Metro Boomin
Metro Boomin (real name Leland Tyler Wayne), also known as Young Metro or Metro
September 16, 1993, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2009 – present
Estimated net worth of $8 million as of 2019
St. Louis-native Metro Boomin has lent his production prowess to everyone from Nicki Minaj to Drake, Future, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Wiz Khalifa and Migos scoring 10 tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 – simultaneously.
Metro started out making music at the tender age of 13 while still in school, messing around with FruityLoops – inspired by Nelly’s “Country Grammar” – with a second to none work ethic, which saw him produce about five beats a day. Through Twitter he started connecting with Atlanta rappers offering his beats and setting up business meetings, having his mom drive the 17-hour commute to Atlanta on weekends, where he would spend them in the studio with OJ Da Juiceman and Gucci Mane. In 2012, Metro was accepted to prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta. Around the same time his collaboration with Future, “Karate Chop,” dropped and became a surprise hit overnight breaking the Billboard Hot 100. The 18-year-old freshman had to make a decision: Continue his education and only do music on the weekends, or drop out and focus solely on his music career. He chose the latter, and the rest is hip-hop history.
In 2014, the Metro-produced single, “Tuesday,” sung by iLoveMakonnen featuring Drake broke in on the Billboard US Hot 100 chart reaching the second spot on the Billboard US R&B chart, and was certified platinum.
In the years 2015 to 2017, Metro had smash-hits with the likes of Travis Scott on the song “3500,” and several top-chart entries together with Future, including “Where Ya At” featuring Drake, the song “Low Life” featuring The Weeknd, “Jumpman” and “Mask Off” solidifying their fruitful collaborations.
He continued to sprinkle some of his chart-topping magic on Kanye West’s “Father Stretch my Hands Pt. 1” featuring Kid Cudi, the song “Bank Account” by 21 Savage and multi-platinum awarded song “Bad and Boujee” with Migos. All this before putting out two studio albums – Without Warning and Double or Nothing – and a mixtape, Perfect Timing, of his own in 2017, racking up top-listings on the Billboard US 200, Top US R&B/Hip-hop and Top Rap charts. In the process he snagged a Producer of the Year award and sat down with Sonny Digital and Zaytoven Beats for a lecture at Red Bull Music Academy.
Metro also became a meme, starting with the beat tag: “If young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you,” uttered by Future in the studio, which blazed through the internet on Twitter and Instagram feeds (even reaching protest signs at Donald Trump rallies.)
Elsewhere, he put himself on the fashion radar with an interview in GQ in 2016 showing off his enviable collection of drip confessing that he loves to shop. He also teamed up with New Balance to create his own take on the NB1 998 sneaker, and in 2018 he featured in a GAP campaign alongside SZA with the self-produced remix of “Hold Me Now.”
By now a bona fide pop-culture phenomenon, an online ruckus ensued with Metro’s Instagram story announcing his retirement from rap in April 2018 (although still racking up production credits on Nicki Minaj’s album Queen, as well as Lil Wayne on Tha Carter V.) The “retirement” didn’t last for too long, however, as he went on to release his comeback debut full-length solo album Not All Heroes Wear Capes, in November the same year, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
To date the prolific beatsmith has amassed over a dozen Top 20 hits with a string of nominations to his name, and an estimated net worth of $8 million.
Albums
Without Warning (with Offset and 21 Savage)
Released: October 31, 2017
Label: Boominati Worldwide, Republic, Epic, Capitol, Motown, Quality Control, Slaughter Gang
Double or Nothing (with Big Sean)
Released: December 8, 2017
Label: Boominati, Republic, Universal, GOOD, Def Jam
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Released: November 2, 2018
Label: Boominati, Republic
Mixtapes
19 & Boomin
Released: October 7, 2013
Label: Self-released
Perfect Timing (with NAV)
Released: July 21, 2017
Label: Boominati, XO, Republic
