In July 2014, two years after she released her first mixtape, she uploaded 'Try Me,' a low-key, melodic track produced by Ypsilanti native DDS, which caught the attention of Drake, who referenced it on Instagram. Through a period that included a few semesters of attending Saginaw Valley State and working as a janitor at a Chrysler factory, she continued to develop her talent but didn't gain much traction. At some point she established her stage name, with DeJ pronounced similar to 'beige' and Loaf a reference to her footwear preference. In high school, after she quit playing basketball at the junior varsity level, she began to take music more seriously. She grew up on the east side of Detroit and started writing lyrics at a young age.

DeJ Loaf showed up on other artists' tracks often, and released her music mostly in the form of short EPs and mixtapes like 2020's Sell Sole II.ĭeJ Loaf was born Deja Trimble in 1991.

Her bulletproof lyrical presence attracted the attention of stars, earning a co-sign from Drake for her breakthrough single 'Try Me' in 2014 and a featured verse on the Eminem-led all-star Detroit anthem 'Detroit vs. Detroit rapper DeJ Loaf has brought powerful rhymes and R&B smoothness to multiple viral hits, beginning in the mid-2010s.

Dej loaf no fear billboard