Lil Tjay

Merritt was born and raised in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx. He and two younger siblings were raised by a single mother, and he later described himself as the problematic child of the three because of school fights and petty robberies. He also loved to draw when he was younger.

At 15, Merritt was arrested for robbery and spent about a year in a youth detention center. During that time, he began writing rap lyrics, including material that became part of "Resume." His childhood friend Smelly, who was fatally stabbed in 2016, has been remembered in several of Merritt's songs.

Merritt began releasing music on SoundCloud in 2017. "Resume," released when he was 16, became his first viral hit, while "Brothers," "Leaked" and "None of Your Love" accumulated millions of plays. Within the first ten months of his career, five of his tracks had surpassed one million SoundCloud plays.

On March 10, 2018, he placed first at the NYC All Ages Edition of Coast 2 Coast LIVE, where his performance attracted the attention of a record-label A&R representative. The success of "Brothers," which later received triple-platinum certification from the RIAA, helped him sign with Columbia Records. He released the EP No Comparison in 2018 and the EP F.N in 2019.

His collaboration with Polo G on "Pop Out" became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry and peaked at number 11. His solo song "F.N" reached number 56, becoming his first charting single as a lead artist. His debut studio album, True 2 Myself, was released on October 11, 2019, and reached number five on the Billboard 200.

Merritt continued his chart run with "20/20," which reached number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2020 EP State of Emergency focused heavily on New York drill and included "Zoo York," featuring Fivio Foreign and Pop Smoke. He also appeared on Pop Smoke's posthumous album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon on "Mood Swings," which reached number 17 on the Hot 100.

In 2020, Merritt was named to XXL's Freshman Class. His 2021 collaboration with 6lack, "Calling My Phone," debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest chart position of his career. He followed it with Destined 2 Win, released on April 2, 2021, and collaborated with Polo G and Fivio Foreign on the album's single "Headshot."

On June 22, 2022, Merritt was shot seven times during an attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center for emergency surgery, while his friend Antoine Boyd was also shot and hospitalized in stable condition. Merritt remained hospitalized during his recovery and later gave an update saying that he was alert and talking.

Merritt returned to the stage at Rolling Loud New York on September 23, 2022, his first concert since the shooting. His single "Beat the Odds," released on August 26, details the shooting and his recovery. The following year, he released "June 22nd," referencing the date of the attack, and issued his third studio album, 222, on July 14, 2023.

Merritt is known for a melodic style that combines sing-song rap, Auto-Tune and emotionally direct writing. His music often draws on his Bronx upbringing and past struggles, while his releases have incorporated hip-hop, trap, drill and R&B elements.

He has named Drake, Meek Mill and Usher among his major musical influences. He has also cited Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Justin Bieber as influences on his melodic sound. After sampling Justin Bieber's "Baby" on "None of Your Love," he became associated with the nickname "the Bronx Justin Bieber."