Sharrief Muhammad, born in Toronto, Ontario, is an emerging artist and prominent voice in the city’s R&B and underground rap scene, performing under the name Casper TNG. Casper TNG’s name is based on the childhood cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. In his early years of experimenting with music, Muhammad created song parodies for Minecraft. Growing up in Toronto, the city’s neighborhoods such as Alexandra Park and Regent Park, were major influences on his artistic development as a Black artist. Casper TNG has also appeared on several podcasts where he speaks about growing up without stability and how his early life was shaped by survival rather than opportunity. He also reflects on how those experiences carry over into his music career. In an interview with DJ Vlad, he talks about how his past connects to his music and explains how legal issues held him back from reaching wider attention online. Alongside his personal experiences, his story highlights broader systemic barriers faced by Black artists. Despite these challenges in 2015, Casper TNG self-produced “Dope Boy”, track went viral.

Casper TNG began building momentum with “Dope Boy” (2015), which earned over 6 million streams on Spotify. In that same year, “Know Me” (2015) reached more than 8 million. A major milestone in his career came with the release of the EP The Market (2025) as part of his Helluvalife project. This new EP was created in collaboration with Canadian rapper 100BandPlan, bringing him increased attention as an artist. The EP gained significant attention on TikTok, where it ranked as the number one sound in Canada, with over 58.9 million views, and on YouTube, where it has more than 2.5 million views. A key element of this song’s success was the national exposure it received through advertising. This song gained exposure through billboards in Sankofa Square, Toronto Raptors campaigns, and TSN March Madness coverage. The Market reached number 61 on the Canadian Top 100 and remained on the chart for multiple weeks. In 2026, Casper TNG signed with Universal Music Canada, which became his first major label deal after years of working independently. Since then, his audience has kept growing, with over 5 million people listening to his music each month on Spotify. This shows that his music is reaching listeners beyond Toronto and connecting with a wider audience.