Meet Australian rapper The Kid Laroi: the ‘Stay’ singer was inspired by Tupac Shakur and Kanye West, remixed a song with Miley Cyrus and is besties with Justin Bieber
- American rapper Juice Wrld worked with The Kid Laroi on ‘Go’, which became a smash hit after going viral on TikTok, but Juice Wrld tragically died while Laroi was with him
- Born Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, The Kid Laroi grew up in Sydney and has Aboriginal roots – his grandfather was part of the country’s Kamilaroi community
If you cannot get the lyrics to songs like “Stay”, “Go”, or “Without You” out of your head, then you are in the same boat as 38.4 million monthly subscribers on Spotify who listen to Australian rapper The Kid Laroi. At just 20 years old, Laroi is already a sensation in the music world, collaborating with Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus on chart-topping hits.
But who’s the man behind the moniker, and why, at just 20, is he already embroiled in controversy?
The Kid Laroi’s origin story
The Kid Laroi’s real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard and he grew up in Sydney, Australia. He was born on August 17, 2003. According to American Songwriter, his grandfather was a member of the Kamilaroi community of Aboriginal peoples, and is where the name “Laroi” comes from. Although he was born in Sydney, Kid Laroi grew up in rural Australia.
Music runs in the family
Laroi grew up in a musical family – his mother is a talent manager, record label founder and music executive, and his father is a music producer who worked with musical stars such as Bardot and Delta Goodrem.
The youngster grew up listening to the Fugees, Tupac Shakur, Li Wayne and Kanye West. In an interview with V Magazine, Laroi said he was initially interested in the beats but eventually began writing lyrics, drawing inspiration from his experiences.
Juice Wrld was his mentor
The Kid Laroi met the late rapper Juice Wrld through the rapper’s manager, Peter Jideonwo, while the rapper was on tour in Australia. Soon after, the two began collaborating. This musical partnership played an integral role in Laroi’s meteoric rise to fame. The two worked together on the song “Go” which went viral on TikTok and quickly became a smash hit. Tragically, Juice Wrld died from an accidental overdose in December 2019. Laroi was present when the rapper died, per Variety. In a tribute to the rapper, he said, “Thank you for inspiring me and millions of others.”