Token (rapper)

Token
Token
	Token in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin David Goldberg
Born	September 24, 1998 (age 25); Marblehead, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop ; alternative hip hop ;
Occupation(s)	Rapper; singer; songwriter; producer;
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Never Too Different/Atlantic ; MNRK
Website	nevertoodifferent.com

Last updated March 27, 2024

Benjamin David Goldberg (born September 24, 1998), known professionally as Token, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Salem, Massachusetts.

Early life

Ben Goldberg was born and raised in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was introduced to hip-hop music at age sixteen by Eminem.^[1]^[2] His mother, Leslie Goldberg, described him as having incidents of "explosive anger". In his younger years, Goldberg was often sent home from school by his teachers because of this. Additionally, he had difficulty in understanding expressive language. Goldberg was eventually diagnosed with autism. As a child, Goldberg suffered from obesity, weighing nearly 240 pounds in the fourth grade. He began running on the treadmill after school and lost 50 pounds halfway through fifth grade as a result.^[1]^[3]

At a young age, Goldberg had a dream of becoming a pop star; a psychiatrist noted that it seemed to be the only thing on his mind. An outlet for Goldberg was writing poetry in his diary, which eventually evolved into writing pop songs at the age of 17. According to Goldberg, the main artists he listened to were Nelly, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z.^[3]^[4]

Career

2012–2014: Career beginnings

Goldberg first began rhyming under the name BDG (his initials). He began uploading his content on YouTube after a childhood friend discovered music that he had recorded and encouraged him to create a channel to gain a following. His first song was a freestyle to "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. The students at his school reacted negatively towards his work, but he began building a fanbase online.^[1] In the sixth grade, Goldberg started collaborating with his friend Colin Mitchell, a local emcee known as C-Mitch. Their first project was Lethal Combination.^[1]^[3] While the reception from the public was generally negative as well, one of the duo's CDs ended up in the possession of producer Jon Glass, who saw their potential and became a mentor to them.

Goldberg later adopted the stage name Token, which came out of feeling different from other emcees as a white Jewish kid from Salem. He started uploading his music videos through YouTube when he was 14.^[1] He released his debut mixtape, The Mindstate, in February 2014.^[2]

2015–2016: “No Sucka MCs” and early success

In October 2015, Token released a video of himself rhyming while walking through a Marblehead neighborhood for the "No Sucka MCs" hip hop contest. The video amassed over 500,000 views in just three days. It gained the attention of several celebrities, including Fred Durst, Mark Wahlberg, and T-Pain.^[1]^[5] Soon, Token became friends with Wahlberg, who began inviting him to his house in Los Angeles.^[1] In April 2016, he appeared on the radio show Sway in the Morning , on which he performed a freestyle over the beat of Lil Wayne's "Believe Me". His performance brought co-host Tracy G to tears as a result. The video of his appearance went viral, which earned him further recognition.^[4] Token performed a free hip hop show presented by Wahlberg in May 2016, which was filmed for Wahlberg's reality TV show Wahlburgers. Wahlberg also helped Token earn a role in the film Patriots Day, of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's college roommate (Andrew Dwinells of UMass Dartmouth).^[6] On September 23, 2016, Token released his second mixtape Eraser Shavings.^[7] The song "Exception" from the mixtape has reached millions of streams.^[8] Token also first started touring in 2016, beginning in Europe.^[1]

2017–2019: Singles and Between Somewhere

From January 2017 to mid-2018, Token consecutively released non-album singles and videos through YouTube, including "Doozy",^[1] "Patty Cake"^[9] and "Code Red",^[10] all three of which amassed millions of streams and views on YouTube. In August 2018, Token released his song "Flamingo", the lead single from his third mixtape Between Somewhere, which was released on December 7, 2018. Between Somewhere features guest vocals from IDK and Bas and was rated 3.3 out of 5 stars in a HipHopDX review. Token also collaborated with Tech N9ne in a bonus track from the mixtape, "YouTube Rapper".^[11] In 2019, Token signed with eOne Music.

