Quick Facts
Biography
Markeyvius Cathey (born August 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Key Glock, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. A protégé of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, he rose to fame in 2017 for his mixtape Glock Season.
Early life
Markeyvius Cathey was born in South Memphis on August 3, 1997. When he was 18 months old, his mother was sent to prison, where she would be for the next 16 years, in both state and federal facilities. His father was in and out of his life, so he was raised by his grandmother. According to Cathey, he and his grandmother visited his mother in prison every now and then. At 18 years old, he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault related to his involvement in a shooting. Fortunately for him, music was a distraction from his hardscrabble life.
Key Glock grew up listening to Gucci Mane and Lil Wayne, and cites Three 6 Mafia as his largest influence. He was also a big fan of Project Pat, whom he describes as the "Drake of Memphis". According to Glock, Pat's songs "If You Ain't From My Hood" and "Gorilla Pimp" changed his life. The latter's chorus inspired one of his breakout songs, "Dig That". The first track that Glock recorded himself was a freestyle of Future's "Ain't No Way Around It" in 2011.
Career
CEO Daddy O and Young Dolph signed Key Glock to the Paper Route Empire label in 2017. On January 25 of that year, Glock released his debut single "Racks Today" featuring American rapper Jay Fizzle. On June 16, 2017, Glock released his debut mixtape, Glock Season, under the label. His collaborative album Dum and Dummer with Young Dolph reached number eight on the Billboard 200. "Major" featuring Key Glock reached number 47 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In mid-2019, following the release of his collaborative album Dum and Dummer with Young Dolph, he went on a European tour across Manchester and London. The pair brought out UK rapper Blade Brown as a supporting act. The two proceeded to start the "No Rules" Tour in 2020, beginning on February 5 in Seattle.
On January 31, Key Glock released his fifth solo mixtape titled Yellow Tape, which debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200.
Personal life
Young Dolph is his cousin through marriage.
Discography
| Title | Mixtape details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/Hip-Hop | |||||||||||
| Whole Lotta Errthang |
| — | — | |||||||||
| Glock Season |
| — | — | |||||||||
| Glock Bond |
| 101 | — | |||||||||
| Glockoma |
| 34 | — | |||||||||
| Dum and Dummer (with Young Dolph) |
| 8 | 4 | |||||||||
| Yellow Tape |
| 14 | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||