Steven Malcolm wasn't raised in the church, but a service he attended while in his late teens prompted him to adopt a message-based approach to rapping, his primary creative outlet. As a recording artist, Malcolm took his first steps with a mixtape and self-released album that led to a deal through Word Entertainment, after which he issued the Dove-nominated Steven Malcolm (2017) and The Second City (2019). The albums have mixed Malcolm's faith-based rhymes with his affinity for commercial rap production, all the while incorporating touches of reggae to reaffirm his Jamaican roots. A 2020 collaboration with dancehall superstar Shaggy pushed Malcolm's reggae undertones even nearer to the surface, and subsequent singles like 2022's "Respect" mixed vaporous trap instrumentals with the rapper's elastic flows.