Rapper Toosii is the latest featured artist in HotNewHipHop’s Rise & Grind series for “new, buzzing, or underground artists.”

After showcasing his versatility on his latest album, Thank You For Believing, the Syracuse-native hopes to leave a lasting impact on the music industry and the world. 

“I have people from the music industry that I look up to, as far as just being a person. I want the world to look at me how they looked at Nipsey [Hussle], and it’s a process,” Toosii tells HotNewHipHop. “I’m growing and I’m still very young but I’m very intelligent. So I want the world to look at me how they look at Nipsey, for real.”

Revealing his love for other genres of music, Toosii said he doesn’t “really listen to rap.”

“I’m going to be honest if I like a rapper it’s because of him as a person, like Nipsey. I got to go with Jay-Z, Nas for sure, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss,” he continues. “Oh my god, I listen to pop music, country music, R&B.”

Toosii went on to name a few of his favorite artists including Lewis Capaldi, Tim McGraw, John Legend, Jason Mraz, Train, Ed Sheeran and Adele.

“That’s the type of stuff I listen to. I’m gonna keep it one hundred I could name more pop artists than I can rap artists,” he says.

Toosii hopes to expand his melodic rap portfolio with a collaboration featuring pop star Billie Eilish. “T x Billie Eilish would have people crying [and] grabbing tissues.”

Thank You For Believing is out now featuring collaborations with DaBaby, Key Glock and Atlanta’s self-proclaimed Queen of Da Souf: Mulatto.

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