Torae

Torae is the true concept of a ‘renaissance man’ — rapper, radio personality, host, entrepreneur, actor, and philanthropist. A Coney Island, Brooklyn NY native, Torae grew beyond the mischief of his youth and got focused on music and his career – one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

Initially gaining recognition by collaborating with DJ Premier and Marco Polo on his breakthrough mixtape ‘Daily Conversation’ in 2007, he and Polo went on to receive critical acclaim for their collaborative LP ‘Double Barrel’ on Duck Down Records in 2009. The album received an XL in XXL magazine. Torae was also featured in XXL’s ‘Show & Prove’ section, The Source magazine’s ‘Off The Radar’ & Hip-Hop Weekly’s ‘Next to Blow’ series. Torae’s online accolades include being named DXNext by HipHopDX.com while AllHipHop.com highlighted him in their ‘Breeding Ground’ section. In addition to DJ Premier and Marco Polo, Torae has worked with producers Pete Rock, Jahlil Beats, 9th Wonder, Mr. Porter, Large Professor & more. Collaborations include Wale, Mack Wilds, Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, Skyzoo, Sean Price, Talib Kweli, Bun B. & others.

Although the allure of the street life seemed to be an easy way out of the hood, Torae saw the bigger picture & chose the legal route working various jobs including being a teacher to pay for studio time & film videos. Torae’s investment in his music career paid off when after the release of ‘Daily Conversation’ he was invited to tour Canada & Europe by hip-hop legend Masta Ace. This was an opportunity he didn’t take lightly and by virtue of his amazing stage performance Torae has consistently toured every year since.

At the height of Torae’s popularity as an MC, DJ Eclipse of SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation let Torae know he was in need of a new co-host for his show Rap Is Outta Control. Apprehensive at first, Torae then dove in headfirst and spent almost 4 years as DJ Eclipse’s co-host before getting his own show in 2013. “The Tor Guide,” initially a Sunday morning show now airs 6 days a week on Hip-Hop Nation.
Being a host on one of the largest radio platforms in the world has also opened up other opportunities for Torae. He’s been doing red carpet coverage of the BET Awards & Hip-Hop Awards over the past three years. He hosts live performances nationwide and has been at the forefront of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival co-hosting since 2010. As an actor, he appeared in VH1’s ‘The Breaks,’ and is currently attending acting classes. He’s also done voice-over work for the Brooklyn Nets in their television spots as well as the writer & performer of their theme song.

When Torae isn’t somewhere in the limelight he’s behind the scenes organizing charitable functions like the ‘We Got Your Back’ school supply giveaway & ‘Let’s Talk Turkey’ the Thanksgiving food donation he holds at the YMCA in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn where he was raised.
Simply put, Torae’s ‘Brooklyn Boy done good’ story is bigger than even he imagined it would be. The beginning is far different from the present and even the future, whatever that may hold.