Token

Benjamin David Goldberg (born September 24, 1998), known professionally as Token, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Salem, Massachusetts.

Token gained a massive following after appearing on Sway’s Friday's Fire Cipher and has a catalog of videos on YouTube. He signed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 2020 and has since released three studio albums, Pink Is Better (2022), I'm Not Supposed to Be Here (2025) and I’m Leaving Soon (2026).

Early life Ben Goldberg was born and raised in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was introduced to hip-hop music at age six by his sister.

At a young age, Goldberg had a dream of becoming a hip-hop star; a psychiatrist noted that it seemed to be the only thing on his mind. An outlet for Goldberg was writing poetry in his diary, which eventually evolved into writing rap songs at the age of 10. Ben rapped in public for the first time at age 13, specifically in front of one of his idols at the time - Hopsin; who had just finished a show in a downstairs venue at The Middle East in Cambridge. Token recalled being brave and confident, which garnered the attention of rapper Hopsin and a crowd of 30 or so other fans surrounding him. After he finished his freestyle, Hopsin had a few words of advice for the young prodigy on how to "steez it out more" with his performances, as well as have more fun with them. Nonetheless, Hop was impressed - as it would spark a future bond and tour opening spot for Token later on in his career. According to Goldberg, the main artists he listened to were 2Pac, Ludacris, and Eminem.

Career 2012–2014: Career beginnings Goldberg first began rhyming under the name BDG (his initials). He began uploading his content on YouTube after a childhood friend discovered music that he had recorded and encouraged him to create a channel to gain a following. His first song was a freestyle to "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. The students at his school reacted negatively towards his work, but he began building a fanbase online.

2015–2016: "No Sucka MCs" and early success In October 2015, Token released a video of himself rhyming while walking through a Marblehead neighborhood for the "No Sucka MCs" hip-hop contest. The video amassed over 500,000 views in just three days. It gained the attention of several celebrities, including Fred Durst, Mark Wahlberg, and T-Pain. Soon, Token became friends with Wahlberg, who began inviting him to his house in Los Angeles. On September 23, 2016, Token released his second mixtape Eraser Shavings. The song "Exception" from the mixtape has reached millions of streams. Token also first started touring in 2016, beginning in Europe. and "Code Red", all three of which amassed millions of streams and views on YouTube. In August 2018, Token released his song "Flamingo", the lead single from his third mixtape Between Somewhere, which was released on December 7, 2018. Between Somewhere features guest vocals from IDK and Bas and was rated 3.3 out of 5 stars in a HipHopDX review. Token also collaborated with Tech N9ne in a bonus track from the mixtape, "YouTube Rapper". In 2019, Token signed with eOne Music.

2020–2024: Signing with Atlantic Records and Pink Is Better In 2020, Goldberg founded his own label, Never Too Different, and signed a distribution deal for his label with Atlantic Records. In August 2020, he released the single "30 People", his first song under the newly founded label. In July 2021, Goldberg announced that he had directed a music video for Lil Xan, though as of 2023 the track and video have not been released by either artist.

Token's debut studio album Pink Is Better was released on January 14, 2022. The release of his album was preceded by four singles, two solo tracks ("Chit Chat" and "Sip"), "High Heels", featuring Rico Nasty, and "IOD", featuring Lil Skies.

In 2022, Token released several singles, including "I Was In Hollywood", "A Prayer", "Ain't It Funny", "Toy Story", and "Sister". In 2023, Token released several different singles and an EP; this includes "Rockabye Baby", "Mayflower", "Rookie" (featuring Suave Lee), "That's Why They Look", "Goldy", and "Knot". Token's EP Knot was released in November 2023 and consists of his singles "Knot", "Goldy", "That's Why They Look", "Rookie", and "Mayflower". The EP includes a blend of Boston hip-hop, rap, indie pop, and drift phonk.

In 2024, Token was featured in Young Posse's song "Young Posse Up" featuring Verbal Jint and NSW Yoon. That year, he released the singles "Why Would U Wanna Breakup?", "Lasersight", "Melancholy Dreams", "Building 7", and the viral "Hawk Tuah Freestyle".

