New York rapper Desiigner made headlines recently after he exposed himself and masturbated while on a flight en route to Thailand. After the incident, Desiigner announced on social media that he was checking himself into a mental health facility for help. While the “Panda” rapper found great success in 2016 and the few years that followed, updates on the Desiigner’s life had been quiet until this recent incident. Although most Hip-Hop fans are familiar with hits such as “Panda” and “Timmy Turner,” little is known about the man behind them. Let’s take a look at Desiigner’s life and answer the question: Who is Desiigner?
Desiigner’s Early Life & Career
Desiigner grew up in the Louis Armstrong housing projects of the Bed-Stuy neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather was a famous blues musician named Sidney “Guitar Crusher” Selby. As a child, Desiigner sang in the school and church choir. Along with this, he began making music at age fourteen.
Desiigner’s original rap name was “Dezolo,” yet he eventually began releasing tracks under the name “Designer Royel.” Desiigner’s sister told him to drop the “Royel” and rap under the name Desiigner. On December 3, 2015, Desiigner released his debut song “Zombie Walk.” The song features production from The Shell God. Later that same month, he would release the song that led to his overnight success in “Panda.”
The Success Of “Panda”
Desiigner first released “Panda” to Soundcloud in December of 2015. Just five days later, “Panda” was available on all streaming sites. The initial buzz “Panda” created came from the similarities of Desiigner’s voice and rapping style to Future. When the song first hit the internet, many fans believed it was Future rapping, and Desiigner faced online backlash due to claims that he was “biting” Future’s flow.
Despite this, “Panda” found great success. Ironically, Desiigner purchased the beat for the song, which was produced by Menace, for $200 after finding it on YouTube. The hook of the song compares the look of a BMW X6 to that of a panda. In February of 2016, “Panda” was re-released to streaming sites and went from an internet hit to mainstream success.
In March of 2016, “Panda” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. Just nine weeks later, the song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. At the time, Desiigner was only 18 years old, making him one of the youngest artists to ever have a No. 1 single. Along with this, Desiigner became the first rapper from New York in a decade to have a No. 1 single. The song’s success caught the attention of many top artists, as rappers such as Meek Mill, T-Pain, and Fabolous subsequently remixed the song. It also caught Kanye West’s attention who, at the time, ran the G.O.O.D. Music label.
Signing To G.O.O.D. Music & XXL Freshman List
In the midst of “Panda’s” success, Desiigner signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label in February of 2016. Just days after he was signed, Kanye released his seventh album The Life Of Pablo, which featured Desiigner on two songs. The song “Pt. 2” featured “Panda” and gave even more exposure to the hit. The other feature came on the song “Freestyle 4.” In May of 2016, Mike Dean announced he would be the executive producer on Desiigner’s first full-length project and that it was in the works.
In June of 2016, Desiigner graced the cover of XXL as he made their “Freshmen Class” for 2016. His freestyle for XXL, “Timmy Turner” also made waves and eventually led to another hit song. In that same month, Desiigner’s debut mixtape New English was released on Tidal by G.O.O.D. Music. The mixtape received mixed reviews, yet it showed the label’s desire to push Desiigner into stardom. Despite this, the next few years displayed a decline in popularity for Desiigner.
“Timmy Turner” To Present Day
In July of 2016, Desiigner released his second hit “Timmy Turner.” The song was a full length track based on Desiigner’s XXL freestyle. While it did not reach the same heights as “Panda,” “Timmy Turner” did reach No. 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is certified Platinum. A remix of the song was also released and features Kanye. However, despite the successes of both songs, Desiigner would not release another single until February 2017 with “Outlet.”
After this, Desiigner would only release one other project, an EP titled L.O.D. in 2018. By 2018, it seemed that Desiigner’s short-lived fame was all but over. While the rapper continued to release singles, no full-length projects were in the works and nothing the rapper dropped could reach the heights of “Panda” or “Timmy Turner.” In addition to this, Desiigner left the G.O.O.D. Music label in 2019.
Desiigner explained his reasons for leaving G.O.O.D. Music in an interview with DJ Vlad in 2022. In the interview, he stated, “The reason why I left Ye is ’cause I was going through a little mental thing. I was just coming up out of high school, my pops just went into a coma. While I was on tour, I was having a great time but I just knew something at home was happening with my mom and my pop’s health and shit. So it was just like, I wanted Ye to talk to and it was hard to speak on it.”
Since then, Desiigner has continued to make music and tour. With his recent incident, the rapper seems to be spending more time focusing on his mental health and recovery. In addition to this, on May 3, Desiigner stated that he is currently at a mental health facility. Let’s hope that Desiigner can get back on his feet and continue to pursue his musical career.