Career
Shy Glizzy released his debut mixtape, ‘No Brainer’, on January 19, 2011. Nine months later, on 31 October 2011, he released his second mixtape, ‘Streets Hottest Youngin’. He put out his third mixtape, ‘Law’, on June 6, 2012. As his popularity grew, various news outlets began to take notice of him. He was named one of the "10 New DMV Rappers To Watch Out For." by Complex.
In collaboration with Jose Guapo, he put out his fourth mixtape, ‘Fly Money’, on November 14, 2012. It is comprised of 11 tracks and was produced by Keis Beats and Speaker Knockerz. In his fifth mixtape, ‘Fxck Rap’ (released on 12 December 2012), popular Trinidadian-American rapper Trinidad James makes a guest appearance. On March 16, 2013, Shy was featured in Complex’s list of "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW". Musical acts like Migos, Yo Gotti, Starlito, and Kevin Gates were featured in his sixth mixtape, ‘Law 2’, which was released on 1 August 2013.
The Fact magazine named him one of "10 Rappers to Watch in 2014" in January 2014. His seventh mixtape, ‘Young Jefe’, was released on 17 February 2014 and featured guest appearances by artists like Young Scooter, PeeWee Longway, Young Thug, Plies and Gudda Gudda. ‘Awesome’, one of the singles from the mixtape, became the most successful track of his career and reached the 45th spot on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
On June 3, 2015, he was featured in the XXL magazine Freshman Class list. On the same day, he put out his ninth mixtape, ‘Be Careful’, which he developed in collaboration with other members of the Glizzy collective, including 30 Glizzy, Goo Glizzy and 3 Glizzy’. He released his tenth mixtape. ‘For Trappers Only’, on 30 September 2015. A collaborative effort with producer Zaytoven, it featured Boosie Badazz, Yo Gotti, and Ty Dolla $ign, to name a few. On July 15, 2016, he released ‘Young Jefe 2’, his 11th mixtape’, which peaked at the 14th spot on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. His most recent mixtape, ‘Quiet Storm’, was put out on December 12, 2017. Shy regards the project as his best body of work to date.
On January 6, 2017, Shy Glizzy, under the professional name Jefe, released his debut EP, ‘The World Is Yours’, through 300 Entertainment. It opened at the 37th spot on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The project garnered mixed reviews from the critics. While his enthusiasm, delivery, and the "ability to manipulate vocal sonics” were praised, the tracks and his lack of urgency were criticised,
Glizzy released his debut studio album, ‘Fully Loaded’, on October 12, 2018. The critics responded to it positively and it opened at the 35th spot on the US Billboard 200 chart. He received a Grammy nomination (for Best Rap/Sung Performance), along with GoldLink and Brent Faiyaz, for their track ‘Crew’ in 2018. On April 19, 2019, his latest studio album, ‘Covered n' Blood’ was released.
Family & Personal Life
Shy Glizzy was born on December 12, 1992, in Washington, D.C. He was raised in Fort Dupont in Southeast Washington, D.C. His father was murdered even before King’s first birthday and he was brought up by his mother and grandmother. He has a younger brother who is also a rapper and performs under the professional name 3 Glizzy.
He was 14 years old when he was apprehended by the police for petty larceny. Two years later, he was sentenced to 14 months in juvenile detention for robbery. While he was there, he received his GED. A devout Muslim since childhood, he started reading the Quran when he was a teenager. Later, he also started reading newspapers and stacks of biographies. He was trying to write a book when he came up with the lyrics of his first track. Shy Glizzy did not grow up as a fan of rap music, as he preferred go-go music over it. This has apparently helped him. He cites it as a reason for his unique sound.
In 2015, he and his then-girlfriend were arrested in Silver Spring, Maryland for disorderly conduct.
