Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American R&B singer from Columbia, Maryland. He rose to prominence following his guest feature alongside Shy Glizzy on GoldLink's 2016 single "Crew." The song peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, received sextuple platinum certification by the RIAA, and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The following year, he released his debut album, Sonder Son (2017).

Brent Faiyaz
Brent Faiyaz in 2016
Brent Faiyaz in 2016
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Brent Wood
BornSeptember 19,1995 (age 28)
Columbia, Maryland, U.S.
GenresR&B
Occupation(s)Singer • Songwriter • Record Producer
Years active2013–present
LabelsLost Kids • Venice • Stem • ISO Supremacy • UnitedMasters

In 2021, he would earn three consecutive entries on the Billboard Hot 100 with his singles "Wasting Time" (featuring Drake and the Neptunes), "Gravity" (with DJ Dahi featuring Tyler, the Creator), and "Mercedes." The songs would precede his second studio album Wasteland (2022), which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and earned favorable critical response.[1] His debut commercial mixtape, Larger than Life (2023) reached number eleven on the chart and received mixed reception.[2]

Early life

Christopher Brent Wood was born and raised in Columbia, Maryland. Faiyaz started making music at the age of 12. Faiyaz attended Long Reach High School, where he graduated at 17. His parents were not always understanding of his dreams as a musician; which Faiyaz said was warranted because his love for music "always distracted" him. Faiyaz moved to Charlotte, North Carolina shortly after graduating. Faiyaz was skeptical about the move initially but soon realized it would only be beneficial and increase his work ethic.[3][4]

Career

2013–2016: Early career and A.M. Paradox

Prior to the start of Faiyaz's official career, he would record music in his home as he would have no money to go outside and enjoy himself.[5] Faiyaz released his first EP Sunset Ave. in March 2013.[6] Faiyaz released his second EP, Black Child in December of the same year.[5]

Faiyaz began uploading his experimental music onto SoundCloud in 2014. During that time he moved from his hometown Columbia, Maryland, to Charlotte, North Carolina, before settling in Los Angeles, California, to further his music career.[7] On January 19, 2015, he released his debut single "Allure".[8] On June 1, 2016, Faiyaz released "Invite Me", the lead single from his debut EP.[9][10] On September 19, 2016, his 21st birthday, the EP entitled A.M. Paradox was released and received positive reviews from music critics.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

In October 2016, Brent Faiyaz formed a group named Sonder with record producers Dpat and Atu.[18] The group released their debut single, "Too Fast," on October 25.[19] On December 16, 2016, Faiyaz was featured alongside rapper Shy Glizzy on the single "Crew" by rapper GoldLink.[20]

2017–2022: Into, Sonder Son, Fuck the World, and Wasteland

On January 26, 2017, Sonder released their debut EP Into,[21] for which Duplion named them their "Artist of the Month" for January 2017.[22] The EP was also ranked 23rd by Complex on its list of "The Best Albums of 2017 (So Far)" on June 6, 2017.[23] On June 21, 2017, Faiyaz was featured in the remix for GoldLink's "Crew," which also featured Shy Glizzy and included rapper Gucci Mane.[24] On March 8, 2019, Faiyaz featured on the song "Demonz (Interlude)" from Juice Wrld's second studio album Death Race for Love.

Faiyaz released his fourth EP, Fuck the World, on February 7, 2020.[3] It peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard 200. On September 18, 2020, a day before his birthday, he released the single "Dead Man Walking".[25] He returned with a new single, "Gravity", on January 29, 2021. Produced by DJ Dahi, the song features Tyler, the Creator, who provides a "spacey" verse, while Faiyaz sings of "uncertain love and raps in a distilled voice praising loyalty from his female companion".[26] On February 8 , he released a new song titled "Circles", alongside a video.[27] He is currently working on a new album, titled Make It Out Alive, which is in the early recording process.[3] On July 1, 2021, Faiyaz released a new single, "Wasting Time" featuring Drake.[28][29] Following this, he appeared on tracks from Baby Keem's The Melodic Blue ("Lost Souls") and Tems's If Orange Was a Place ("Found").[30] On December 3, Faiyaz released the single "Mercedes", after having teased a project titled Wasteland on Instagram.[30] On July 8, 2022, Wasteland was released and subsequently debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release. The album features past projects such as "Deadman Walking", "Gravity" featuring Tyler the Creator, and "Wasting Time" featuring Drake & the Neptunes. Faiyaz described the album to be a "post-pandemic culmination of thoughts and ideas" and labeled the pandemic a "Wasteland".[31] Tracks on the album include "Loose Change", "All Mine", and "Jackie Brown".

