Slayr

Evan McDonald (born May 22, 2007), known professionally as Slayr (stylized in lowercase), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Philadelphia. He is widely known for the release of his seventh mixtape, Half Blood, in 2025 and a deluxe reissue titled Half Blood (BloodLuxe) in 2026.

Early life Evan McDonald was born on May 22, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both of his parents are Jamaican immigrants. He grew up in Philadelphia and was interested in video games such as Sonic Colors and Kingdom Hearts; he has credited video game soundtracks with getting him into music. McDonald later started experimenting with music inside FL Studio. His first viral song was "Fourth Gear Cypher", released in 2021. Subsequently, he has garnered millions of views on YouTube and "been subjected to irrational aura debates".

In April 2026, Pitchfork reviewed Half Blood (Bloodluxe), rating it a 6.7. Writer Mano Sundaresan argued that the mixtape reflected a commercial accessible take on the rage rap genre, stating that McDonald made "maximalist, crowd-pleasing rage rap that prioritizes craft over feeling". On June 13, 2026, McDonald performed at Summer Smash 2026, he also made a guest appearance on PlaqueBoyMax's set as well. His debut headlining tour, in support of Half Blood, is scheduled to begin in August 2026 in San Francisco and conclude in September 2026 in Milwaukee, the tour will have Egobreak as the main DJ to help support throughout the tour. On July 2, 2026, during Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, California, it was announced that Slayr, alongside other notable artists will be featured on the upcoming 2026 fall EP Beyond Borders Vol.1: Emerge Mode Miku.

Then, on July 10, 2026, he released Avant Nova, a six-track EP with production from Underscores, and a single feature from Prettifun. In August 2026, McDonald released "Keep Me Going (Birdbrain)", which samples "Birdbrain" by the American musician Jamie Paige, featuring vocals produced using the Synthesizer V voicebank Kasane Teto. The song peaked at number eight on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart, becoming McDonald's highest-charting song on the chart.

On August 22, 2026, it was announced that Slayr would no longer be performing at Counterfeit Festival 2026, after having previously been announced as a headliner.

Artistry McDonald has cited Lil Uzi Vert, XXXTentacion, Kanye West, Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, and SoFaygo as influences on his music.

Reception His music has generated positive reviews, with fans and critics praising his creativity. Additionally, McDonald was listed as one of the "32 coolest artists of 2026" by The Fader. On June 24, 2026, it was announced that McDonald was featured in the Freshman XXL class of 2026. On August 4, 2026, Complex'' labeled McDonald as the 94 hottest rapper in their "100 hottest rappers right now" list.

Discography Mixtapes TitleAlbum detailsLost Files (Exclusives) Released: April 22, 2022 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingBeFour My Creation Released: August 17, 2022 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingGaia Released: May 22, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingStay Safe Released: February 10, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingGaia 2 Released: October 4, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingHeavenTunes Released: May 30, 2025 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingHalf Blood Released: November 5, 2025 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming

Reissues TitleAlbum detailsHalf Blood (BloodLuxe) Released: March 6, 2026 Label: Columbia Format: Digital download, streaming

EPs TitleEP detailsDestruction Released: April 30, 2022 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingChaos (#B4Gaia) Released: February 8, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming#B4G2 Released: 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming17 Released: May 22, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingEnter My Mind for a Second Released: July 19, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingLuxe 0.1 Released: December 21, 2025 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingAvant Nova Released: July 10, 2026 Label: Columbia Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

Other charted songs +List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions shown Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZHot "Promise" 2026 31 Avant Nova