Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown, known professionally as Swae Lee, is an American singer, rapper and composer. He is one half of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd with his brother Slim Jxmmi. In 2017, he was featured on the single "Unforgettable" by French Montana, which reached the top three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Brown's debut studio album, Swaecation was released on May 4, 2018, as a part of a triple album set, which also contained the studio albumsSR3MM by Rae Sremmurd, and Jxmtro by Slim Jxmmi. "Sunflower", his collaboration with Post Malone from the soundtrack, became his first Hot 100 number one single as a solo artist.
Life and career
Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown was born in Inglewood, California, to a single mother who worked on tanks in the United States Army. Brown was raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, and began to make music in high school with his brother Slim Jxmmi and local rapper Lil Pantz as "Dem Outta St8 Boyz." After graduating high school, Brown, alongside his brother Slim Jxmmi had a period of homelessness in which they squatted in an abandoned house. In 2013, he and Slim signed to Mike Will Made It's label EarDrummers Entertainment as Rae Sremmurd. They have since released three studio albums under EarDrummers, SremmLife, SremmLife 2, and SR3MM. In March 2015, Brown was featured on Mike Will Made It's "Drinks on Us", which also featured artists Future and The Weeknd, and became his first single as solo artist. In September 2015, he was featured on Wiz Khalifa's "Burn Slow", which peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Brown's first solo entry on the chart. In April 2017, Brown was featured on French Montana's "Unforgettable". The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Brown's first top ten single on the chart as a solo artist. In September 2018, Jhené Aiko featured Brown on her track "Sativa". Two months later, Brown released a song titled "TR666" alongside Trippie Redd. On May 4, 2018, almost two years after its initial announcement in August 2016, Brown released his debut solo album, Swaecation as a part of a triple album set, which also contained Rae Sremmurd's third studio album, SR3MM and Slim Jxmmi's debut studio album as a solo artist, Jxmtro. In October 2018, he featured on the song "Close to Me" by Ellie Goulding and Diplo. Brown also collaborated on XXXTentacion's song "Arms Around You" after his death, along with Lil Pump and Maluma. On October 18, 2018, Brown featured on Post Malone's song "Sunflower" for , which became Post's third and Brown's first song as a soloist to top the Billboard Hot 100. In May 2019, he collaborated on the song "Crave" with Madonna on her album Madame X. In August 2019, Brown released "Won't Be Late" featuring Canadian artist Drake, produced by Tekno and Mike Will. In October 2019, he featured on 88rising's "Walking", alongside Joji, Jackson Wang, and Major Lazer. As of 2020, he released the single "Someone Said", a reworked version of Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode". He also collaborated with Chloe x Halle on the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced "Catch Up", from the former's album Ungodly Hour, and he featured on the remix to Arizona Zervas's hit song "Roxanne". On June 18, 2020, Swae Lee released the single, "Reality Check".
Artistry
Brown has become known for his hooks and melodies, as demonstrated in collaborations with the likes of Madonna, Ellie Goulding, Anitta, French Montana and Post Malone among others. He's been described as 'the songbird of our generation', with several of his peers and critics praising his vocal ability. According to a 2017 interview with A Polaroid Story, Brown describes himself more as a singer than a rapper. In many Rae Sremmurd hits, he brings the softer, melodic side of the song, while his brother Slim Jxmmi often contributes the more robust, rapping element of the group.
