$NOT
Edy Edouard, known by his stage name $not, is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He began his rap career on SoundCloud in 2016 and rose to fame in 2018 with his breakout hip-hop single ‘Gosha.’ He is a rising Gen Z emo artist in hip-hop and trap music. His raw writing, which talks about heartbreak, violence, sadness, drugs, and effortless style, earned him a loyal fan base.
In 2018, $not self-released his EP ‘The Tissue Flies,’ after which he released his breakout hit, Gosha. His single ‘Billy Boy’ was featured on a pilot episode of HBO’s buzzing series Euphoria. He was also featured on major YouTube channels like Lyrical Lemonade and Danny Duncan.
An intern at 300 Entertainment’s New York office, Markow reached out to $not on Instagram and persuaded him to let Markow be his manager. He leveraged his connections in the company and got a partnership deal for $not. After the success of the single Gosha and then Megan, $not signed with 300 Entertainment.
He released his debut studio album ‘- Tragedy +’ in March 2020. In September 2020, he released ‘Revenge,’ the first single from his second album with a music video. It showed him wearing his signature hoodie style pulled over his head and drawstrings tied tightly, only letting some of his face show. Since high school, he has been wearing hoodies and says they will always be part of his look and brand.
$not discovered his love for rap music at the age of seven. He and his friend began experimenting with rap and recording when he was in high school. His first lo-fi records were inspired by XXXtentacion, Yung Lean, Raider Klan, and Night Lovell. His slow, chilled-out raps are popular among Gen-Z listeners.
He connects with his fans on Instagram and shows them his naturally funny and charismatic personality, with over a million followers. Several of his songs have blown up on TikTok as well. In October 2020, he released his second studio album ‘Beautiful Havoc’ which featured Iann Dior, Denzel Curry, and Flo Milli. Beautiful Havoc charted number 172 on the Billboard 200.
He started April 2021 by releasing the single ‘Whipski,’ which is expected to be the lead single in his third album. It became his first song to reach a major chart and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard’s Bubbling under Hot 100 chart. In May, $not collaborated with rapper Cochise on the song ‘Tell Em,’ which debuted him and Cochise on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 64.
He has also released a clothing line, ‘Get Busy or Die’ but intends to keep it separate from his music. His star power continues to grow as his songs go viral on different platforms on the internet. The man under the hoodie is often surprised by his own ascend. He claims he makes music just for fun, and it has always been like that. He wants to keep moving and progressing his music forward.