2025–present: I'm Not Supposed to Be Here Token's fourth studio album, I'm Not Supposed to Be Here, was released on June 13, 2025. It was preceded by the singles "Feral", "Duck Hunter", and "Jeep" (featuring Terror Reid). The album serves as a personal reflection on Token's journey, exploring feelings of not fitting in, dealing with unexpected challenges, and finding ways to cope with loss and disappointment. He has stated that the album aims to resonate with others who have felt similar feelings and to offer fans a sense of understanding and connection. The album features guest appearances from Ren, Marco Plus, Steven Rodriguez, Terror Reid, and Tech N9ne.

In 2026, Token worked on the songs "Destiny-Mann Atkeya" & "Aari Aari", on the soundtrack of the Hindi-language film, Dhurandhar: The Revenge. He also released the singles "Methane Gas", "Cut It Off", "Mercedes", and "Bambi", partnering with Terror Reid and Diggy Graves on "Mercedes" and Connor Price on "Bambi". He also featured on the Emiway Bantai single "Sadak 2.0". His fifth studio album I'm Leaving Soon was released on July 24th, 2026.

Discography Studio albums Title Album details Eraser ShavingsReleased: September 23, 2016 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Self-released Between SomewhereReleased: December 7, 2018 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Self-released Pink Is BetterReleased: January 14, 2022 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Never Too Different / Atlantic I'm Not Supposed to Be HereReleased: June 13, 2025 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Never Too Different I'm Leaving SoonReleased: July 24, 2026 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Never Too Different

Mixtapes Title Mixtape details The MindstateReleased: February 1, 2014 Format: Streaming, CD Label: Self-released

Singles As lead artist

Song Year Album(s) "Waist Down" 2016 Eraser Shavings "Happiness" "Mass Reform" "Doozy" 2017 "New Problems" "Dirty Flesh" "Patty Cake" "Little Boy" "Still Believe in Heroes" 2018 "Code Red" "One Like Equals" "Flamingo" Between Somewhere "Mom Would Agree" "Treehouse" "Run It Back" 2019 "No Game" "Curfew" 2020 "30 People" "Dentures" 2021 "Chit Chat" Pink Is Better "Sip" "High Heels"(featuring Rico Nasty) "IOD"(featuring Lil Skies and YKD Jah) "Boom"(featuring J.I.D) 2022 "I Was in Hollywood" "A Prayer" "Ain't It Funny" "Toy Story" "Sister" "Rockabye Baby" 2023 "Mayflower" "Rookie" "That's Why They Look" "Goldy" "Knot" "Why Would U Wanna Breakup?" 2024 "Lasersight"(with Sadfriendd and Ariis) "Melancholy Dreams"(with YNG Martyr) "Building 7" "Hawk Tuah Freestyle" "Loser" "So, Trump..." "Liar" "Feral" 2025 I'm Not Supposed to Be Here "Duck Hunter" "Jeep"(featuring Terror Reid) "What Does Your Love Look Like?"(featuring Ren) "Methane Gas" 2026 I'm Leaving Soon "Mercedes"(with Terror Reid & Diggy Graves) "Bambi"(with Connor Price) "Back Burner"(featuring Rj Pasin) "Locomotive Pts. 1 & 2"(with Lil Darkie) "RRN"(with Pouya)

As featured artist

Song Year Album(s) "Young Posse Up"(Young Posse featuring Verbal Jint, NSW Yoon, and Token) 2024 " #SADAK 2.0 " (Emiway Bantai featuring Token)2026Non-album single

Film soundtracks YearFilmLanguageSongMusicLyricsCo-artist(s)Ref.2026Dhurandhar: The RevengeHindi"Aari Aari"Shashwat SachdevIrshad Kamil, Bombay Rockers, Reble, TokenBombay Rockers, Khan Saab, Jasmine Sandlas, Sudhir Yaduvanshi, Reble "Destiny – Mann Atkeya" (Co-composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)Token, Shah HussainShashwat Sachdev, Vaibhav Gupta, Shahzad Ali, Token