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Music Video. He also gained recognition for his remixes of popular songs like "Gucci Gang," "Bank Account," and "Panda".
ADHD and Recent Work
Lucas announced his debut studio album, "ADHD," in October 2018, and it was released on March 27, 2020. The album's title stems from his own diagnosis with ADHD as a child. The album features collaborations with artists such as Logic, Chris Brown, and Timbaland. Following "ADHD," he released the EP "Evolution" in October 2020. His second studio album, "Not Now I'm Busy," was released in March 2024.
Entrepreneurship
Tully Platform
Outside of his music career, Joyner Lucas is the co-founder of the music technology platform Tully. Launched in 2015 with his manager Dhruv Joshi, Tully is an application designed to help artists with the creative process, including songwriting, storage, and managing assets. The platform has received strategic investment from Sony Music Entertainment. Lucas himself used the Tully platform during the creation of his album "ADHD".
Awards and Nominations
Joyner Lucas has received two Grammy Award nominations. His first was for Best Music Video for "I'm Not Racist". He also received a nomination for Best Rap Song for his feature on Eminem's track "Lucky You". In 2024, he was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the "Video For Good" category for his song "Best For Me" featuring Jelly Roll.