Atlanta rapper Destroy Lonely typically delivers erratic, speedy rhymes over atmospheric trap beats. He's released numerous mixtapes and EPs since the late 2010s, and his 2019 single "Bane" became a viral hit two years after it first appeared. After signing with Playboi Carti's Opium imprint, he issued the mixtape No Stylist in 2022, followed by his official full-length debut, If Looks Could Kill, in 2023.

Bobby Sandimanie III is the son of rapper I-20, who frequently collaborated with Ludacris and was signed to Disturbing tha Peace. The younger Sandimanie regarded Ludacris as an uncle, and went on numerous tours with his father while growing up. He took online classes for middle school, taught himself audio production during his free time, and began uploading music to SoundCloud in 2015. He attended high school and met other rappers such as Nezzus and Texaco Cam, and soon formed connections within the Atlanta rap scene.

NezzusDestroyed, an EP with Nezzus, appeared in 2018, and Destroy Lonely released his solo projects Darkhorse, Sometimes U Lose, and Forever, ILY in 2019, in addition to singles such as "Bane." The EP Lord and mixtape </3 (revamped with bonus tracks as </3²) appeared in 2020. "Bane" ended up going viral in 2021, around the time Destroy Lonely signed to Playboi Carti's Opium label. He released No Stylist, featuring a guest appearance by labelmate Ken Carson, in 2022, followed by an expanded edition, NS+ (ULTRA). The single "If Looks Could Kill" appeared in 2023, preceding a full-length of the same name, which reached number 18 on the Billboard 200. ~ Paul Simpson