[2] As a rapper, he has released three EPs and four studio albums, receiving praise from the Chicago Reader and Ones to Watch, and has opened for Ella Mai, Abhi the Nomad, and Stacey Ryan.
[10] A third EP, Rain in Pasadena, was released in December 2020 and received praise from Ones to Watch, who called it "concise, relaxing, easygoing, and a showcase of Curtis-Beard's strong lyricism".
[14] One of his videos, a 2021 duet of vocal group Earcandy performing the 1950s doo wop song "Lollipop" received over 2.5 million views and was ultimately recorded and released as a formal single.
[19] Curtis-Beard is known for blending hip hop with elements of soul,[7][10][8] pop,[3][12] and R&B[8][3] with playful, self-effacing lyrics centered on positivity, self-acceptance, and growing into adulthood.
[7][8][3][13] His debut album Childish and the EP DONEish were both noted for their strong soul influence,[7][10] with the latter having echoes of Kanye West, Slick Rick, and Odd Future's work with Frank Ocean.
[10] His second album, Existentialism on Lake Shore Drive, loosely themed around a series of fictional voicemail messages from friends, saw him expand his style into new genres, such as the electronic hip house track "Can't See Clear" which the Chicago Reader compared to Vic Mensa’s "Down on My Luck".
[20][8] His 2020 EP Rain in Pasadena included "Move Forward Together", a pop rap song with funk elements, and "Sunlight, Quiet, Flowers", a synthesizer-driven ballad.
[6] By college he had discovered hip hop through Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kyle, and Kanye West, and has since cited Alina Baraz, The Internet, Kaytranada, Lucky Daye, Nao, Anderson .Paak, and Saba as influences.