FOREVER

Fridayy’s introduction to the world came in the late summer of 2022. The Philadelphia-based singer is responsible for the thunderous, sky-grazing hook on DJ Khaled’s Grammy-nominated record, “God Did.” The song is more often than not remembered for Jay-Z’s four-minute verse, which follows well-crafted appearances from rap legends Lil Wayne and Rick Ross as well as a soulful outro from John Legend. While Fridayy is undoubtedly the rookie in a room of legends, his chorus roars with the strength required to place itself in between these intricate verses from well-revered rappers in the game. In short, Fridayy holds his own on the song and that would not be the last time we heard from him in 2022 either.

Uproxx caught up with Fridayy just weeks after he, Khaled, Jay-Z, Ross, and Wayne reimagined The Last Supper for a divine performance of “God Did” at the 2023 Grammys. “Twenty years from now, n****s are gonna be talking about ‘God Did,’” Fridayy says over a Zoom call. “I’m marked in history bro, I’m marked in history… I’m just grateful.” It’s this longevity that Fridayy eyes more than any short-term popularity or accolades. “I know my music’s gonna live forever,” he explained. “I already know that if my music’s touching people on a whole other level, like saving lives, it’s not about being the biggest artist in the world. With the type of music I make, even if it’s one fan, I know it’s gonna live forever.”

Just two months after the release of “God Did,” Fridayy found himself beside another big name in rap: Lil Baby. The two connected on “Forever,” one of the more emotion-filled records from Baby’s chart-topping third album It’s Only Me. Fridayy enters his chorus with quivering qualms that sound like he’s nearing a breakdown all to break into a cry to the heavens in a plea for one last moment with a lost lover. At this moment, it was clear that Fridayy could become the latest go-to artist for hooks around the hip-hop world, especially for records that needed that touch of emotion that Fridayy successfully delivered alongside music heavyweights.

While those two records placed the spotlight on the singer, they only did so little to tell Fridayy’s story. To find that, you’ll have to go to his debut project Lost In Melody. Released in the fall of 2022, Lost In Melody arrived with seven songs that fully captured the artistry and foundation that laid within Fridayy. Months later, the project was extended with five additional tracks through a well-timed deluxe release. “I just wanted to give everybody something different you know?” Fridayy says about the project. “I been studying the game for a long time, so it’s like, how can I stand out?” Fridayy sought to be more than a name, and he knew he could reach his goals the same way he earned his breakout moment: through music.

“Coming off ‘God Did,’ it was like, alright, they’re about to know your name,” Fridayy says. “It don’t look like it but, n****s want to know your story. They not gonna accept you until they know who you are.” So he got to work, and through the first four songs of Lost In Melody, Fridayy tells you a lot about himself. “Blessings” showcases gratitude toward the opportunity to chase a dream and take one step closer to it and one step away from what once was. “Empty Stomach” is Fridayy’s own account of the struggles he endured after he moved to Los Angeles to chase his dream. “I got hundred beats, hundred songs in my pocket / They ain’t even hear my sh*t, they say, ‘Youngin, keep grindin,’” he quivers on the song. “I ain’t tryna hear this grindin’ sh*t, I’m starvin’ / Somebody show me where the money at, I’ma walk in.” The following record, “God Sent,” displays his faith and belief in what is destined for him will arrive in due time while “Don’t Give Up On Me” begs that others around him see this destiny and also believe in him. In just the first four songs on Lost In Melody, it’s clear to see that Fridayy is a man of faith and destiny, understanding that both have contributed to his present-day success.

Fridayy’s first interactions with music came when he was 9 or 10 years old. At that time, he began playing the piano in church. He eventually took on singing after being heavily influenced by Boyz II Men, a group that continues to shape Fridayy’s musical decisions today. “When you hear the harmonies, when you hear the four-part harmonies, the adlibs, it all comes from me listing to Boyz II Men,” he says. Fridayy later picked up Philly natives like Meek Mill and the late PNB Rock as additional influences in his career. While the aforementioned artists shaped his musicality, Fridayy says a critique from a girl he was dating a few years ago also had an effect on the future content of his songs. “I was playing her some music and she was like, ‘Damn, the way you talk to me is not how you’re talking in these songs,’” he recalls. “It wasn’t even like a crazy song, it was a love song, but even [with] the love song, the way I talk, I wasn’t putting that in my music. So when she told me that, it kind of opened my eyes.”

This note eventually helped Fridayy to create music with an emotional touch that helped him to achieve his goal of being versatile and standing out. It’s for this reason that he selects “Don’t Give Up On Me” as the song from the project that he feels best describes him as a project. “I’m telling a story, at the end I get real soulful [and] it’s so big,” he says. “I feel like that song is just me, it represents who I am. You don’t know what I’m talking about in that song. You don’t know if I’m talking about a girl, God, or my homie, but everybody takes that song and put it where they need to put it.” In its totality, creating songs like “Don’t Give Up On Me” proved to be a form of therapy that helped Fridayy see his growth by the time his debut was released. “It was seeing I really came a long way type sh*t,” he says. “I’ll listen to it and be like, ‘damn, when I was recording this, I was f*cked up.’ By the time this came out, things were a little different.”

Nowadays, Fridayy is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming debut album. With everything he accomplished with Lost In Melody and more, he knows that the bar is will be higher for his next body of work. Luckily for him, he’s already progressing toward that next level. “We just on a higher level, like it’s just different,” he says about the project. “Same me, just on a higher level: musically, production, melodies. I’m exploring, but you still gonna hear the same me that you hear on Lost In Melody.” The contents of that next level remain to be seen, but you can rest assured that Fridayy is stringing together a story that will help him accomplish the long-lasting legacy he seeks in his career.

Lost In Melody is out now via Lost In Melody, LLC/Def Jam Recordings. You can stream it here.