Valee Biography

Valee Taylor, known as Valee, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. His third mixtape, "1988" (2017), caught the attention of Pusha T, leading to his signing with Kanye West's label, GOOD Music, in February 2018. His debut EP, "GOOD Job, You Found Me", released the following month, was executive produced by West. In May 2018, his single "Womp Womp" featuring Jeremih appeared on both the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100 before he left the label the next year.Valee grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Robert Taylor Homes, experiencing frequent relocations after they were demolished. Influenced by artists like Erykah Badu, Sade, and Jill Scott thanks to his mother, he honors them in his work. He trained as an auto mechanic and earned money fixing cars before pursuing music. Valee often faced disciplinary issues in school and cites early hip hop influences from Cash Money and Project Pat.He decided to make music spontaneously while heading to buy a video game. Instead, he visited Guitar Center, where he purchased equipment to start making beats and rapping.Valee began his music career with collaborations with producers like Rio Mac and Chase the Money. His first track, "Cash Don't Bend" (with Ty Money), was released in 2015. Between 2015 and 2017, he produced five independent projects before signing with GOOD Music.His EP, "GOOD Job, You Found Me", received a 7.4/10 rating from Pitchfork but had minimal commercial success. The single "Womp Womp," featured in the 2019 Netflix film Beats, debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.In 2019, Valee released a surprise EP, "Runnin Rich", featuring artists like G Herbo and Vic Mensa. The cover art, depicting his pet Chihuahua, Cliff Notez, drew some controversy when he dyed the dog's fur, which he explained was done with "edible vegan dye." He has also collaborated with Big Baby DRAM, Matt Ox, and Lil Yachty and appeared on YG's album "4Real 4Real".Valee is currently managed by Andrew Barber, founder of the Chicago hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive.