Karon Vantrees (born February 28, 1994), known professionally as Veeze, is an American rapper.[6] He pursued a recording career in 2017 and released his debut single, "Itself" in 2019. His debut mixtape, Navy Wavy was released in September of that year. He signed with
Warner Records to release his debut studio album, Ganger (2023), which lukewarmly entered the
Billboard 200.[7] It was supported by the single "GOMD" (remixed featuring
Lil Uzi Vert).[8]
Early life
Karon Vantrees[9] was born in
Detroit, Michigan. He was raised in the West Side of Detroit, on Seven Mile Road.[10][11] Before rap, Veeze had aspirations of being an
NBA guard, but later he turned his attention towards pursuing a career in music.[12]
Career
2017–2022: Career beginnings and Navy Wavy
In an interview, he stated that he started his music career as a new player in Detroit's rap scene.[13] He first attempted rapping during the summer of 2019, listening to homegrown rap from groups like the Street Lord’z, Doughboyz Cashout and Team Eastside in Detroit.[14] On April 10, 2019, Veeze released his breakout single, "Itself", that was produced by Top$ide. Many remixes of the song were later recorded.[15][16] On May 24, 2019, he released "Rusty'".[17] Meanwhile,
Babyface Ray paid for Veeze’s first video after seeing how “Rusty” took off locally, Veeze decided to take his rap career seriously.
Karon released his debut mixtape Navy Wavy on September 27, 2019.[18] He released multiple singles, including "4 Kobe" and "Wilt". He also released "Law N Order" in 2020 and "Kurt Angle" in 2021.[19] On June 17, 2022, Karon appeared on
Lil Baby's song "
U-Digg" alongside
42 Dugg, which was also accompanied by a music video.[20][21][22] "U-Digg" debuted and peaked at number 52 on the US
Billboard Hot 100, giving Veeze his first and only Hot 100 appearance.[23]
2023: Rise to mainstream popularity with "Ganger" and feature run
He received wider recognition in 2023, subsequent to his single "GOMD" after it went viral on social media platforms; which would lead to a remix with fellow rapper,
Lil Uzi Vert.[24][25] On 17 March 2023, he released the music video of "GOMD", which was directed by Lestyn Park and currently has 10 million views on
YouTube.[26]
After the success of GOMD and the remix, Veeze launched a record label Navy Wavy, in partnership with
Warner Records in 2023.[27][28] After the deal, he went on to release his debut studio album "
Ganger" on 27 June 2023, which debuted at number 97 on the US
Billboard 200.[29] Four months after its release, a deluxe edition was released with five new songs.[30]
Musical style
Vantrees is noted for his "frequent flows", energetic rapping and cognizant tones, which he notably employed on his breakout single, "GOMD".[31] His sound has also been described as "melodic", albeit "mutter-croak".[32] Chris Richards of
The Washington Post newspaper stated he usually has a "wild and nonchalant" delivery in his verses.[33] While pursuing his career, Veeze listened to Street Lord'z and Doughboyz, all around the city of Detroit.[a]
Navy Wavy is an American record label founded by Veeze in 2023. It operates as an imprint of
Warner as of 2024.[4] He released his first music video "Safe 2" under the label on September 14, 2023.[35]
Discography
Studio albums
List of albums, with selected details and chart positions
^Kemet, High (June 16, 2023).
"THE BREAK PRESENTS – VEEZE". XXL Magazine.
Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
^Damien, Scott; Gail, Mitchell; Heran, Mamo; Carl, Lamarre; Kyle-Brandon, Denis (December 22, 2023).
"The 20 Best Rap Albums of 2023: Staff Picks". Billboard.
Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.