Ahmad Balshe, known professionally as Belly, is a Palestinian-Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Jenin, Balshe was raised in Ottawa. His debut mixtape, Death Before Dishonor: Vol. 1 (2005) was followed by eight additional projects until the release of his debut studio album, The Revolution (2007). After an eight-year hiatus in favor of songwriting for fellow Canadian singer the Weeknd, Balshe signed with his record label, XO, as a recording artist in 2015.
Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer. Critically acclaimed for his dark production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Future, Young Thug, the Weeknd, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Gunna and Nav.
Tyler Bryant, better known as his stage name Velous, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter from Kingston, New York. Best known for his songwriting and production for other artists, he has been credited on Chris Brown's 2019 single "No Guidance" and Kanye West's 2015 single "All Day", both of which peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received Grammy Award nominations.
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 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 in 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, better known as Nav, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Nav originally began his career as a producer, in which he notably co-produced the 2015 single "Back to Back" by fellow Canadian rapper and singer Drake. He is signed to Canadian singer the Weeknd's record label, XO, and its parent label, Republic Records, where he 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 and singer Nav featuring fellow Canadian singer-songwriter 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 signed with Young Thug's YSL Records, an imprint of 300 Entertainment in 2016, and rose to fame with his third mixtape, Drip Season 3 (2018). It moderately entered the Billboard 200, while his collaborative mixtape with fellow Georgia rapper Lil Baby, Drip Harder, peaked at number four on the chart. Its lead single, "Drip Too Hard" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
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).
Robert John Richardson, known professionally as Bobby Raps, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been a member of Thestand4rd, Audio Perm, and Dequexatron X000. He has produced and written songs for several notable artists including The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, Future, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert and more.
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, through 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. Production was handled by Belly, the Weeknd, and Nav themselves, alongside DannyBoyStyles, Zaytoven, Infamous, Ben Billions, DaHeala, and Skinny, among others.
"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.
