Ashton Simmons, famously known as Daniel Caesar, shot to fame with his 2017 platinum hit “Get You.” His unique blend of soulful R&B, reminiscent of artists like Frank Ocean and Miguel, resonated deeply with listeners and garnered him a massive fan base, including celebrities like Erykah Badu, Michelle Obama, and Stevie Wonder. He also collaborated with big names such as H.E.R., Brandy, and T-Pain. However, Daniel’s ultimate goal was to transition into the business world, similar to Jay-Z. Unfortunately, after reaching the heights of a platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning artist, he made some significant missteps that damaged his career.
“Are there black people in this chat right now? I can’t tell. Why are we being so mean to white people right now? As a serious question.” Here’s a look at his rise and fall, and how he’s moving forward after the backlash.
Daniel grew up in a Seventh-Day Adventist family and went to a private Christian high school at his church in Oshawa, a Toronto suburb. According to The Fader, his family was one of the few Black families in the area. When his parents found out he had sold substances to a classmate, they reported him to the school, leading to his expulsion. He was homeschooled for a while, but during his senior year, just a week before graduation, he got into a big argument with his parents. At 17, Daniel was kicked out and spent the summer living at a friend’s house in the suburbs. He eventually moved to Toronto to chase his dream of a music career. It wasn’t easy—his father, an accomplished gospel singer, had bad experiences in the industry and didn’t want his kids involved. Despite this, Daniel kept pushing forward, working towards his dream while being homeless, sleeping on park benches and crashing on friends’ couches.
After releasing his 2014 EP “Praise Break,” his life took a positive turn, allowing him to afford a place in Kensington Market. In 2015, he followed up with another EP called “Pilgrim’s Paradise.” Then, in 2016, he released “Get You” featuring Kali Uchis, which went platinum in both the U.S. and Canada, and drew significant industry attention. Speaking to The Seattle Times, he revealed that after meeting with major record labels, he felt they weren’t offering anything beyond what he and his team could achieve on their own. This led him to go independent and co-found Golden Child Recordings. He shared with Vice how proud he was to tell his dad, “I still have all my masters and all my publishing. I’m good. No one is taking advantage of your son.”
In August 2017, he dropped his highly anticipated debut album “Freudian.” He described the album to Vice as a deep dive into relationships. It climbed to number 25 on the Billboard charts and stayed there for 98 weeks. Apple Music recognized him as an “Up Next” artist. The album went platinum, won him a Juno Award, and earned two Grammy nominations. He then set off on a world tour and even performed at the 2018 Coachella Festival.
However, his performance at Coachella brought him under scrutiny for his Twitter activity, which seemed to show support for Kanye West and right-wing advocate Candace Owens. His tweets suggested that the left was responsible for mind control tactics and the oppression of black people. When people called him out, he responded by saying that listening to opposing viewpoints could lead to better understanding. He also shared a Martin Luther King Jr. quote before deleting the tweets. Despite arguments that a Canadian’s opinion on American politics shouldn’t matter, he faced significant backlash online. Amid the controversy, he issued an apology through his Apple Notes app, acknowledging that he had offended some people. He explained that as a black Canadian who grew up in a mostly white area, his perspective on race relations was different, but he still believed in the power of communication and understanding to break down hatred.
By this point, Daniel’s fans were so devoted that they were willing to overlook his controversial tweets. In February 2019, he won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for the song “Best Part” with H.E.R. The following month, he appeared on John Mayer’s Instagram Live show “Current Mood,” where Dave Chappelle was a guest. While introducing Daniel, Dave made a controversial joke: “You just met Daniel Caesar for the first time. You heard him sing a little bit. Yeah, very gay. Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say it out loud? I’m just kidding. You want to set up, and we’ll, uh, we’ll do this, we’ll do the tune.” Daniel responded, “You’re not feeling it? Not yet, no. Dang. Or not yet? What I said. Yeah. Did I offend you? Yeah. I’ll be hella sensitive. Okay, this is… I am a very big fan of you know what I’m saying. Well, now I feel bad.” Fans were outraged by Dave’s comments and supported Daniel.
However, any sympathy for Daniel disappeared weeks later. His friend, white party promoter Yes Jules, faced backlash after appearing on the “Easily Offended” podcast, where she talked about posting a picture of an offensive shirt and ranting about black women who criticized her for exploiting black culture. Jules has a history of antagonistic relationships with black women, often attributing it to their jealousy over her popularity with black men. Adding to the controversy was a January 2019 Instagram video of Jules rapping for Soulja Boy with lyrics that included generalizations: “Because it’s fat, and my skin ain’t black, and they never give back.”
Daniel didn’t like how Jules was being treated online, so he went on Instagram Live to rant about what he saw as the shortcomings of his black audience, accusing them of constantly playing the victim. He said, “Why is it that we’re allowed to be disrespectfully rude to everybody else, and when anybody returns any type of energy to us, that’s not equality? White people haven’t meant to us in the past… What are you gonna do about that? Tell me what you’re gonna do about that. There’s no answer other than creating understanding and keeping it moving. You have to bridge the gap. You can cancel me. I’m gonna put… yo, I’m making music right now. Put it out. You guys don’t have to listen to it. Cancel me. Make me broke.”
People didn’t just promise to cancel him; they went straight for the jugular, attacking his thought process and his appearance. Amid the chaos, social activist DeRay Mckesson tweeted that he had reached out to Daniel and spoke with him for a few hours. DeRay mentioned that Daniel was learning and growing but still had a lot of work to do. A week later, Daniel was back on Instagram Live. He didn’t apologize for his statements but expressed regret about how he delivered his message. He also said he was glad everything happened as it did because he felt like he was “coming full circle.”
Three months later, his sophomore album “Case Study 01” was released, selling only 39,000 copies in the first week. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for just three weeks before disappearing. Despite featuring veteran artists like Pharrell and John Mayer, the album was a flop. The Daily Californian wrote in their review, “It seems he lost his stride as quickly as he found it.” It seemed everyone took Daniel’s advice and didn’t bother to purchase or stream his music, making his controversial comments hard for many in the black community to support him. A writer for The Gateway Online bluntly stated: “Daniel Caesar needs to reflect on why he’s following Kanye West’s playbook. Then he needs to burn that book and educate himself on racial dynamics so I can re-download his album.”
In 2019, Daniel spent most of his time on tour and took a step back to reconsider his online presence. During a February 2020 interview with CBC, he addressed the backlash from his Instagram Live session, saying, “There’s so much I want to say, but there are cameras on, and it can literally bring me back to a place that’s not worth it.” Since then, he has archived most of his Instagram posts and has been laser-focused on his career.
Daniel’s career has been on the rise. He was featured on Justin Bieber’s mega-hit “Peaches” and collaborated with artists like FKA Twigs and Omar Apollo. He signed a worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and was named Chief Culture Officer for The Annex in Toronto. In April 2022, he made a significant move by signing with Republic Records.
Now, he’s working on his third studio album and has a new single called “Please Don’t Lean” on the way. Daniel has also undergone a complete transformation, changing his style, mindset, and musical direction. He told Billboard that his new album will be less R&B and more folk and country. At this year’s Coachella, he performed with Justin Bieber, showcasing their song “Peaches.” His appearance at the festival shows that, despite losing some early fans, the industry still supports him… for now.