Jahkoy Palmer

Jahkoy Palmer
Background information
Born (1994-03-23) March 23, 1994 (age 30)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupations
InstrumentVocals
Years active2014–present
LabelsDef Jam

Jahkoy Palmer (born March 23, 1994) (known as Jahkoy or JAHKOY)[2][3][4] is a Canadian R&B singer and rapper.[5][6][7] He has released several projects, including the mixtape Forward Thinking, and the singles "Still in Love", "Hold Your Hand", and "Odd Future".[3][8] His most recent single, "Odd Future," premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show in January 2016 and was played by Drake on OVO Sound Radio.[9][10]

Early life

Palmer was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to a Jamaican mother and an Ethiopian father.[11][12] Growing up, he lived in both the Lawrence Heights and Jane and Finch neighborhoods in Toronto. To keep him out of trouble, his parents transferred him to Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic school.[2] As young as age 11, he began writing poetry and turning those poems into raps.[3][13] He began recording and rapping under the name Raheem by age 14.[5] Palmer counts Pharrell and Andre 3000 among his early influences.[11][14]

Career

Under the alias Raheem, Palmer performed at numerous events throughout Toronto, including the Manifesto Arts Festival and the 106 and York Urban Arts Festival, before he turned 16.[2] By age 19, he decided to return to his birth name, Jahkoy, for his music career. He released his first mixtape under the name JAHKOY in December 2013. The album, Forward Thinking, introduced what Jahkoy refers to as a "bipolar" sound,[3] and also marked a shift from predominantly rapping to predominantly singing.[5]

JAHKOY has collaborated with Willow and Jaden Smith. In 2015, he released singles including "Still in Love," "Hold Your Hand," and "All The Things You Do."[9][11] "Still in Love" and "Hold Your Hand" were often in regular rotation on Zane Lowe, Drake, Elton John, and Pharrell's Beats 1 radio stations.[15]

In early 2016, Jahkoy was signed to Def Jam Recordings.[6][7] He released his first single under the Def Jam banner in January 2016. The song, "Odd Future," was premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio station and was played by Drake and OVO Sound Radio.[9]

Throughout 2017, Jahkoy and Ella Mai opened for Kehlani on her SweetSexySavage World Tour.

Personal life

Palmer confirmed his relationship with Australian fitness model and influencer Tammy Hembrow on Instagram in June 2019. Hembrow and Palmer dated for a few months in 2019 and broke up.

Discography

Mixtapes

Dying To Live Forever (2014)

Title Details
Forward Thinking[3]
  • Released: 2015 (US)
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download

EPs

Title Details
Foreign Water

Singles

Title Year Album
"Still in Love"[11] 2015 Non-album single
"Hold Your Hand"[4] Non-album single
"Odd Future"[9] 2016 Foreign Water
"California Heaven"[16]
(featuring Schoolboy Q)
"All This"[17] 2018 TBA

References

  1. ^ Tanners, Jon (January 21, 2016). "JAHKOY – "Odd Future"". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Home Grown Talent – Raheem". Freshly Educated Men. July 2, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e Peralta, Tania (March 3, 2015). "Jahkoy Talks His Escape from Toronto". Noisey. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Ramirez, Erika (August 26, 2015). "JAHKOY's 'Hold Your Hand': Exclusive Song Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Barna, Ben (July 29, 2015). "band crush: jahkoy". Nylon. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  6. ^ a b High, Kemet (February 3, 2016). "Introducing JAHKOY". Syracuse University. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. ^ a b ""Odd Future" – JAHKOY". Hillydilly. January 21, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  8. ^ Drake, David (October 9, 2015). "Jahkoy – "Still in Love"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d Zorgel, Aaron (January 21, 2016). "Listen to JAHKOY's "Odd Future," Produced by Wondagurl & Nova". Complex. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  10. ^ Golden, Zara (January 30, 2016). "Here is the Full Tracklist from OVO Sound Radio". The Fader. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d Zorgel, Aaron (July 14, 2015). "Premiere: Stream JAHKOY's "Still In Love" Remix EP". Complex. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  12. ^ "Next Wave #754: Jahkoy". April 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Asare, Andrew (February 5, 2016). "Five Interesting Facts About Jahkoy". Def Jam Recordings. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  14. ^ Mohamed, Abdirahman (December 11, 2014). "Q&A with Jahkoy, Toronto's next rising star". Mace & Crown. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  15. ^ Huynh, Davis (January 2016). "Listen to JAHKOY's New Single "Odd Future"". Hypetrak. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  16. ^ "California Heaven (Feat. ScHoolboy Q) - Single by JAHKOY on Apple Music". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "All This – Single by JAHKOY on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.