2020–present: Signing with Atlantic Records and Pink Is Better

In 2020, Goldberg founded his own label, Never Too Different, and signed a distribution deal for his label with Atlantic Records. In August 2020, he released the single "30 People", his first song under the newly founded label.^[12] In July 2021, Goldberg announced that he had directed a music video for Lil Xan, though as of 2023 the track and video have not been released by either artist.^[13]

Goldberg's debut studio album Pink Is Better was released on January 14, 2022. The release of his album was preceded by four singles, two solo tracks ("Chit Chat" and "Sip"), "High Heels", featuring Rico Nasty, and "IOD", featuring Lil Skies.

Since 2022, Goldberg has released several singles including "I Was In Hollywood", "A Prayer", "Ain't It Funny", "Toy Story", and "SISTER". In 2023, Goldberg released several different singles, and an EP, this includes "Rockabye Baby", "MAYFLOWER", "ROOKIE" (featuring Suave Lee), "THAT'S WHY THEY LOOK", "GOLDY" and "KNOT". Goldberg's most recent EP "KNOT" consists of his last singles "KNOT", "GOLDY", "THAT'S WHY THEY LOOK", "ROOKIE" (featuring Suave Lee), and "MAYFLOWER". In 2024, Goldberg was featured in Young Posse's song "Young Posse Up" ft. Verbal Jint and NSW Yoon.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details
Eraser Shavings	Released: September 23, 2016 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Self-released
Between Somewhere	Released: December 7, 2018 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Self-released
Pink Is Better	Released: January 14, 2022 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Never Too Different / Atlantic

Mixtapes

Title	Mixtape details
The Mindstate	Released: February 1, 2014 Format: Streaming, CD Label: Self-released

Singles

As lead artist

Song	Year	Album(s)
"Waist Down"	2016	Eraser Shavings
"Happiness"
"Mass Reform"
"Doozy"	2017	Non-album singles
"New Problems"
"Dirty Flesh"
"Patty Cake"
"Little Boy"
"Still Believe in Heroes"	2018
"Code Red"
"One Like Equals"
"Flamingo"		Between Somewhere
"Mom Would Agree"
"Treehouse"
"Run It Back"	2019	Non-album singles
"No Game"	2019
"Curfew"	2020
"30 People"	2020
"Dentures"	2021
"Chit Chat"		Pink Is Better
"Sip"
"High Heels" (featuring Rico Nasty)
"IOD" (featuring Lil Skies and YKD Jah)

As featured artist

Song	Year	Album(s)
"Young Posse Up" Young Posse (ft. Verbal Jint, NSW Yoon, Token)	2024	non-album single

Related Research Articles

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and is often mentioned among the greatest rappers of all time. Carter's career began in 1995, when he was signed by rapper Birdman to his record label Cash Money Records, becoming the youngest member of the label at age eleven. From then on, he was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the imprint in June 2018.

Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio in 1996 and 1997 before beginning his musical career. After dropping out of college, he was signed to Slip-n-Slide Records, he released four studio albums from 2007 until 2010. Plies debuted in 2007 with The Real Testament with successful singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies also released two albums in 2008, Definition of Real and Da REAList, and later released Goon Affiliated in 2010.

Daniel Domingo Carrillo, better known by his stage name Termanology, is an American rapper and record producer. He first gained major attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics as Usual, was released in 2008. He has made a number of collaborative albums, such as 1982 and is known also for his prolific mixtape output. He is of Puerto Rican and French descent.

Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper and songwriter. In December 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and released his debut single, "All Gold Everything". The song reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the RIAA, and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Versace (song)</span> 2013 single by Migos

"Versace" is the debut single by American hip hop group Migos. It was released in July 2013, by Quality Control Music. The track, which was included on their mixtape Y.R.N. (2013), was produced by Zaytoven. Following a remix by Canadian rapper Drake, the song became popular and peaked at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Drake performed it at the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival. The song is ranked as one of the 100 songs that defined the 2010s decade by Billboard.

Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper from College Park, Georgia. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). The album, supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 on the chart, respectively. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, and has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.

Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.

Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night" from his debut EP Summer Songs. He then released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year.

Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr., better known by his stage name Famous Dex, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. His debut studio album, Dex Meets Dexter (2018) peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 while its singles, "Pick It Up" and "Japan" peaked at numbers 54 and 28 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.

Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr., known professionally as Tee Grizzley, is an American rapper. He first began posting music online in 2011; following a two year prison sentence, he released the song "First Day Out" in 2016. The song quickly gained viral status—earning two million views on YouTube in under three weeks—due to a social media challenge enacted by basketball player LeBron James, when it was soon re-released commercially by 300 Entertainment and reached the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by his debut mixtape My Moment (2017), as well as his follow up single "From the D to the A", which received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His collaborative mixtape with Lil Durk—Bloodas (2018)—preceded the release of his debut studio album, Activated (2018).

Gary Maurice "Joyner" Lucas Jr. is an American rapper. Lucas first received widespread exposure and critical acclaim after the release of his single "Ross Capicchioni" in 2015. In June 2017, he released his fourth mixtape, 508-507-2209, which was his first on a major label. In November 2017, Lucas released his single "I'm Not Racist", which quickly went viral, gaining him further mainstream attention. The video was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 61st Grammy Awards. Since 2016, Lucas has also become known for remixing popular hip hop songs like "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump, "Bank Account" by 21 Savage, "Panda" by Desiigner, "DNA" by Kendrick Lamar and many others. In October 2018, he announced his debut studio album ADHD, which was released in 2020.

Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, is an American rapper. From 2015 to 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional following for his work. He signed with Atlantic Records in the latter year to release the singles "Untouchable" and "No Smoke", of which marked his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. In January of the following year, his single "Outside Today" became his first to reach the top 40 of the chart and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as both his mainstream breakthrough and the lead single for his debut studio album Until Death Call My Name (2018), which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smokepurpp</span> American rapper from Florida

Omar Jeffery Pineiro, known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. Originally a record producer, Pineiro later found success on the audio distribution platform SoundCloud in 2017 from his surge in popularity due to his track "Audi".

Nicholas Diego Leanos, better known as Lil Xan or simply Diego, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Redlands, California. He is best known for his song "Betrayed", which peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. On April 6, 2018, Leanos released his debut studio album, Total Xanarchy.

Nicholas Alexander Simmons, known professionally as YBN Nahmir, is an American rapper. As the de facto leader of the short-lived hip hop collective YBN, he is best known for his debut 2017 single "Rubbin Off the Paint", which peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2018 single, "Bounce Out with That" peaked atop the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. His 2019 single, "Opp Stoppa" peaked at number 78 on the former chart and preceded the release of his debut studio album Visionland (2021), which was met with critical and commercial failure.

<i>Total Xanarchy</i> 2018 studio album by Lil Xan

Total Xanarchy is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Xan. It was released on April 6, 2018, by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances from Charli XCX, YG, Rae Sremmurd, 2 Chainz, Diplo, Yo Gotti, Rich the Kid, and Steven Cannon.

Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." He signed with Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". He released two additional retail projects that same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna—which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends"—and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.

