Lil Alijah

Lil Alijah, known as Alijah Jeremiah Smith, was born on August 22nd, 2011. He hails from the Uptown neighborhood, specifically the Lawrence and Winthrop area. Growing up, he was motivated by Chicago artists like Young Pappy, PBG Kemo, and his uncle, Lil Roger. Currently, his favorite rappers are Polo G And Juice WRLD. His educational journey began at John T. McCutchen Elementary School before he transitioned to James B. McPherson Elementary School. During his 5th grade year at James B. McPherson Elementary School, he recorded his first song, "Flexing," using just a phone and the Voice Memos app. The song was released only on his YouTube channel, as the recording quality didn't meet the standards for major streaming platforms. He officially graduated from 8th grade at James B. McPherson Elementary School with the class of 2025. Then, he started attending Amundsen High School with the class of 2029. In the summer of August 2025, Lil Alijah released his debut album, "Hickory Shadows," which is now available on all streaming platforms, marking his first album and his first time releasing music on all streaming platforms.