2023–present: Larger than Life

In May 2023, Faiyaz founded his own label and creative agency, ISO Supremacy in a joint venture deal with United Masters, rumored to be worth over $50 million.[32][33] The creative company would sign a joint venture deal with PULSE Records, a subsidiary of Concord Music Group. In an interview with Billboard, Faiyaz spoke on his new record deal:[34]

"My partnership with PULSE Music Group since Day 1 has been transformative. In launching my new label ISO Supremacy and partnering with PULSE Records, we've created this platform to give artists like Tommy Richman a creative home with the ability to scale global impact and a team that is accessible who keeps creativity at the forefront. We're going to continue to make history."

Following Faiyaz's new record deal, he released two singles, the Coco Jones-assisted "Moment of Your Life" on August 23, 2023,[35] and "WY@" on September 19, 2023.[36][37] The singles appeared on Faiyaz's debut mixtape, Larger than Life which was released on October 27, 2023, through ISO Supremacy and distributed by UnitedMasters.[38][39][40]

Artistry

Influences

Faiyaz has referred to Lauryn Hill as his biggest influence. When speaking to Fact, Faiyaz stated "It was Lauryn Hill who inspired me to start singing from early on".[41] He's also cited Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Aaliyah, and Tupac Shakur as some of his inspirations.[42] He has also cited artists such as Currensy, Lil Wayne, Curtis Mayfield, and Gil Scott-Heron among his inspirations.[4]

Musical style

Faiyaz has credited Lauryn Hill (left) and Tupac Shakur (right) as being his biggest musical influences.

Faiyaz's musical creativity comes from experiences when living in the world. When interviewed by The Angie Martinez Show, Faiyaz would say, "I'm inspired by real life".[43]

In an interview with Complex, Faiyaz stated that he listens "to a lot of different types of genres," however, he noted that he's an R&B artist because he's "Black, I sing, and I have a soulful voice."[44] Describing his versatility, Faiyaz stated, "I might fuck around and make a reggae album tomorrow."[44]

His earlier songs from his Black Child EP consisted of predominantly Rap music, in particular, Faiyaz specialized in trap soul music, however, as he grew as an artist, he began to ease into his R&B side, allowing elements of hip-hop into his music.[45] Faiyaz stated that music is a form of therapy for him, noting that it's the main reason his music is as deep and as personal as it comes off as.[46] He noted that he "write[s] a lot" and that his writing consists of poetry, day to day notes, and music, however, sometimes, he "can go into the studio and not write at all."[46]

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Faiyaz stated that he's comfortable recording music wherever he is, stating that he "catch[es] a vibe just naturally".[47] He stated that he gets "stuck on records for a long period of time", leaving him to "sit on it for a little bit".[47] He described his recording process as "very long and drawn-out", noting that that's the primary reason why he takes as long as he does to release his music.[47]

Faiyaz has stated that his writing is the most important part of his recording process to him, stating that, "for me, it’s something different when it comes to lyrics. I think that it touches on when a song moves past just music, in terms of the literature".I just put together what I felt was a good body of work and what I wanted to create and the story I wanted to tell When asked how he'd describe himself as an artist, Faiyaz stated that he "just put[s] together what [he feels is] a good body of work and what [he] wanted to create and the story [he] wanted to tell".[3]

