Rotimi

Rotimi is the stage name of Olurotimi Akinosho, an actor and singer who launched his career with recurring roles on TV shows like Boss and Power, as well as a series of mixtapes that highlighted his talents as an R&B artist. He was born to a Nigerian family on November 30, 1988, in Maplewood, New Jersey. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2010, he landed the role of "Darius Morrison" in Boss, a Starz program that ran for two seasons. The show premiered in 2011, the same year that Rotimi made his musical debut with two mixtapes: The Resume and While You Wait. He appeared in the music video for Keyshia Cole's "Trust and Believe" and collaborated with 50 Cent on the single "Lotto" in 2015. The song marked the beginning of Rotimi's longstanding collaboration with 50 Cent, who executive produced another show starring Rotimi, Power, and signed the artist to his label, G-Unit Records. "Lotto" debuted at number 40 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, the first of Rotimi's multiple Top 40 hits on that chart. "Last Night," his collaboration with DJ Luke Nast, reached number 38 in 2018, with "Love Riddim" hitting number 19 one year later. Meanwhile, Rotimi also released a series of EPs, including Jeep Music Vol. 1 (2017), Walking With Me (2019), and The Beauty of Becoming (2019). He earned his first gold-certified single with "In My Bed," which charted at number 16 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in 2020, and released the debut album All or Nothing in 2021. "Bestie" charted at number 38 in 2023, marking Rotimi's sixth Top 40 hip-hop single in eight years.