Skip to main content

Nau’Jour Grainger, aka Toosii, officially announced his commitment to Syracuse University’s football program. The 25-year-old rapper posted on Instagram in a No. 2 orange jersey, writing, “COMMITTED. For every kid who ever had a dream, make it reality.” As the first rapper to pivot to college football, Toosii is giving new meaning to the word “multiphenate.” Here’s what to know about him:

Toosii is a Syracuse, New York, native

The “Suffice” rapper was born in Syracuse and remained in Central New York until he was 12 years old. Then, Toosii’s family moved to North Carolina, where he played high school football and began recording music. He is a proud Syracuse native, reports Syracuse.com. In his Instagram announcement, Toosii wrote, “To be born in Syracuse and move to North Carolina at age 12 and haven’t been back since. When Coach Fran called, I knew it was a sign from God. So with that being said, Cuse I’m coming home.”

Toosii has two children with his fiancée, Samaria

The rapper is quite private regarding his family life. However, Toosii does give behind-the-scenes looks at life with his longtime partner, Samaria, and their two children on Instagram. This Father’s Day, he posted a black and white photo with his son Ezrah and baby daughter Aliza.

Toosii thanked his “Heavenly Father” in the caption, writing, “Through finding you I’ve found peace and I’ve found what it is to love again . . . He who doesn’t know God doesn’t know love and before I did not, but now I do. So today I thank you. In JESUS, the one and only name AMEN Happy Father’s day from my two bundles of JOY.” Along with balancing his music career and fatherhood, he’s adding football to the mix.

Toosii and Samaria will soon make their relationship official. He proposed to his longtime love in September, citing the Bible verse 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us,” alongside photos of himself down on one knee proposing to Samaria, surrounded by rose petals and pyrotechnics.

Toosii will be the richest member of the Syracuse Orange football team

Although Toosii began releasing music around 2017, his first break came in 2019 with “Red Lights,” which garnered millions of streams on SoundCloud. Since then, he’s crossed over to mainstream charts, blending melodic rap and emotionally honest lyrics. With continued success has come greater wealth. Toosii is currently worth an estimated $1.5-$2 million.

The rapper’s net worth incorporates music streaming and sales, live performance and touring, merchandise sales, endorsements, and social media revenue. This makes it difficult to be more specific about his total assets. Regardless, Toosii will very likely be the wealthiest player on the Syracuse football team.

Toosii’s childhood inspired his stage name

The rap genre is flooded with aliases, but “Toosii” is particularly memorable. The entertainer’s stage name comes from a childhood nickname, “Toota,” which his mom and sister called him, reports AskAnythingChat on YouTube. On his high school football team, teammates, including one who had trouble pronouncing it, started calling him “Tootsie” as a joke. Eventually, he changed the ending to have two “i”s, which he said represents “two eyes to see the vision.”

The ‘Favorite Song’ rapper will play wide receiver

Before Toosii seriously started pursuing music, he played wide receiver at Rolesville High School near Raleigh, North Carolina. He also served as a punt returner when needed. This August, Toosii took time off from his entertainment career. He continued working on the skills required of a wide receiver: route-running, speed, acceleration, and catching techniques. When Toosii debuts for Syracuse in the fall, we suspect we’ll see an even faster, more agile athlete than ever before.

As Toosii steps into this new chapter with Syracuse football, he’s proving that reinvention is possible. The rapper-turned-wide receiver is returning to his roots and expanding his already impressive career. When he takes the field in 2026, he won’t just be the richest player on the roster; he’ll be one of football’s most compelling stories.

Best in News