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "Five Burning Questions: Brent Faiyaz's 'Wasteland' Debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200". Billboard. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz's 'Larger Than Life' is One Big Mistake". Lomabeat.com. November 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Akili, King (January 29, 2021). "Brent Faiyaz on His New Music and Staying Motivated in 2021". Vogue. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Brent Faiyaz on Why He's Not Your Average R&B Artist". Rolling Stone. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  5. 1 2 Daramola, Isreal (September 1, 2022). "Brent Faiyaz Plans to Take Over Everything". GQ. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Smith, Niall (July 19, 2022). "Brent Faiyaz: R&B's Enigmatic Villain Redefining Cool". Frontline. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Stream Brent Faiyaz's fervid, soulful 'A.M. Paradox' debut". Artistic Manifesto. September 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Tanners, Jon (January 22, 2015). "Premiere: Brent Faiyaz – "Allure"". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  9. ↑ Switsky, Tyler (June 1, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz – "Invite Me" (prod. by Pablo Dylan & James Harte)". HillyDilly. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz embraces his vulnerability on 'Invite Me'". Artistic Manifesto. June 6, 2016. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ Tanners, Jon (September 19, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz Delivers Delicate Soul on "A.M. Paradox"". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  12. ↑ Karvinkop, Nishant (September 19, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz – A.M. Paradox". HillyDilly. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz – AM Paradox [EP]". Daily Chiefers. September 19, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Listen: Emerging Artist Brent Faiyaz Releases Buzz-Worthy 'A.M. Paradox' EP". ThisIsRNB. September 20, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  15. ↑ Howard, Bradford J. (September 22, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz's Debut EP, 'A.M. Paradox,' is A Thing of R&Beauty [@brentfaiyaz]". Day & a Dream. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz's A.M. Paradox: Women as Muse". Gurlgilt Music. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  17. ↑ Szwarc, Bea (October 18, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz – AM Paradox (EP)". Where the Music Meets. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ Black, Adrienne (September 21, 2017). "Everything Is Connected: An Interview with Brent Faiyaz of Sonder". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  19. ↑ Black, Adrienne (October 25, 2016). "Brent Faiyaz, Atu, and Dpat Share Sultry New Single as Sonder". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  20. ↑ "GoldLink, Shy Glizzy and Brent Faiyaz Start a "Crew" on New Single". XXL. December 16, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  21. ↑ Starling, Lakin (January 26, 2017). "Sonder's Sweet-Sounding into EP Is A Sincere Testament To Intimacy". The Fader. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Sonder, Into EP (Brent Faiyaz, Atu, and Dpat): Artist of the Month". Duplion. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  23. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2017 (So Far)". Complex. June 6, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  24. ↑ Hahn, Bryan (June 21, 2016). "Gucci Mane Joins GoldLink for 'Crew (Remix)'". XXL. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Dead Man Walking – Single by Brent Faiyaz on Apple Music". Retrieved September 17, 2020 – via Apple Music.
  26. ↑ Duong, Paul (January 28, 2020). "New Music: Brent Faiyaz Ft. DJ Dahi, Tyler, The Creator "Gravity"". Rap Radar. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  27. ↑ @brentfaiyaz (February 8, 2021). "Do Not Watch ..." (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via Twitter.
  28. ↑ Minsker, Evan (July 2021). "Brent Faiyaz and Drake Share New Neptunes-Produced Song "Wasting Time": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz Taps Drake for New Song "Wasting Time"". Complex. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  30. 1 2 Darville, Jordan (December 3, 2021). "Brent Faiyaz shares new song "Mercedes"". The Fader. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz Talks Creating 'Wasteland,' Love, Relationships & Toxicity". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  32. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (May 2, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz Partners With UnitedMasters to Start Creative Agency, Announces World Tour". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  33. ↑ Mamo, Hernan (August 24, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz Launches ISO Supremacy Creative Agency, Releases 'Jackie Brown' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  34. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (August 21, 2023). "PULSE Records Partners With Brent Faiyaz's Iso Supremacy, Signs Tommy Richman". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  35. ↑ Powell, Jon (August 16, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz and Coco Jones team up for "Moment of Your Life"". Revolt. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  36. ↑ Powell, Jon (September 19, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz drops off "WYA" single". Revolt. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  37. ↑ Murray, Robin (September 21, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz Returns With 'WY@'". Clash. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  38. ↑ Okon, Wongo (October 26, 2023). "Is Brent Faiyaz Releasing A New Album, Larger than Life, Tonight?". Uproxx. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  39. ↑ Bustard, Andy (October 26, 2023). "BRENT FAIYAZ TAPS A$AP ROCKY, MISSY ELLIOTT & MORE FOR NEW PROJECT Larger than Life". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  40. ↑ Mamo, Heran (October 26, 2023). "Brent Faiyaz Announces New Album Larger than Life & It's Coming Sooner Than You Think". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Brent Faiyaz is an unconventional songwriter with the makings of a classic R&B singer". Fact Magazine. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  42. ↑ Brydon, Grant (November 1, 2017). "The Process: Clash meets Brent Faiyaz". Clash. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  43. ↑ Brent Faiyaz Doesn't Like Being Described As 'Toxic', Talks Having Multiple Relationships + More, retrieved 2023-05-09
  44. 1 2 Rose, Jordan (July 22, 2022). "Contemplating the Universe With Brent Faiyaz". Complex. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  45. ↑ Kyles, Yohance (January 1, 2014). "Poster Child: Q&A with Hip Hop Artist Brent Faiyaz". DZI: The Voice. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  46. 1 2 Brydon, Grant (November 1, 2017). "The Process: Clash meets Brent Faiyaz". Clash. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  47. 1 2 3 Gage, Dewayne (July 8, 2022). "Brent Faiyaz Believes We Are Living in a Wasteland. He Makes It Sound Damn Good". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
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