Worcester rapper Joyner Lucas is going to be presented with a key to the city on Tuesday.
The rapper announced the news Monday on social media.
According to Lucas, Mayor Joseph M. Petty will present the rapper with a key to the city of Worcester on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The rapper, whose full name is Gary Maurice Lucas Jr., was born in Worcester in 1988. He grew up in the city and attended South High Community School. The city of Worcester serves as the backdrop for several of Lucas’ music videos.
Lucas gained national attention in 2015 for his single “Ross Capicchioni,” which included a music video filmed at South High Community School. A result of the video’s widespread attention, Lucas received an invitation to the 2015 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
A year later, he signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and began work for his 508-507-2209 project, which was released in June 2017.
In November of 2017, Lucas released the viral music video, “I’m Not Racist,” on YouTube, which has more than 140 million views. The release resulted in several major news network interviews for the rapper.
In between projects, Lucas has stayed relevant by re-mixing other artists’ popular hit hip-hop singles, including Future’s “Mask Off,” 21 Savage’s “Bank Account” and Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang.”
After several delays, Lucas released his debut album ADHD in March of 2020.
In October of 2020, Lucas dropped an EP, Evolution, which is supposedly one of two projects the rapper promised would be released in an effort to make amends with fans after the delays for his debut album, according to the music media website Genius.com.
Lucas has been known to give back to residents of Worcester. In 2019, he organized an event at the Main Street YMCA to offer haircuts and “makeovers” to members of the homeless population.
