When YK Osiris released his debut album, The Golden Child, in 2019, he was barely old enough to drink, but the R&B phenom from Jacksonville, Florida had already experienced intense love and equally powerful heartbreak. Speaking to Apple Music, Osiris explained the agony behind his breakthrough single, “Worth It”: “I had so much pain in me. I was going through a lot of stuff, so I just spilled everything out. I wanted to make a raw song so bad that I made a nice song.” His style betrays the wealth of influences he grew up devouring—James Brown one moment, Bruno Mars or Young Thug the next. But the singer born Osiris Jahkail Williams distinguishes himself with an uncanny ability to spin one-night stands and spurned desires into catchy earworms, tapping into the chart-dominating, melody-driven rap of his peers while reaching back to the cathartic emotions of early-2000s R&B. With the lovesick yet hopeful The Golden Child, Osiris deploys mature storytelling over cinematic, arena-ready beats, cementing his status as a colossal force within hip-hop. He jumps from despondent to triumphant in a heartbeat, giving in to his vulnerability before buying a new watch and hitting the club.