Born and raised in Houston, Texas, rapper Toro is a new artist who is ready to let the world know his story and promote Houston culture as a whole. Raised with a variety of music, Toro has been influenced by hip-hop artists like Fabolous, Lil Wayne, and Juelz Santana, as well as rock/metal bands like KISS and Korn, Phil Collins, Prince and even Jazz music. A drummer and trumpeter himself, Toro was in a band since age 14 and spent a lot of time learning about music and the music industry from behind the scenes.

It wasn’t until his engineer pushed him to start making music himself that Toro began expanding as a solo artist. Since age 18, Toro has been working on his music and building his own sound; in 2014, he decided it was time to take his talents to the next level and seriously pursue music as a career.

When Toro joined Houston-based rap collective The Real O.T.C. (Off Tha Chain), owned by his uncle, he began working on songs to help propel him to the public scene. Since starting his musical career, Toro’s sound has branched off from the mainstream-Atlanta sound, becoming more upbeat and party-oriented.

His newest single, “Drankin,” is a perfect example—a catchy single about smoking, drinking and partying with your friends, the song provides the perfect backdrop for any club or mansion party. With his video in an L.A. penthouse, Toro brings the same energy to fans visually and sonically to see his vision as a total package.

Since branching out in his own lane, Toro has been able to reach new levels in Houston, opening up for artists like Chedda da Connect, Slim Thug, and other artists in the region. As a part of his overall goal, Toro plans to bring Houston to the spotlight, simultaneously allowing others in the world to learn about Houston as a culture as well as allowing others in Houston to live vicariously through him and his spotlight. In addition, Toro pushes to inspire the youth and others like him who have been through struggles and need motivation to become successful themselves.

Currently, Toro is looking to release his upcoming mixtape, “Toro Be Da Kid,” on February 5th; in addition, Toro is also prepping the release of his new album, “Being Up 3,” later in 2016, as well as touring and performing across the nation. In short, Toro’s goals are to stay relevant, stay in people’s faces, and keep the pressure on the competition