<p>Raised on Eminem and 50 Cent, Australian rapper Masked Wolf developed a rap style that paired astute, often personal lyricism with clean production values. He slowly built a listenership with a series of stand-alone
... <p>Raised on Eminem and 50 Cent, Australian rapper Masked Wolf developed a rap style that paired astute, often personal lyricism with clean production values. He slowly built a listenership with a series of stand-alone tracks, hitting streaming numbers in the multimillions with his 2021 single "Astronaut in the Ocean." The track appeared on his mixtape Astronomical and was followed by collaborations with X Ambassadors, Bebe Rexha, Bring Me the Horizon, and others.</p>
<p>Masked Wolf was born Harry Michael and grew up in Sydney. By age 13, he was writing his own rap songs, inspired by favorites like Eminem and Kevin Gates. As he grew up, he discovered other rap influences, and worked some of Drake's cool-headed poise and the sinister atmospheres of American trap production into his songs. Early singles like 2018's "Speed Racer" and 2019's "Vibin" gave way to tracks that addressed topics such as mental health and peer pressure on songs like "Numb." Masked Wolf's fame grew exponentially with the release of "Astronaut in the Ocean" in January 2021. The song quickly accrued more than 75 million streams in under a month. It eventually peaked at number four in Australia and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, setting the scene for his music to reach a new level. The song landed on his mixtape Astronomical, which also included collaborations with X Ambassadors and Kevin Gates. Follow-up singles included "It's You, Not Me (Sabotage)" (with Bebe Rexha) and "Just Names (Remix)" (featuring Smokepurpp). "Fallout," a collaboration with Bring Me the Horizon, appeared in 2022.</p>
<p>Fred Thomas<br />AllMusic.com</p>
