Chicago native Lil Zay Osama delivers hard-hitting raps about his harsh, violent upbringing, tempered with Auto-Tune-heavy singing as heard on tracks like 2019's "Changed Up," 2020's "We Did That," and his 2021 mixtapes Trench Baby and Trench Baby 2. Trench Baby, Vol. 3 appeared the following year.

Born on the South Side of Chicago in 2000, Zay's early years were turbulent and filled with legal troubles. After serving a three-year jail sentence, he decided to take music-making more seriously, having already started to rap before serving his term. Singles such as "Way Better" and "We Ride" appeared in 2018, and by the end of the year, Meek Mill had namechecked Zay as an artist to watch. "Changed Up" was released late in the year, and it became his breakthrough hit, racking up over 16 million views in the following months. Zay was signed by Warner Bros., which released "Changed Up" in March 2019, and issued the follow-up, "Trencherous," a month later. In February 2021, he released the mixtape Trench Baby. Trench Baby 2 arrived later that year and included features from EST Gee and Benny the Butcher. 2022 saw Zay team up with G Herbo on the single "Chase Em Down," which appeared on Trench Baby, Vol. 3. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi