Larry June draws on aspects of both his West Coast roots and his Atlanta upbringing for a rap style that is as gritty as it is dreamily smooth. Prolifically releasing projects throughout the 2010s, June's laid-back flows and sunny instrumentals graced multiple mixtapes and studio albums, like his 2020 collaborative effort with Harry Fraud, Keep Going, and 2022's Spaceships on the Blade. The Great Escape, a full-length effort with the Alchemist, appeared in 2023 and was followed by singles with Slum Village and Knucks, as well as the Cardo collaboration The Night Shift. June was born in San Francisco in 1991 and relocated to Atlanta at age four. He grew up splitting time between the two major cities, spending summers with his father in the Bay Area and the rest of the year immersed in the culture and sounds of the South. He began rapping and making his own music at age eight, and by 15 he had released his first mixtape. As he got a little older, June threw himself passionately into a life of music, growing his fan base through an active social media presence and eventually touring with big names like Asher Roth, Post Malone, and Cousin Stizz. After issuing several self-released mixtapes, the rapper signed on with Warner Bros. Following the release of several singles and mixtapes such as 2015's #GoodJobLarry, June issued his EP Larry in the summer of 2016, gaining more visibility. He released the mixtapes Orange Season and Larry 2 before returning in March 2018 with the more fully realized collection You're Doing Good. More material followed at a staggering clip, as June released six mixtapes and studio albums throughout 2019, including the Cardo collaboration Mr. Midnight and the old-school-flavored Product of the Dope Game. He barely slowed down in 2020, issuing one project after another at about the same rate. Standouts from June's output that year included the hazy Berner collaboration Cooks & Orange Juice and the Billboard Heatseekers-charting mixtape Keep Going, made with Harry Fraud and featuring guest spots from Dom Kennedy and Curren$y. Another full-length project called Orange Print appeared in June 2021, charting at number 125 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by the EP Into the Late Night (with Cardo) and 2022's 2 P'z in a Pod (with Jay Worthy). June released the solo full-length Spaceships on the Blade in the fall of 2022; it was his first to chart in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200. He collaborated with the Alchemist for the 2023 full-length The Great Escape, which featured guest verses by Big Sean, Action Bronson, Boldy James, Slum Village, and others. It became June's second Top 40 entry. He then guested on singles by Slum Village (with the Dramatics), Curren$y, Knucks, and others. June released a full collaboration with Cardo, The Night Shift, which included guest appearances by 2 Chainz, DeJ Loaf, the Alchemist (as a rapper), ScHoolboy Q, and others. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi