Mario Diamond-Judah Douglas (born 1999)[1] is an American rock musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2017, Judah began producing music at age 18. Three years later, he released his first commercial single.[2][3] He rose to prominence as an internet meme with his single "Die Very Rough", as well as for his criticism of American rapper Playboi Carti for not releasing his second studio album, Whole Lotta Red.[4][1][5]
Mario Judah | |
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Judah in 2020 | |
Background information | |
Born | 1999 (age 24–25) Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2018–present |
Labels | Atlantic |
Early life
Mario Diamond-Judah Douglas was born 1999 in Flint, Michigan to Ugandan parents, but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Judah began creating beats around 2016. At first, he did not know he could sing until he recorded his song "Die Very Rough".[6]
Career
2020: "Die Very Rough" and Whole Lotta Red
Judah uploaded his debut single "Crush" to SoundCloud on June 19, 2020.[7] This was followed by the release of "Die Very Rough", which went viral on many different social media platforms in September.[8] After the corresponding music video was released, it went viral on Twitter and several memes of the song were created comparing Judah's vocal style and lyrics similar to a Disney villain.[9][10] In October, Judah performed at the Rolling Loud Festival 2020, which helped increase his audience.[11] That same month, he released a cover of DaBaby and Roddy Ricch's Rockstar".[12] On November 30, Judah announced on Instagram that he would be releasing American rapper Playboi Carti's second studio album Whole Lotta Red "himself" due to frustrations with the rapper not releasing it.[1] He also announced the date of December 6, giving Carti one week to release it himself.[13] On December 6, Judah released "Bih Yah", the lead single from Whole Lotta Red, to a positive reception from fans.[14] The first half of Whole Lotta Red was released as an EP on December 11.[15][16] Billboard and Google ranked the song "Die Very Rough" at number 75 on their list of the Top 100 Hummed Songs of 2020 in the United States.[17] The song also reached the top of Spotify's Global Viral 50 chart dated October 15, 2020.[18]
Artistry
Judah's music style has been described as a rap rock[19] and goth metal[4] blend with unique vibrato[1][19][20] vocals. According to Judah, he only recently discovered that he can sing, which led him to pursue rap for himself rather than producing for other artists.[19][21][22] He has cited Breaking Benjamin, Five Finger Death Punch, and Pantera as his musical influences and has stated that rock music is his "go-to genre."[23] Notable fans of Mario Judah are rappers Lil Uzi Vert[24] and Trippie Redd.
Discography
Extended plays (EPs)
- Whole Lotta Red (2020)
References
- ^ a b c d Williams, Aaron (December 10, 2020). "How Mario Judah Plans To Hijack Playboi Carti's 'Whole Lotta Red' Buzz". Uproxx. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Seabrook III, Robby; December 23, 2020 (December 23, 2020). "The Break Presents: Mario Judah". XXL. ISSN 1093-0647. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Bugara, Billy (October 13, 2020). "Mario Judah: A Rockstar In Full Effect". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Hoyt, Conrad (December 9, 2020). "Who is Mario Judah? The goth-metal rapper calling out Playboi Carti". Kulture Hub. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Cole, Alexander (December 19, 2020). "Mario Judah On His "Whole Lotta Red" Beef, Details Exactly How He Went Viral". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Power of Mario Judah". Complex. December 12, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Judah, Mario (June 19, 2020). "Crush by Mario Judah". SoundCloud. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Gebreyes, Rahel (November 23, 2020). "Mario Judah Breaks Down The Meaning Of "Die Very Rough"". Genius. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Hosken, Patrick (October 23, 2020). "What Is Psychology Behind Mario Judah 'Die Very Rough' Lyrics Meaning?". Laviasco. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Vosber, K. (October 28, 2020). "Slept On: Mario Judah". WKNC-FM. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Rashed, Ayesha (November 2, 2020). "Rolling Loud "Loud Stream" Recap: Trippie Redd, Gunna & More Brought the Halloween Spirit". Respect. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Judah, Mario (October 26, 2020). "Da Baby – Rockstar feat. Roddy Ricch Cover". Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Elibert, Mark (December 9, 2020). "Viral Star Mario Judah Gives Playboi Carti 3 Days To Drop 'Whole Lotta Red'". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Blake, Cole (December 6, 2020). "Mario Judah Drops "Bih Yah" After Playboi Carti Fails To Drop "Whole Lotta Red"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Okon, Wongo (December 12, 2020). "Mario Judah Dropped 'Whole Lotta Red' Since Playboi Carti Won't". Uproxx. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Adhya, Arpita (December 6, 2020). "Did Mario Judah save Playboi Carti's career? Rapper drops 'Whole Lotta Red', fans say 'Tupac of our generation'". Meaww. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- ^ "Google's Top Hummed Songs 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "Viral 50: Global (10/16/2020)". Spotify Charts. October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c Skelton, Eric (December 11, 2020). "The Power of Mario Judah". Complex. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ A., Aron (December 12, 2020). "Mario Judah Keeps His Word & Drops "Whole Lotta Red"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Lawrence, Jamie (October 13, 2020). "The Mario Judah Interview (Part 1)". One Room Media. Retrieved December 21, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Shipley, Al (November 30, 2020). "Pop-Punk and Hip-Hop: 2020's Dynamic Duo". Spin. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Spina, Ellie (December 1, 2020). "DJ Paul's "Mafia Radio": Mario Judah Talks Finding His Unique Style & Meshing Rock With Hip-Hop". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Zidel, Alex (November 23, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert Cryptically Reveals His Favorite New Artist". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 6, 2020.