American trap producer Y2K (Ari Starace) created elaborate, exuberant beats for rappers such as Killy and Lil Aaron before scoring a viral hit with "Lalala," his lighthearted 2019 collaboration with bbno$. Since then, he's produced music for Yung Gravy and Doja Cat, and collaborated with JPEGMAFIA on the 2022 single "Dirt." Starace grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. He began making music as Y2K around 2015, and over the next few years he produced songs by Lil Aaron, Lewis Grant, and instrumental rock group Polyphia, among others. He also remixed Yo Gotti and Nicki Minaj's "Rake It Up" (2017) as well as tracks by Lido and Ro Ransom. 2018 saw the release of collaborations with 88rising, Killy, and Yung Bans. In 2019, Y2K and Canadian rapper bbno$ released a pop-oriented, Latin-tinged single titled "Lalala" and decided to use every tactic imaginable in order to promote the song. They utilized dating apps, Craigslist ads, old-fashioned word of mouth, and even call centers, in addition to sending fake, conflicting stories about how the duo met to blogs promoting the track. The strategies worked, and the song garnered hundreds of millions of streams, charting in over 20 countries. Later in the year, Y2K released the single "Tampa Bay Bustdown," with Yung Gravy and Chief Keef. Y2K produced numerous other Yung Gravy tracks, as well as five songs on Doja Cat's 2021 album Planet Her. He also produced Polyphia's 2022 LP Remember That You Will Die, which included guest appearances by Steve Vai and Chino Moreno. Additionally, he released the song "Dirt" with JPEGMAFIA. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi