Malcolm Michael Mays, born on February 14, 1990 in Los Angeles, California, United States, is an accomplished American actor, musician, and filmmaker. Starting at age eleven, Mays played the piano and started creating music influenced by 90's R&B and 18th-century poetry, drawing inspiration from a variety of eclectic sources, including Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, Rachmaninov, Caravaggio and Michelangelo, as well as performers such as Sinatra, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones. In 2013, Mays took a step forward by releasing his self-produced tracks "Dichotomy," followed by "Ruthless" in 2016, gaining attention when the latter coincided with the release of the film Southpaw (which Mays also starred in), with critics praising his unique flow, rich lyrical content and melodic approach to his craft. Building on his success, Mays continued to release popular singles, like "Who You Fuckin Wit" (2018) and "Dramatik" (2021). In 2022, he dropped his debut EP Red Flags, followed by Street Journal Vol. 1 (2023), which featured the lead single "Not Luck" (feat. Lil Baby), which reached the 39th spot on the Top 40 Radio Mainstream R&B / Hip-Hop charts.