| Dej Loaf | |
| Birth Name: | Deja MonétTrimble[1] |
| Birth Date: | 8 April 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 2011–present |
Deja Monét Trimble (born April 8, 1991), known professionally as Dej Loaf (stylized as DeJ Loaf), is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her 2014 single "Try Me" and its 2015 follow-up "Back Up" (featuring Big Sean). The latter received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and served as the lead single for her debut extended play ...And See That's the Thing (2015), which was released by Columbia Records.[2] Both songs, along with her guest appearance on Kid Ink's 2015 single "Be Real", peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut studio album Sell Sole II (2020) was met with positive critical reception despite failing to chart.
Trimble was raised on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.[3] As a child, she often listened to music with her parents and grandmother, including 2Pac, Rakim and Miles Davis.[3] Her father was killed when she was four years old.[3] A self-described "good kid and a decent student" who mostly kept to herself, she began writing her own original music at the age of 9.[3] In 2009, she graduated from Southeastern High School in Detroit,[4] playing basketball at the junior varsity level. She then attended Saginaw Valley State University and studied nursing for three semesters before deciding to focus full-time on her recording career.[3]
In 2011, Dej Loaf began her career as a hip hop artist. Her stage name is a portmanteau of a shortened version of her first name, "Deja", and "loafer", as she took a keen interest in Air Jordans when growing up.[5] In 2013, she released her first official mixtape, Just Do It.. That mixtape attracted the attention of a fellow Detroit-native rapper SAYITAINTTONE. She was later signed to his indie record label, called IBGM (I Been Gettin' Money) under his management team.[5] In July 2014, she released her track, called "Try Me" (produced by DDS), as a single,[5] which earned her viral popularity. Canadian rapper Drake quoted lyrics from the song in his Instagram post.[6] In October 2014, she signed a major record deal to Columbia Records. After signing the deal, she released her second official mixtape, called Sell Sole.[4] The mixtape was given an "A−" by music critic Robert Christgau, who wrote in his review for Vice, "What's irresistible is the form-content disparity—a rapper who brags so un-macho, a rapper whose greed is so explicitly for her family, a rapper who's "Grindin'" at music. Plus her flow is a brook, her producer respects her space, and her two sex rhymes are into it and into it more."[7]
Dej Loaf rapped on the song "Detroit vs. Everybody" featured on Eminem's compilation Shady XV (2014). In 2015, she opened for Nicki Minaj during the North American leg of The Pinkprint Tour.[8] Later that year, she was chosen as part of the XXL magazine 2015 Freshman Class.[9]
In February 2016, Dej Loaf released a mixtape called All Jokes Aside.[10] In July 2017, she released a joint mixtape with Jacquees titled Fuck a Friend Zone.[11]
After several years of delays, Dej Loaf split from Columbia Records in 2019. She then independently released her debut album, Sell Sole II on October 23, 2020.[12] It features appearances from Big Sean, Gunna, Rick Ross, Lil Uzi Vert, and 6lack.[13] The album is the sequel to Dej Loaf's 2014 mixtape Sell Sole.[14] The album holds a 72/100 rating on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
In February 2021, Dej Loaf was featured on Sevyn Streeter's single "Guilty" along with Chris Brown and ASAP Ferg.[16]
| Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [17] | US R&B/<br>HH [18] | US Rap [19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ...And See That's the Thing |
| 47 | 8 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Go DeJ Go' Vol.1 |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's a Set Up |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No Saint |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [24] | US R&B/<br>HH [25] | US Rap [26] | |||||
