BEAM

Beam (an acronym for Be Everything And More) is the stage name of Jamaican-American rapper and producer Tyshane Thompson. The son of dancehall and gospel reggae artist Papa San, he was born in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, in 1995 but grew up in Weston, Florida. A precocious talent, he began producing at the age of 10 and took his first steps in music as one-half of the production duo 808&Elite. In 2011, Beam had his first taste of recognition through his involvement in Andy Mineo's mixtape Formerly Known. Following 808&Elite's debut with the EPs New Era Vol. 1 and Diamonds x Pearls in 2012, Beam landed production credits on Lecrae's Grammy-winning album Gravity and featured on KIDD's "Fireworks." Over the next few years, 808&Elite went on to collaborate with some of the most acclaimed household names in mainstream hip-hop, including 2 Chainz, Yo Gotti, and G-Eazy, but Beam had yet to prove himself as a solo artist. Preceded by the standalone singles "Chat Bout" (2017), "Problems" (2017), "Centipede" (2017), and "Cactus" (2019), his debut EP 95 appeared in 2019 and masterfully combined his dancehall influences with a more aggressive trap sound. It was followed by a second EP titled Crimson Soundtrack in 2020, as well as a series of guest appearances on releases by Major Lazer and Justin Bieber. Alien, his first full-length album, finally saw the light in 2022 and included cameos by Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith, and Zacari. That year, his performance of the single "2X2" on the web platform ColorsxStudios entered the South Korean Top 200 at Number 156.