A Christian rapper from Portland, OR, influenced by the positivity of
A Tribe Called Quest in the midst of gangsta rap's heyday,
Braille Brizzy started making music as a teen and had released
Lifefirst: Half the Battle by the time he was 17. With a poor response, difficult times followed, and after a job cleaning out repossessed homes proved unsatisfactory, he decided to follow his heart and hit the road with his wife to tour the country in his van, living off the money made from selling merchandise at shows. By 2004, he had saved enough to record a second album and collaborated with
9th Wonder and
Rob Swift to make
Shades of Grey. URB Magazine took notice, naming him an upcoming artist to watch, and
James Brown took notice as well, inviting him to open up for
the Godfather of Soul on his 2005 and 2006 tour. The spiritual
Box of Rhymes followed, along with a tour with his idols
De La Soul. In 2008, he dropped his fourth album,
The IV Edition, featuring members of
Lifesavas and
Cunninlynguists as guests. ~ Jason Lymangrover