Ahmad Balshe, known professionally as Belly, is a Palestinian-Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Jenin, Balshe was raised in Ottawa. At 21 years old, he moved on to his main love hip-hop with the release of his debut mixtape, Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1. He then released eight additional projects in a span of six years, including his debut studio album The Revolution (2007), as well as two collaborative mixtapes, The Lost Tapes and The Greatest Dream I Never Had, with Kurupt and DJ Drama, respectively.
Jeffery Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip hop and trap music. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, Thug initially released a series of independent mixtapes beginning in 2011 with I Came from Nothing. In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mixtape 1017 Thug to critical praise.
Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. He is also notable in the music industry for his producer tags "If Young Metro don't trust you, I'm gon' shoot you", “Metro!” and "Metro Boomin want some more, nigga", respectively spoken by frequent collaborators Future and Young Thug; additional collaborators include The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Drake, 21 Savage, Offset, and Gucci Mane.
Tyler Bryant, better known as his stage name Velous, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Kingston, New York. He is mostly known for co-writing Chris Brown and Drake's "No Guidance" which received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B song, and is currently 8x platinum. Velous is also known for co-producing Kanye West's hit single "All Day", which was Platinum-certified in the US and subsequently procured a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. In 2016, Velous wrote and produced "Flipmode." In 2017, "Flipmode" became a single on Fabolous' Summertime Shootout 3 and served as Velous' debut feature. “When I heard the track it was a dope vibe, so I knew I wanted to become a part of the song. Chris added his touch while we were on tour together and the rest is history,” said Fabolous.
XO is a Canadian record label founded by singer the Weeknd, his managers Wassim Slaiby and Amir "Cash" Esmailian, and his creative director La Mar Taylor. Slaiby also serves as the label's CEO. As of 2012, it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Republic Records.
Another Day in Paradise is the ninth mixtape by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly. It was released on 27 May 2016 through XO and Roc Nation. The mixtape features guest appearances from Starrah, Travis Scott, Waka Flocka Flame, Kehlani, Lil Wayne, Juicy J, and B-Real. Production was handled by the ANMLS, DannyBoyStyles, DaHeala, Infamous, Velous, Krack Keys, and Honorable C.N.O.T.E..
"Minnesota" is a song by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was originally released on November 2015 from his Summer Songs EP, before being re-released on March 9, 2016 as a remix featuring American rappers Quavo, Skippa da Flippa and Young Thug as the second single from Yachty's debut mixtape, Lil Boat.
Navraj Singh Goraya, known professionally as Nav, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Nav originally began his career as a producer, co-producing fellow Canadian rapper Drake's single, "Back to Back", in 2015. He then gained mainstream attention in 2016 when his song "Myself" went viral on SoundCloud. Nav is signed to Canadian singer the Weeknd's record label XO and its parent label, Republic Records, and is managed by XO managers Amir "Cash" Esmailian and Wassim "Sal" Slaiby.
Danny Schofield, known professionally as DannyBoyStyles, is an American Grammy award-winning record producer, engineer, songwriter, and composer. He produced all ten tracks on the Weeknd's album Kiss Land and won a Grammy for his work on the Weeknd's follow-up, Beauty Behind the Madness.
Nav is the eponymous debut commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper and record producer Nav. It was released through XO and Republic Records on February 24, 2017. The mixtape features a sole guest appearance from Canadian singer-songwriter and XO label boss the Weeknd, who appears on the lead single of the project, "Some Way". Nav handled most of the production himself, with some tracks featuring co-production from other record producers such as Metro Boomin, Rex Kudo, Frost, and DannyBoyStyles. The mixtape received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics, with a 42% score on Metacritic.
"Some Way" is the debut single by Canadian rapper Nav featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released through XO and Republic Records as the lead single from Nav's self-titled debut mixtape on February 15, 2017. The song was written by the two artists and solely produced by Nav.
Mumble Rap is the eleventh mixtape by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly. It was released on 6 October 2017 through XO, Roc Nation, and Republic Records. The mixtape features a sole guest appearance from Pusha T. It includes production from Boi-1da mainly, alongside Allen Ritter, Ben Billions, DannyBoyStyles, Frank Dukes, T-Minus and Vinylz, among others. A sequel was released on 19 May 2023.
Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, known professionally as Gunna, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is signed to Young Thug's YSL Records and 300 Entertainment. Gunna initially rose to fame with the mixtape Drip Season 3 in 2018. Later that year, he released the mixtape Drip Harder with Lil Baby, which spawned the single "Drip Too Hard" that reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually achieved Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Maintain is a song by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly, featuring vocals from fellow Canadian rapper and labelmate Nav. It was released on 6 April 2018 for streaming and digital download by Roc Nation and XO. The song was written by the two artists, and its producers, Austin Powerz and Trakgirl.
"What You Want" is a single by Palestinian-Canadian rapper and singer Belly featuring fellow Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on May 24, 2018, for streaming and digital download by Roc Nation and XO. The song was written alongside producers the ANMLS, Nav, and Cirkut.
Amir Esmailian, also known as Cash and Cash XO, is an Iranian-Canadian music industry executive, talent manager, and record producer. He is the co-founder of XO Records and the co-manager of the label's primary artist, singer the Weeknd. He has executively produced albums and songs for artists such as Nav and The Carters.
"Turks" is a song by Canadian rapper Nav and American rapper Gunna featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released on March 27, 2020, through XO and Republic as the only single from the former's third studio album, Good Intentions. The song was written by the artists alongside Cash XO and producer Wheezy. The official music video was released on March 30, 2020. The title of the song is a reference to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The three artists previously collaborated on Scott's single "Yosemite", from his third studio album, Astroworld (2018).
Emergency Tsunami is the second commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Nav. It was released through XO and Republic Records on November 6, 2020. The mixtape contains guest appearances from Gunna, Young Thug, Lil Baby, Lil Keed, and SahBabii. It was produced by American record producer Wheezy, with help from other producers. The mixtape was Nav's third project of the year, following his third studio album, Good Intentions, and its deluxe reissue, Brown Boy 2. The bonus version of the mixtape, including two additional songs, was released five days later, on November 11, 2020. It features an additional guest appearance from Future. It was Wheezy's second time producing every song of a project, following Gunna's extended play, Drip or Drown, in 2017. The cover of the mixtape says "emergency tsunami" in red letters in Japanese. The mixtape was supported by one single, "Young Wheezy", with Gunna, which was sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio, on January 12, 2021.
See You Next Wednesday is the third studio album by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly. It was released on 27 August 2021 by Roc Nation and XO. The album features guest appearances from the Weeknd, Young Thug, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna, PnB Rock, Nas, Nav, Lil Uzi Vert, Big Sean, and Benny the Butcher.
"Better Believe" is a song by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly, Canadian singer the Weeknd, and American rapper Young Thug. It was released on July 22, 2021, through XO Records and Republic Records as the third single from Belly's third studio album, See You Next Wednesday. The song was produced by Zaytoven, DannyBoyStyles, and The ANMLS.
