YNG Martyr is a 21 year old indigenous artist from Canberra, Australia, most notably known for his viral song "Nike Ticks". Surprisingly, his music career began in an online video game chatroom, when a competitor challenged him to freestyle rap for his peers.

 

After realising his natural freestyle abilities, Martyr began writing and releasing original music. His sound fluctuates between high-energy trap music and stripped-back R&B, all laced with uniquely catchy cadences and rhythms. His first release, the anthem "PUTIN", quickly gained attention online, amassing over 2 million Spotify streams since its release in late 2018.

 

Since then, Martyr has significantly increased his online following, mostly fuelled by a steady stream of quality single releases and a unique approach to social media marketing. In October 2019, YNG Martyr released a song called "Nike Ticks", which almost immediately went viral, thanks to a surge of popular memes using snippets of the song.

 

The song now has over 75 million streams across all platforms. Oddly, it's helped him grow a substantial fan base in the US, accounting for a majority of his current listeners. His follow up single "Ease Off" was also received well by fans, receiving over 10 million streams in less than 6 months.

 

At the end of 2020, popular Australian hip-hop magazine Acclaim presented YNG with the prestigious Song of the Year award, for his breakout hit "Nike Ticks" In 2021, Martyr shows no signs of slowing down. With a debut album planned, his sights are firmly set on becoming the next big crossover hip-hop act.