Behind the Brewing Success of Caro’s “Who I Am”

How this rapper went viral, and what life changing events led to this point

After 2 years of work on his debut album, California, rapper Caro is having a debut to remember. On the morning of Friday, August 19, "Who I Am" went viral, landing over 150K views in under 24 hours, at some points averaging 106 views per minute.

The single is packed with hidden references of Caro's journey to being the artist he is today. The song starts out right away with, "You don't know I got a plan / you don't see the work," but what's even more unforgettable is the journey traveled to get him to this point in his career.

Referencing one of the truest statements made in his debut single, many don't know who Caro really is. At the age of 17, Caro survived a gunshot to the stomach, a shot that is fatal for nearly 20% of its victims. "Long story short I got caught off guard, everything happened really quick, I heard three shots and they kept coming," said Caro. "After being hit everything was silent, I looked up and saw the night sky, and you could still hear bullets going past."

At the age of 4 Caro's parents split-up, and he lost contact with his father. Being that his parents were separated, the facts about his father's disappearance were uncertain. It wasn't until he was 21 he found out his father had been incarcerated since the early 90's under unknown charges. The two now hold conversations often, closing a very mysterious chapter in Caro's life.

Caro was signed to Carson, California based record label Push The Line Entertainment in January of 2015, after being brought to the label by Demetrius Shipp Jr., the young actor who played slain rapper Tupac Shakur in the recently released film All Eyez On Me.

Push The Line Entertainment was founded by Shipp Jr.'s father Demetrius "Meech" Shipp, Sr. and his partner Donald Brown. Shipp, Sr., produced some of Shakur's early music at Death Row Records and also produced Tupac's "Toss It Up," which appears on The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, the first album released after Shakur's death. Meech was also one of the producers on board for the creation of the soundtrack to Tupac's first film "Juice." Now 25 years later he's still at it, nailing the production of what looks to be another hit, with "Who I Am."

WATCH: "Who I Am" by Caro below

In August of 2017, Push The Line Entertainment partnered with record label service and hip-hop marketing specialists Forbes Music Entertainment to finalize the debut of the single "Who I Am." The deal would lead to a global outbreak for Caro, with 10 thousand viewers in France, 18 thousand in the United Kingdom, 19 thousand in Italy and over 34 thousand in the United States.

Caro plans to announce the release date of his debut album soon. He has recently released the official music video to the "Intro" of his upcoming album to his newly found YouTube fans. He admits that all things before music were done by choice. He now has a greater perspective and looks forward to a long career in music after "Who I Am."

Stay up to date with Caro: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube