While still working with hard-edged production and powerful delivery, rapper
Quando Rondo opted for a more emotionally nuanced lyrical approach with R&B undercurrents that set him apart from the vast majority of his peers. Even when flowing over-stylized trap beats, his songs were intelligent and complex while still incorporating enough melodic elements to keep them pop friendly.
Quando Rondo's rise was massive and quick, perhaps best exemplified by the titles of his inspired mixtapes
Life B4 Fame, released in April 2018, and
Life After Fame, released just five months later. He kept up his prolific streak with the release of his 2020 debut studio album
QPac.
Born Tyquian Terrel Bowman in 1999, the rapper grew up in Savannah, Georgia; he was interested in music at a young age. He adapted his stage name from his nickname, Ty-Quando, adding "Rondo" at the end because he liked the sound of it. His earliest songs arrived in early 2018, including the wistfully nostalgic single "I Remember," which featured a cameo from
Lil Baby, and "Motivation," which found
Quando's earnest lyrics coasting over a melancholic piano loop. In the spring of 2018, the powerful
Life B4 Fame mixtape was released, showcasing
Quando's introspective style and including features from
OMB Peezy,
Tec, and
Lil Durk. The mixtape was an immediate success -- it was streamed millions of times in its first few days alone.
With new listeners and fans showing up in droves,
Quando didn't slow down for a second, quickly offering a follow-up mixtape,
Life After Fame, in September 2018. The project found the young rapper grappling with his newfound success in almost every song, and cameos featured
Rich Homie Quan,
YoungBoy Never Broke Again,
Boosie Badazz, and others. In May 2019,
Quando released the mixtape
From the Neighborhood to the Stage, featuring the tracks "Scarred from Love" and "Imperfect Flower." With guests including
NoCap,
Polo G,
BlocBoy JB, and
Shy Glizzy, the mixtape earned
Quando his debut on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart, at number 39. After a storm of successful mixtapes, a debut studio album materialized in January of 2020 with
QPac. The 18-track album explored a plethora of styles and featured appearances from
Polo G,
Lil Durk and others and quickly made it to the Billboard charts, debuting at number 22 on the Hot 200 shortly after its release. He followed up on that success with the release of the mixtape
Diary of a Lost Child later that year, and in 2021 he issued the singles "Red Eye," Soul Reaper," "Okay," and "Angel Wings." ~ Fred Thomas