Towkio
Preston Oshita[3] (born June 26, 1993),[1] better known by his stage name Towkio, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.[4] He was previously known as Young P, Preston San, and Tokyo Shawn.[5] He is a member of the Savemoney crew.[6] His debut studio album, WWW., was released in 2018.[7]
Towkio | |
---|---|
Birth name | Preston Oshita |
Also known as |
|
Born | [1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | June 26, 1993
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | Republic Records[2] |
Associated acts | |
Website | www |
Early life
On June 26, 1993,[1] Towkio was born Preston Oshita in Chicago, Illinois to a Mexican mother and a Japanese father.[8] He has two older brothers.[9] He attended Lane Tech College Prep High School.[8]
Career
In 2012, Towkio released a collaborative EP with producer Mojek, titled Community Service.[8] In 2014, he released another EP, titled Hot Chips n Chop Stix, which was produced by A Billion Young.[8]
In 2015, Towkio released a mixtape, titled .Wav Theory, which featured contributions from Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, and Donnie Trumpet.[10] It was included on year-end lists by publications such as Complex,[11] Chicago Tribune,[12] and RedEye.[13] He was included on HipHopDX's "Top 8 Rising Stars of 2015" list.[14] In 2016, he released an EP, titled Community Service 2.[15]
In 2018, Towkio released his debut studio album, titled WWW., which included the previously released singles, namely "Drift", "Hot Shit", "Swim", "Symphony", and "2 Da Moon".[16] It included guest appearances from Teddy Jackson, Grace Weber, SZA, Vic Mensa, and Njomza.[17]
Style and influences
Towkio's musical style has been described by Chicago Tribune as "an adventurous mix of rap, '90s soul, jazz and generally weird, fuzzed-out beats."[18] He cited Kanye West and Lil Wayne as his biggest influences.[8]
Controversy
In January 2019, Towkio was accused by a woman of sexual assault on Twitter.[19] He denied the allegations, stating that they "were in an ongoing consensual sexual relationship dating back to 2014 which even included other women."[19] He added, "It is my hope that her and I can engage in a dialogue in a place where she feels comfortable to discuss our past relationship and her feelings."[19]
Discography
Studio albums
- WWW. (2018)
Mixtapes
- .Wav Theory (2015)
EPs
- Community Service (2012) (with Mojek)
- Hot Chips n Chop Stix (2014)
- Community Service 2 (2016)
Singles
- "Drift" (2017)
- "Hot Shit" (2017)
- "Swim" (2017)
- "Symphony" (2018)
- "2 Da Moon" (2018)
- "Billi" (2019)
- "Too Many Times" (2020)
Guest appearances
Year | Title | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | "Scrapemoney" | Kami de Chukwu | Light |
2013 | "She's the Type" | Brian Fresco, Chance the Rapper, Kami de Chukwu, MC Tree | Mafioso |
"Steamer" | Brian Fresco, Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kami de Chukwu | ||
2015 | "Gettin Throwed" | Two Fresh, Joey Purp | N/A |
2016 | "Juke Jam" | Chance the Rapper, Justin Bieber | Coloring Book |
"Purple Fox Fur" | TheMind, Donnie Trumpet, Sean Deaux | Summer Camp | |
2017 | "Just Like the Movies" | Kami, Joey Purp, Knox Fortune, Vic Mensa | Just Like the Movies |
2018 | "Sneakerhead" | Lido, J'von | Spacesuit |
References
- "Towkio". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- "Towkio". Republic Records. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Julious, Britt (May 14, 2015). "Towkio sometimes seems too good to be true". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- Grebey, James (April 8, 2015). "Chance the Rapper and Towkio Smoothly Soar on 'Heaven Only Knows'". Spin. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- Terry, Josh (April 27, 2015). "Rising Chicago rapper Towkio can free your mind". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Leight, Elias (February 25, 2015). "Billboard Exclusive Premiere: Towkio's 'Free Your Mind' Featuring Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- Puckett, Lily (February 21, 2018). "Towkio will drop his album from space today". The Fader. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- Barber, Andrew (October 8, 2015). "Towkio Is the Next SaveMoney Rapper to Blow". Complex. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- Williams, Aaron (February 23, 2018). "Towkio Explains How The Release Of His Debut Album 'WWW.' Helped Him Become An Astronaut". Uproxx. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- Camp, Zoe (April 28, 2015). "Towkio Drops .Wav Theory Mixtape Featuring Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, Donnie Trumpet". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Nostro, Lauren (December 2, 2015). "The Best Albums of 2015". Complex. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Kot, Greg (December 10, 2015). "Top 10 Chicago indie albums of 2015". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Terry, Josh (December 15, 2015). "The 20 best albums of 2015". RedEye. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Dowling, Marcus (January 7, 2016). "HipHopDX's Top 8 Rising Stars Of 2015". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- Mench, Chris (July 8, 2016). "Stream Towkio's New EP 'Community Service 2' f/ Vic Mensa and Joey Purp". Complex. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Espinoza, Joshua (February 23, 2018). "Towkio's Debut Studio Album 'WWW.' Is Here". Complex. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- Saponara, Michael (February 23, 2018). "Towkio Shares 'WWW.' Album From Space, Featuring Vic Mensa, SZA & More". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- Stewart, Allison (December 18, 2014). "Towkio doesn't want to be last to break big". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- Bloom, Madison; Blais-Billie, Braudie (January 7, 2019). "Towkio Faces Sexual Assault Allegation, Responds". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
External links
- Towkio on SoundCloud
- Towkio discography at Discogs