Long Bio

Campbellford, Ontario isn’t the place you’d expect to breed a rising rap-rock star. The small, rural town, with a population of 3000, doesn’t have a whole lot besides churches and cows, and nothing ever happens there. Yet it was in this town that Krosst Out discovered his two passions: hip hop and heavy music. While he grew up on classic rock, rap music was seen as taboo and not allowed in the house—that is, until a friend brought over a Christian hip hop CD. It was the discovery of bands like Rage Against the Machine that led Krosst Out to realize he too could blend his two beloved genres and create something new.

By high school, Krosst Out was playing bass in bands and writing his own raps on the side, which quickly gained attention from his friends and people around him. Eventually, he realized there was simply no other path for him—he had to take his music as far as he could. And for this to happen, he had to get out of Campbellford. Now based in Toronto, Krosst Out has established connections in music scenes all over the country and beyond. 

Krosst Out’s ever-evolving sound is a moving snapshot of where he is in his life at any given moment. In the past, he’s explored feelings of sadness, grief, and trying to find meaning in life, but currently, he’s taking a more nihilistic approach, leaning into Kafkaesque sounds and imagery, accepting that maybe life has no meaning, and that’s okay. It’s the constant drive to get better and continue improving that keeps Krosst Out going, as well as the desire to make his hometown of Campbellford proud. Looking back to his early days and even his first EP, LIFEOFTHEPARTY in 2017, he’s able to hear how far he’s come and how much his lyricism, delivery, and attitude have developed.

It’s the fact that Krosst Out isn’t just a rapper that separates him from peers. There are many different facets to who he is as an artist, and his ability to blend into different worlds can serve as both a hindrance and a benefit. With fans existing in different musical subcultures as well, Krosst Out can find a home on virtually any stage and win over any crowd with a number of weapons from his vast musical arsenal–and he has, with countless shows across Canada under his belt, including east coast and west coast tours. A good chunk of Krosst Out’s fans are rap and hip hop lovers, while other segments include metalheads and punks, something refreshing to see in the music industry, when too many alternative genres seem to exist in their own worlds. 

After his debut EP, Krosst Out went on to release a slew of singles, such as “Runaway” with Melotika and “Fix Myself” in 2021, as well as “Anesthesia” featuring OnCue (whose credits include writing for Eminem) and “Three Cheers (Bottle Boy)” with Polychuck and JBRD in 2022. In 2020, Krosst Out released his magnum opus full-length album, Phone Calls with Ghosts, with tracks like “Drive” and “Running in Traffic” taking listeners on a journey through a series of thoughts, emotions, and themes, making it impossible for anyone to feel nothing listening.

Krosst Out’s newest offering, I Had A Dream I Didn’t Have Eyes, set to release this year, sees the rap-rocker continue to push his artistic development and creativity in new directions, digging deep into crevasses of his mind he didn’t think he had the wherewithal to explore, and bringing a rejuvenated energy on songs like “This The New Shit” In fusing musical genres that don’t typically go together, there are always new places to go and new boundaries to stretch, and Krosst Out will always be ready to break down those barriers and test the limits of not only what he can do, but what music can be.