Biography

21-year-old artist Rarin is as cool as they come — but not in ways one might expect from a burgeoning rap star. Born to Bulgarian parents, Rarin is a first-generation American who speaks Bulgarian and English. Giving him every opportunity they weren’t afforded during their childhood, his parents pushed him to experience as much as possible. As a kid, he was immersed in fencing, swimming, competitive chess, drawing and LEGOs. In kindergarten, his parents enrolled him in piano lessons, and he played classical

music for over eight years but ultimately decided he wanted to take a different route.

After a brief foray into EDM, he discovered rap in middle school, then started rapping during his sophomore year in high school and hasn’t looked back. Through his work with computers, video games, film editing, and his unshakeable work ethic fueled by a desire to be independent and a love for the grind of music, he has been able to grow an organic fanbase within the Fortnite community and watch his notoriety soar.

To Rarin, building an emotional connection with his fans is the most important aspect of his blossoming career. When 20-year-old rapper Lil Peep suffered a fatal drug overdose in November 2017, Rarin realized just how much his music meant to people and how much the music of others meant to him.

“Listening to Peep’s music was almost like a coping mechanism,” Rarin says. “I want to give that to people. Music helps me and I want to help others.”

With his debut mixtape Toxic Ends, Rarin is able to provide not only uptempo bangers but also more introspective musings on his life, effortlessly spotlighting his versatility as an artist. But just because he occasionally flexes in his music, that doesn’t mean he’s blends in with the braggadocious mainstream rap that’s currently ruling the Billboard charts. Rarin goes deeper than that, using his music to process his own world and as a cathartic exercise to sift through the cobwebs that so often prevent us from being our best selves. 

“I like pushing what I believe in, letting go of negativity and the stuff that’s holding me back,” he says. “That’s something I learned and something I’m fighting for because I still get caught up in the negative thoughts.” 

In the process, Rarin hopes he can help his fans through their own emotional turmoil and strengthen that bond by sharing his own experiences, putting human connection at the forefront of his art, and offering up his music as a lens for people to understand one another. While his fans vary in age, most fall between 11 and 15 but hail from all over the world.

“People say you can’t be friends with everyone, but every fan is a friend of mine,” he says. “People value genuine people. My fans cherish all the music I drop. One thing I really like is in my chat, they’ll sing the lyrics. It’s really cool they know those words. I’ll get DMs of them recognizing the meaning and it’s just really dope to see that.”


At the end of the day, that’s not what matters the most to Rarin — it’s all about his fans and impacting their lives for the better. “Some of these kids think I’m some god with mansions, jets and three Ferraris, but I’m just like them,” he says. “I feel like there’s so much insecurity in thinking other people’s opinions matter. I wish I could rid them of that and remind them to just be yourself.”