Cordae (born Cordae Amari Dunston) is a Grammy Award-nominated rapper, singer, and songwriter who’s best known for remixing popular songs. Though the rapper was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, he moved to Suitland, Maryland, and quickly developed a passion for hip-hop.
After taking on songwriting and rapping as hobbies for several years, he started to pursue a serious career in music and joined the YBN collective in 2018. However, the group has since disbanded.
In July 2019, Cordae released his debut studio album, The Lost Boy, which peaked at #6 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums Chart and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Since then, he released his second studio album, From a Birds Eye View, in January 2022. The album featured guest artists like Gunna, Lil Wayne, H.E.R., Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs, Stevie Wonder, Eminem and Roddy Ricch.
In addition to his successful artistic endeavors, Cordae is also an incredibly supportive partner, having stood by Osaka during her very public mental health journey. During the 2020 U.S. Open, the musician cleared his schedule and flew to New York to quarantine with her after she told him she was "feeling sad and lonely in the bubble," Osaka wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. (The tennis champ notably refused press interviews at the 2021 French Open, saying she was prioritizing her mental health.)
But aside from the occasional social media post, the duo prefer to keep their relationship under wraps, with Cordae telling GQ, "We were dating for almost a year before people knew about us. So we kind of move very reclusively. We don’t really post intimate moments, because I feel as though they’re sacred. A relationship is really a sacred thing. Once you let outside influences get into it, it becomes less sacred."
