KEY!

KEY!, born Marquis Devone Whittaker on June 21, 1991, is an American rapper and producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He first gained recognition as a founding member of the Atlanta collective Two-9, a group that helped shape a wave of experimental Southern hip-hop and served as an early platform for artists who would later become major names, including Playboi Carti. His off-kilter, ad-lib-heavy delivery and offbeat sense of melody set him apart within Atlanta’s trap scene.

Despite a large and consistently released catalog, KEY! largely operated outside the mainstream spotlight for years, cultivating a devoted underground following. His biggest breakthrough came with 777, a 2018 collaborative album with producer Kenny Beats that showcased his loose, playful style over minimal, bass-heavy beats; a deluxe edition followed later that year. He continued this prolific run with SO EMOTIONAL in 2019, I Love You Say It Back in 2020, and The Alpha Jerk, a 2021 collaboration with New York producer Tony Seltzer.

Throughout his career, KEY! has been closely tied to the A$AP Mob and worked alongside producers like Mike Will Made-It and Sonny Digital, cementing his reputation as an influential, if underappreciated, architect of modern Atlanta rap.