Armani White, the charismatic West Philly rapper whose electric single and video “Billie Eilish” has exploded this summer to the tune of 30+ million global streams and over 38 billion views on TikTok, has been signed to Def Jam Recordings. The news was announced by by Chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun.
“Billie Eilish”—a high-energy homage to the eponymous pop singer’s renowned fashion sense, set to a clever sample of NORE and the Neptunes’ classic “Nothin’”—crossed the 30 million stream mark last week as it reached No.1 on Soundcloud in the US and No.2 globally. “Billie” has truly gone viral socially, inspiring billions of views on TikTok and earning a big cosign from Tom Brady, who posted the track on his Instagram.
“Armani is a dynamic artist who’s been bubbling underground for a while now and has caught lightning in a bottle with ‘Billie Eilish’” said Balogun. “As infectious and urgent as ‘Billie’ is, Armani’s upcoming EP displays an energetic, three-dimensional artist with a unique perspective and an exciting approach to the game. We’re all excited to help him develop, connect with a wider audience, and become the star he’s shown he can be.”
“Billie Eilish helped me finish my 2022 wish list in a month,” said Armani White. “The sky opened up and things I couldn’t have imagined fell in front of me.”
Armani recently stopped by the Genius studios for an episode of “Verified,” taking fans behind the lyrics into the making of the song. Working towards his highly-anticipated debut EP, Armani will release his next single, “Diamond Dallas,” on August 5. Armani is set to perform at Rolling Loud New York on September 23.
Armani has always known he wanted to rap. At age 11, he and a friend began using trial versions of Mixcraft to compose their first tracks. After winning both Class Clown and Most Likely to Be Heard a Mile Away in his high school yearbook, the idea of a rap career quickly crystallized.