Bryson LaShun Potts, known professionally as NLE Choppa, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to fame with his 2019 single "Shotta Flow", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on his debut extended play (EP) Cottonwood, which released in December of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pooh Shiesty</span> American rapper from Tennessee (born 1999)

Lontrell Donell Williams, Jr., known professionally as Pooh Shiesty, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2020, he rose to prominence following his collaborations with the label's founder and cohorts. That same year, his single "Back in Blood" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It preceded the release of his debut commercial mixtape Shiesty Season (2021), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. His stage name was given by his late brother, who adapted his childhood nickname "Mr. Pooh" with the Vernacular slang term "shiesty"—referential of his lifestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lil Snupe</span> American rapper (1995–2013)

Addarren Ross, known professionally as Lil Snupe, was an American rapper from Jonesboro, Louisiana signed to Meek Mill's record label Dream Chasers Records. His death at a young age was honored by several hip hop musicians and made him the subject of numerous musical tributes and documentaries.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Morrell, Dan (March 1, 2017). "You've never heard of the rapper Token? You will. - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
1 2 Ju, Shirley (August 18, 2020). "Token Talks "30 People" & Never Too Different Label". AllHipHop . Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
1 2 3 Uproxx Studios (May 26, 2016), Token, Child Rap Prodigy | Uncharted: The Power of Dreams, archived from the original on January 18, 2022, retrieved January 16, 2022
1 2 C.M, Emmanuel (December 22, 2017). "The Break Presents: Token – XXL". XXL . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
↑ Galbraith, Alex (May 26, 2016). "This Teen Rap Prodigy Turned His Language Disability Into YouTube Gold". Uproxx . Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
↑ Juul, Matt (May 9, 2016). "Mark Wahlberg Is Filming a Hip-Hop Show for Wahlburgers in Boston". Boston Magazine . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
↑ Token, Eraser Shavings, archived from the original on January 16, 2022
↑ "Token | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
↑ Patty Cake – Single by Token, September 13, 2017, archived from the original on January 16, 2022, retrieved January 16, 2022
↑ Berry, Peter A. (May 22, 2018). "Token Unloads Striking New "Code Red" Video – XXL". XXL. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
↑ Glaysher, Scott (December 27, 2018). "Review: Token Is Tediously Self-Aware On "Between Somewhere" Album". HipHopDX . Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
↑ Ju, Shirley (August 18, 2020). "Token Talks "30 People" & Never Too Different Label". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
↑ @tokenhiphop (July 12, 2021). "It's always been a dream of mine to direct music videos for other artists and… IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Lil Xan directed by Token coming soon. I love doing my own videos but it was so much fun stepping into someone else's world. Shoutout my guy Xan for reaching out" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[:0-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Morrell, Dan (March 1, 2017). "You've never heard of the rapper Token? You will. - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

[:2-2] 1 2 Ju, Shirley (August 18, 2020). "Token Talks "30 People" & Never Too Different Label". AllHipHop . Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[:1-3] 1 2 3 Uproxx Studios (May 26, 2016), Token, Child Rap Prodigy | Uncharted: The Power of Dreams, archived from the original on January 18, 2022, retrieved January 16, 2022

[:3-4] 1 2 C.M, Emmanuel (December 22, 2017). "The Break Presents: Token – XXL". XXL . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[5] Galbraith, Alex (May 26, 2016). "This Teen Rap Prodigy Turned His Language Disability Into YouTube Gold". Uproxx . Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[6] Juul, Matt (May 9, 2016). "Mark Wahlberg Is Filming a Hip-Hop Show for Wahlburgers in Boston". Boston Magazine . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[7] Token, Eraser Shavings, archived from the original on January 16, 2022

[8] "Token | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

[9] Patty Cake – Single by Token, September 13, 2017, archived from the original on January 16, 2022, retrieved January 16, 2022

[10] Berry, Peter A. (May 22, 2018). "Token Unloads Striking New "Code Red" Video – XXL". XXL. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[11] Glaysher, Scott (December 27, 2018). "Review: Token Is Tediously Self-Aware On "Between Somewhere" Album". HipHopDX . Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

[12] Ju, Shirley (August 18, 2020). "Token Talks "30 People" & Never Too Different Label". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.

[13] @tokenhiphop (July 12, 2021). "It's always been a dream of mine to direct music videos for other artists and… IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Lil Xan directed by Token coming soon. I love doing my own videos but it was so much fun stepping into someone else's world. Shoutout my guy Xan for reaching out" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]