Known as much for his hip-hop career as for his frequent brushes with the law, Lil Tjay will hit Vancouver this fall in support of his just-released album 222. The Bronx rapper plays Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on October 7.

First rising to prominence with over a million streams on Soundcloud, the MC known to his parole officer as Tione Jayden Merritt released his double-platinum debut album, True 2 Myself, in 2019. His third album 222 landed in record stores on July 14, with guests including The Kid Laroi, Coco Jones, Jadakiss, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, The Kid Laroi, and Summer Walker.

When not making records, Lil Tjay stays busy generating headlines for his legal problems. Already famous for spending a year for robbery in juvie at age 15, the rapper hasn’t exactly stayed out of trouble as an adult. This past June he was arrested in New York for waving an imitation pistol around from the roof of a moving motor vehicle, leading to charges of reckless endangerment, obstructing governmental administration, and criminal possession of a weapon.

In January Lil Tjay and four others were arrested and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after police discovered four loaded unlicensed guns inside his car without a valid licence.

In both cases, the rapper claimed to be shooting footage for music videos.

And then there was a June 2022 targeted shooting in which Lil Tjay was hit with seven bullets during an attempted robbery. He deals with the shooting and its fallout on 222.

Yes, in the tradition of Dr. Dre, Willie D, 50 Cent, Young Thug, and 03 Greedo, the man has street cred.

Tickets for Lil Tjay are available via artist presale tomorrow (July 18), with general-public tickets going on sale on Friday (July 28).

You can listen to 222 here.

Lil Tjay

When: October 7

Where: Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre

Tickets: livenation.com

Instagram: @liltjay