| "Try Me" | 2014 | 45 | 12 | 8 | rowspan="2" | ||
| "We Good"[28] | — | — | — | ||||
| "Detroit vs. Everybody" (with Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Danny Brown, Big Sean and Trick-Trick) | — | 28 | 23 | Shady XV | |||
| "We Be on It"[29] | 2015 | — | — | — | Sell Sole | ||
| "Me U & Hennessy (Remix)" (featuring Lil Wayne)[30] | — | 38 | — | ||||
| "Back Up" (featuring Big Sean) | 47 | 16 | 10 |
| ...And See That's the Thing | ||
| "Hey There" (featuring Future) | — | 47 | — |
| |||
| "In Living Color (Oh Na Na)" | 2016 | — | — | — | rowspan="3" | ||
| "No Fear"[31] | 2017 | 100 | 43 | — |
| ||
| "Liberated"[32] (with Leon Bridges) | 2018 | — | — | — | |||
| "Star" (featuring Dave East and Nicole Bus) | 2020 | - | - | - | True to the Game 2 | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/<br>HH | US Rap | |||||
| "Money on the Flow" | 2014 | — | — | — | rowspan="5" | ||
| "Hardcore" | — | — | — | ||||
| "I Ain't Got Time" | — | — | — | ||||
| "Girls Love to Party" | — | — | — | ||||
| "Red Leather" | — | — | — | ||||
| "Vest Up" | 2015 | — | — | — | No Plan BS | ||
| "Be Real" | 43 | 12 | 7 |
| Full Speed | ||
| "What You Do To Me (Remix)" | — | — | — | rowspan="2" | |||
| "Ryda" | — | — | — | ||||
| "All Hands on Deck Remix" | — | — | — | Aquarius | |||
| "Tied Up"[33] [34] | — | — | — |
| Live & Grow | ||
| "All Said and Done" | — | — | — | The 48 Hunnid Project | |||
| "I Just Wanna..." | — | — | — | Shadows & Diamonds | |||
| "Til the Morning" | — | — | — | rowspan="4" | |||
| "Ride for Me" | — | — | — | ||||
| "Its Just Money" | — | — | — | ||||
| "On a Hater, Pt. 2" | — | — | — | ||||
| "Lifestyle, Pt. II" | — | — | — | Black Santa | |||
| "My Beyoncé" | — | 32 | — |
| 300 Days, 300 Nights and Lil Durk 2X | ||
| "Serena" (Dreezy featuring Dej Loaf) | — | — | — | From Now On | |||
| "We Do This Shit" | 2016 | — | — | — | Movie | ||
| "At the Club" (Jacquees featuring Dej Loaf)[37] | 2017 | 86 | 40 | — |
| ||
| "Ride It" (Tink featuring Dej Loaf) | 2019 | — | — | — | Voicemails | ||
| "Fear of GOD" (Conway the Machine featuring Dej Loaf) | 2020 | — | — | — | From King to God | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
| Year | Other artist(s) | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Baddest in the Building" | 2014 | E-40, Luigi the Singer | |
| "Allergic 2 Broke" | Webbo | Independent Ballin | |
| "Blah Blah Blah (Remix)" | Rich Homie Quan, Fabolous, Ty Dolla Sign | ||
| "Possible" | Mike Will Made It, Yung Joey | Ransom | |
| "Givin N' Takin | The Neighbourhood, Danny Seth |
| |
| "Found One" | 2015 | Oba Rowland | Found One |
| "Post to Be (Remix)" | Omarion, Ty Dolla Sign, Trey Songz, Rick Ross | rowspan="2" | |
| "League of My Own" | Samantha J | ||
| "Real" | Trae Tha Truth | Tha Truth | |
| "Step Up" | The Game, Sha Sha | The Documentary 2 | |
| "I Don't Belong to You (remix)" | Keke Palmer, Ty Dolla Sign | ||
| "Fail to See Me (Remix)" | K Jewlzz, Drey Skonie | Senior Year – The Evolution | |
| "Go so Hard" | Jerry Parker | The Illustration | |
| "Possible" | Yung Joey | Necessary Evil (The Preface) | |
| "Set It Off" | 2016 | Jacquees | Mood |
| "On a Hater" | Rambo K Kutta, Squirm G | Drugz and Jewelz | |
| "Good Good" | Lil Durk, Kid Ink | ||
| "Nobody On Jupiter"[38] | Jesse Boykins III | Bartholomew | |
| "Rider Life" | Lil Durk | They Forgot | |
| "Maybach Music V" | 2017 | Rick Ross | Rather You Than Me |
| "Ol Skool" | Sevyn Streeter, Jeremih | Girl Disrupted | |
| "Red Light" | 2018 | Jacquees | 4275 |
| "What We Have" | Nef the Pharaoh | The Big Chang Theory | |
| "Famous" | Gangland Landlord | ||
| "White Lines" | 2019 | Rick Ross | Port of Miami 2 |
| "Guapanese" | Lil Pete | Hardaway | |
| "Shoot My Shot" | Yung Bleu | Investments 6 | |
| "Gov't Cheese" | 2020 | Jadakiss, Nino Man, Millyz | Ignatius |
| "Can't Get Enough" | Love Me While I'm Here | ||