Lil Coast

   

Lil Coast
Lil Coast during a photoshoot with Sunset in September 2017.
Born	Keenan Leonel Goodwin 3 June 1995 San Diego, Laguna, K.S.
Died	28 December 2017 (aged 21) Grands Ballons, Gold Coast
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter model
Years active	2013–2017
Partner(s)	Bethany Gray (2014) Verena Edelgard (2015–2017)
Musical career
Origin	Bernheim, San Joaquin
Genres	Emo hip hop alternative rap trap lo-fi alternative rock indie rock pop punk dream pop punk rock nu metal electronic
Instrument(s)	Various
Labels	LBC Imperial Worldwide
Associated acts	Lil Filth Yung Nevabroke Renmard Stephacide

Keenan Leonel Goodwin (3 June 1996 – 28 December 2017), known professionally as Lil Coast, was a Sierran rapper, singer-songwriter, and model. A pioneer of an emo revival–style of rap and rock music, Goodwin gained a cult following among his young fanbase during his short career with his depression and alienation-themed music, which would become an inspiration to outcasts and youth subcultures worldwide. Critics and fans often credit Goodwin for his musical versatility, with his music exploring various genres such as emo, trap, lo-fi, indie rock, alternative hip hop, alternative rock, dream pop, electronic, pop punk, punk rock, and nu metal.

Born to a Sierran mother and a Jamaican father in San Diego, Laguna, Goodwin spent much of his youth moving around Sierra living with other relatives, and later being raised in Bernheim, San Joaquin. He started releasing music on TuneBoard in 2013 under the name Key Coast before changing to Lil Coast in 2014. He soon became popular on the platform when he released the single "falling to pieces (u have a reason)" (2014), which gained him local recognition. His popularity grew further with an unprecedented series of releases on the platform, including but not limited to the release of the mixtapes black rose and lil coast 2, as well as the collaborative EP Viral (2014) with Lil Filth later that year. Lil Coast's first live performance took place at 11 October, 2014, in San Jose, Santa Clara, following his signing to the independent record label LBC. Early the next year, Lil Coast toured briefly with Yung Nevabroke, 17 Cliipper the Red God, and Yung Uzi Mane. In 2015, Lil Coast released his widely-acclaimed mixtapes teen romance, his collaborative mixtape Savages with Yung Nevabroke, and his fourth EP Better Off, garnering a cult fan base through his release-rate and songs exploring themes of depression and loneliness. By the end of the year, he was labeled "on the verge of breakout" by Sierra Media and would sign a four-album recording contract with Imperial Worldwide.

In the fall of 2015, Lil Coast embarked on his first solo tour, performing to packed venues across North America and then Western Europe. Soon after the tour, Lil Coast would emigrate to Berlin, Germany, due to his ongoing relationship with German model Verena Edelgard. While there, he recorded his debut studio album with longtime producer and engineer Bandit at Hansa Tonstudio. While his mixtapes explored emo, trap, lo-fi and alternative rock, his debut album Lover (2016) was a transition into pop punk, nu-metal, and electronic, which debuted at number 13 on the Sunset 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was supported by two singles: "In My Dreams" and "FML", which were both certified platinum. At the 2017 Perci Awards, Coast was nominated for Best New Artist. His second studio album, I'm Not Human, was released on 3 November 2017 after nearly a year since its announcement, through LBC and Imperial Worldwide as a surprise release. Supported by the lead single "Fairytales", I'm Not Human debuted at number two on the Sunset 100.

On 28 December 2017, at age 21, Lil Coast was gunned down while waiting outside a Shirley's in Grands Ballons, Gold Coast. Five suspects were arrested and charged with first-degree murder among other charges, with the motive believing to be related to gang violence though no conclusive motive for the murder has ever been reached. In June 2022, all five suspects were found guilty, with three receiving life-sentences for being directly involved in the killing while two received fifteen-to-life for additional involvement in the slaying. The rapper's mother, Anita Brown, would file a wrongful death lawsuit against his parent label, L.B.C. and Imperial Worldwide, in 2022, with it alleging that the labels purposefully surrounded Goodwin with 'criminal gangsters' for 'street credentials' and 'clout', with L.B.C. particularly being alleged in the lawsuit to have encouraged the rapper to diss music industry rivals and reportedly supplied him with automatic firearms as a refusal to hiring professional security. On 10 February 2024, the case would be settled out of court before going to trial, with Coast's estate being granted all rights the rapper's catalog of music in the settlement.

Since his death, Lil Coast has accumulated a total of 57 million certified records sold in North America and Europe. Following his death, two posthumous albums were released, From My Window (2018) and Monsters In My Basement (2019); both debuted at number one on the Sunset 100.

Early life

Alexander Leonel Goodwin was born on 3 June 1995, in San Diego, Laguna. He grew up in the North Suburbs, spending his childhood in Coronado before later moving to Solana Beach, where he would attend West Solana High School. His parents separated when he was six years old, and with his father absent, it left his mother to raise him and an older brother as a single parent. Goodwin' mother was very religious and conservative, and did not let him listen to hip hop, being allowed to listen to rock and pop music. Goodwin recalled his favorite artists growing up to be Ghostli, Smashface, Planetaria, Hypnotized Twinz, and the Plugged-in Children, but had enjoyed music from rappers Roc Steady and ZuWop through other forms of media.

Since his youth, Goodwin was a heavy drug user. Reportedly he began smoking marijuana and using xanax in sixth grade, and throughout high school, would routinely abuse ADHD-medication such as Adderall as well as various hallucinogens. He learned to play the piano at four years old, having been inspired by his mother, Malinda Leonel, who later began paying for lessons. He then took up the guitar and drums while also playing the trumpet for band class. In his sophomore year of high school, he began posting songs to TuneBoard which he recorded on his smartphone. After encouragement from friends, Goodwin began to take rapping more seriously.

Career

2013–2015: Early mixtapes and record deal

Goodwin began to develop as an artist during his attendance at high school. His first track, "Rental", was released on TuneBoard in 2013 under the name KeycoastTheGOAT. During this time, Goodwin recorded most of his first tracks on a cellphone, uploading nearly twenty songs before deleting them suddenly. In early 2014, he changed his name from Key Coast to Lil Coast because he and his associates believed the change would benefit his career due to the rising trend of rappers using the 'Lil' term in their name. In an interview with the internet-based radio station Fireby, Goodwin revealed that his stage name initially had no meaning but that he came to think it "represents the homeland, Sierra". "falling to pieces (u have a reason)", Goodwin's first track to be produced by frequent collaborator Renmard, and to gain substantial traction online, was released in March 2014. While releasing projects and songs on TuneBoard, Goodwin worked at a Chess Pizza but was dissatisfied with the job; he was fired within three weeks. At the suggestion of Renmard, he would join the internet collective Supreme Money which the producer was apart of, leading to the release of his first three mixtapes: lil coast, black rose, and lil coast 2, with each growing his following.

Discography

Studio albums

• Lover (2016)
• I'm Not Human (2017)
• From My Window (2018)
• Monsters In My Basement (2019)

Mixtapes

• lil coast (2014)
• black rose (2014)
• lil coast 2 (2014)
• Savages [with Yung Nevabroke] (2015)
• teen romance (2015)
• I NEED JESUS (2015)
• Coast Was the Case (2015)
• lil coast 3 (2016)
• valentine angels (2016)
• #FreeYNB (2017)
• Lil Coast vs. The World (2017)