Calm falls over South Central, Los Angeles when the sun goes down. Under the glow of streetlights, the city provides the backdrop for friendship, romance, and growth. It’s a dimension of this neighborhood rarely if ever, depicted in movies, television series, video games, and books, but it’s reality for TRAETWOTHREE. The Crenshaw-raised singer and songwriter invite listeners to sit in the passenger seat as he cruises the place, he proudly calls home. He rotated between homes, living with his mom, dad, and grandma. Brought up in a Nigerian-American household, and his parents being Jehovah’s Witnesses, TRAE absorbed faith and a love for a variety of musical genres. He initially found his love of music through his Nigerian roots and today he credits Afrobeat artists Davido, Wizkid and Mufasa among others, for his rich musical influence. Growing up he played saxophone throughout middle school and spun records by the likes of Gerald Albright, David Sanborn, Candy Dulfer, Tank, Tyrese, Erykah Badu, and The Isley Brothers. Embracing Drake, J. Cole, and Nipsey Hussle, he wrote and recorded music in his bedroom at the age of sixteen, fashioning a fresh and fiery perspective on R&B. He serendipitously linked up with Ncredible when team members bought sneakers from him during his part-time gig at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Nick Cannon heard his music and signed him. “TRAETWOTHREE is a fresh new voice in R&B. I have the same feeling about him as I did when I found Kehlani.”