Rapper and singer Sy Ari Da Kid has brought emotive storytelling to the worlds of rap and Auto Tune-laced R&B. • Born in the Bronx, Sy was largely raised in Atlanta, where he moved at the age of nine. He initially dreamed of playing in the NBA. • Sy began rapping over Wu-Tang Clan-style beats his older brother would cook up on their father’s Yamaha keyboard. He eventually started battle rapping at Atlanta’s Hot 107.9, where he once triumphed over 11 straight rhymers. • In addition to rapping, Sy taught himself to use Pro Tools. This impressed Grammy-winning songwriter Brian Michael Cox, who signed Sy as a producer. In 2006, Sy launched his own label, Arrogant Music. • Sy released his debut mixtape, The Ultrasound, in 2011 and served up five more tapes the following year. • Over the next decade, Sy released more than a dozen projects, collaborating with artists like Future, Waka Flocka, and K CAMP.