Towkio

Preston Oshita[3] (born June 26, 1993),[1] better known by his stage name Towkio, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.[4] He was previously known as Young P, Preston San, and Tokyo Shawn.[5] He is a member of the Savemoney crew.[6] His debut studio album, WWW., was released in 2018.[7]

Towkio
Birth namePreston Oshita
Also known as
  • Young P
  • Preston San
  • Tokyo Shawn
  • Pizza-kun
Born (1993-06-26) June 26, 1993[1]
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active2012–present
LabelsRepublic Records[2]
Websitewww.towk.io

Early life

On June 26, 1993,[1] Towkio was born Preston Oshita in Chicago, Illinois to a Mexican mother and a Japanese father.[8] He has two older brothers.[9] He attended Lane Tech College Prep High School.[8]

Career

In 2012, Towkio released a collaborative EP with producer Mojek, titled Community Service.[8] In 2014, he released another EP, titled Hot Chips n Chop Stix, which was produced by A Billion Young.[8]

In 2015, Towkio released a mixtape, titled .Wav Theory, which featured contributions from Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, and Donnie Trumpet.[10] It was included on year-end lists by publications such as Complex,[11] Chicago Tribune,[12] and RedEye.[13] He was included on HipHopDX's "Top 8 Rising Stars of 2015" list.[14] In 2016, Towkio was featured alongside Justin Bieber on Chance the Rapper's song, "Juke Jam", from his third mixtape, Coloring Book. That same year, he released an EP, titled Community Service 2.[15]

In 2018, Towkio released his debut studio album, titled WWW., which included the previously released singles, namely "Drift", "Hot Shit", "Swim", "Symphony", and "2 Da Moon".[16] It included guest appearances from Teddy Jackson, Grace Weber, SZA, Vic Mensa, and Njomza.[17]

Style and influences

Towkio's musical style has been described by Chicago Tribune as "an adventurous mix of rap, '90s soul, jazz and generally weird, fuzzed-out beats."[18] He cited Kanye West and Lil Wayne as his biggest influences.[8]

Controversy

In January 2019, Towkio was accused by a woman of sexual assault on Twitter.[19] He denied the allegations, stating that they "were in an ongoing consensual sexual relationship dating back to 2014 which even included other women."[19] He added, "It is my hope that her and I can engage in a dialogue in a place where she feels comfortable to discuss our past relationship and her feelings."[19]

Discography

Studio albums
  • WWW. (2018)

Mixtapes

EPs
  • Community Service (2012) (with Mojek)
  • Hot Chips n Chop Stix (2014)
  • Community Service 2 (2016)

Singles
  • "Drift" (2017)
  • "Hot Shit" (2017)
  • "Swim" (2017)
  • "Symphony" (2018)
  • "2 Da Moon" (2018)
  • "Billi" (2019)
  • "Too Many Times" (2020)

Other charted songs
Featured song, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Bub.
[20]		 US R&B/HH
[21]
"Juke Jam"
(Chance the Rapper featuring Justin Bieber and Towkio)		 2016 548 Coloring Book

Guest appearances
List of guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Year Title Other artist(s) Album
2012 "Scrapemoney" Kami de Chukwu Light
2013 "She's the Type" Brian Fresco, Chance the Rapper, Kami de Chukwu, MC Tree Mafioso
"Steamer" Brian Fresco, Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kami de Chukwu
2015 "Gettin Throwed" Two Fresh, Joey Purp —
2016 "Juke Jam" Chance the Rapper, Justin Bieber Coloring Book
"Purple Fox Fur" TheMind, Donnie Trumpet, Sean Deaux Summer Camp
2017 "Just Like the Movies" Kami, Joey Purp, Knox Fortune, Vic Mensa Just Like the Movies
2018 "Sneakerhead" Lido, J'von Spacesuit

References
  1. "Towkio". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  2. "Towkio". Republic Records. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  3. Julious, Britt (May 14, 2015). "Towkio sometimes seems too good to be true". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  4. Grebey, James (April 8, 2015). "Chance the Rapper and Towkio Smoothly Soar on 'Heaven Only Knows'". Spin. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  5. Terry, Josh (April 27, 2015). "Rising Chicago rapper Towkio can free your mind". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  6. Leight, Elias (February 25, 2015). "Billboard Exclusive Premiere: Towkio's 'Free Your Mind' Featuring Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. Puckett, Lily (February 21, 2018). "Towkio will drop his album from space today". The Fader. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. Barber, Andrew (October 8, 2015). "Towkio Is the Next SaveMoney Rapper to Blow". Complex. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  9. Williams, Aaron (February 23, 2018). "Towkio Explains How The Release Of His Debut Album 'WWW.' Helped Him Become An Astronaut". Uproxx. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  10. Camp, Zoe (April 28, 2015). "Towkio Drops .Wav Theory Mixtape Featuring Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, Donnie Trumpet". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  11. Nostro, Lauren (December 2, 2015). "The Best Albums of 2015". Complex. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  12. Kot, Greg (December 10, 2015). "Top 10 Chicago indie albums of 2015". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  13. Terry, Josh (December 15, 2015). "The 20 best albums of 2015". RedEye. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  14. Dowling, Marcus (January 7, 2016). "HipHopDX's Top 8 Rising Stars Of 2015". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. Mench, Chris (July 8, 2016). "Stream Towkio's New EP 'Community Service 2' f/ Vic Mensa and Joey Purp". Complex. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  16. Espinoza, Joshua (February 23, 2018). "Towkio's Debut Studio Album 'WWW.' Is Here". Complex. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  17. Saponara, Michael (February 23, 2018). "Towkio Shares 'WWW.' Album From Space, Featuring Vic Mensa, SZA & More". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  18. Stewart, Allison (December 18, 2014). "Towkio doesn't want to be last to break big". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  19. Bloom, Madison; Blais-Billie, Braudie (January 7, 2019). "Towkio Faces Sexual Assault Allegation, Responds". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  20. "Towkio Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  21. "Towkio Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
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