Raised in Mississauga, Ontario on Paisley Boulevard, he lived in the same house with his cousins and grandparents, close to his other relatives, who resided next door. Music-filled family get-togethers helped to instill a love of songs in him, and the street name inspired his pseudonym, serving as an homage to his roots. As a child he ran around with headphones, listening to old-school hip-hop, living and breathing all things music.

In high school, rap battling sparked his interest, establishing a framework for his fiery freestyles: in grade nine, on his third or fourth day of high school, he battled a seasoned older student and beat him, to everyone’s surprise. The positive reception from his peers was a sign he had something special: “I think the same year, there was a microphone set up in the auditorium and I just freestyled in front of the whole cafeteria.” Paisley harnessed that momentum and channeled it into his performance at the rap tournament, King of the Dot, and won.

In 2019, he self-released his first mixtape, Screwface, demonstrating his confident, natural flow and knack for searing lyricism. It was a project fuelled by anger, of being a young person searching for their place in the world. It immediately resonated, amassing over five million streams across digital service providers. He utilized that fire to release another impassioned record, Timeless, only a few months later. The single “Cost Ya” clicked with fans, racking up over a million streams and catapulting Paisley into the spotlight: “People started seeing me in the city.” He went on tour that same year with Punjabi superstar Sidhu Moose Wala, whom he had first met the year prior. “I was surprised he knew who I was then,” Paisley recalled. The two formed a friendship, and Paisley took away a key lesson in hard work from being around him: “Nothing happens by accident. You can have talent and talent is good, but you’ve got to have that work ethic, too.” Fortified by steely determination, Paisley diligently hunkered down in the studio daily. By 2020, he released another project, AR Paisley vs. AR Money, that demonstrated his verses were becoming even sharper and more refined. Several months later, he dropped the single “Still Grateful,” which showcased his aptitude for blending sentimentality with earnestness. The track exemplified Paisley’s ability to pivot from a more aggressive style of rap into one that was more self-reflective. The song was also indicative of his razor songwriting skills — he penned the song in 10 minutes, and to date, it’s been streamed over a million times. The same year, he collaborated with fellow Punjabi musician AP Dhillon, on “Takeover,” expanding his reach to global audiences. 

In 2022, Paisley reunited with Moose Wala for a collaboration on the explosive track “Love Sick,” which is Paisley’s most popular song on Spotify. It marked the final joint effort between the pair as Moose Wala who tragically passed a month later. “He was just a major part in bringing me to the point I’m at now,” Paisley said. “I feel like he always believed in me.” The loss forced him to get deeper and more vulnerable with his music, as he used it as an outlet for his grief. He released an album, Pressure, featuring “Legends Never Die,” a heartfelt tribute honouring his late friend and mentor. The songs on the record exhibited a more emotive layer to Paisley, while also revealing his talent for introspective rap.

Several months later, he performed at one of Canada’s biggest hip-hop festivals, Rolling Loud, before hitting the road to open for AP Dhillon’s sold-out arena tour. It gave Paisley a taste of what to expect on his own solo tour, which he embarked on in 2023. He sold out Toronto’s historic Axis Club, proving that he had come into his own as a performer. “I realized, ‘Damn, all these people are coming for me, I've got to really put on a show,’” he said, adding, “But then, once I get out there, everything just disappears and I’m with the fans that truly love my music.”

Only a few weeks after wrapping his tour, he hit another milestone, winning the hip-hop/rap artist of the year award at Canadian Music Week.

After establishing his successful clothing line, partnering with iconic Canadian brands Roots and Moose Knuckles, and building a strong fan base with thousands of followers across social platforms — 155, 000 on Instagram, 50, 000 on TikTok, 25, 000 on YouTube — Paisley recently signed with 91 North Records. Taking his artistry to the next level and crafting timeless releases are top of mind for Paisley as he looks to this new chapter of his career. “We know where we want to go,” Paisley says of his team. “[Warner gives us] more helping hands, and basically pours gasoline on the fire and makes things bigger.”

Paisley’s latest music is all about freshness and maturity, as he describes himself as a more selfaware artist. His upcoming songs represent this personal growth, honing in on the infectious sounds that his fans love while also solidifying Paisley as an artist who is “making records that stick.”

His newest single is a kaleidoscopic mix of Paisley’s signature hard-hitting verses and Punjabi music. “I've been on Punjabi records, and I've made songs with Punjabi artists, but this one just felt bigger, and I felt like I needed to do it right and with the team and the family at Warner,” he said. “It's just exciting and feels like we're at the inception of something big.”