New Album: Roc Rizzy – Exit 222

Born and raised in a small African-American community in Staunton, Virginia, rap artist Rakeem Moats aka Roc Rizzy one day decided that he was not going to allow where he comes from to dictate where he would go in life. According to his childhood mentor, Chris Lassiter “Lots of kids in this area love hip-hop and try their hand at rapping. But he got serious about actually developing the craft, becoming a better songwriter, learning how to perform on stage and how to market himself. He isn’t scared to dream.” One would think that his decision to take his craft to the next level would be the end result to the effect of him getting shot, but Rizzy makes it clear that the shooting did not define him as a musician. He wants the way he carries himself after all the adversity to stand out in his music. He wants people to understand that he “has always been the type who wants to make more influential music than negative. The situation; it changes my mindset a little but as far as wanting to inspire people, he always had that drive.” The shooting simply played an instrumental role in what gave him the key to his survival. Rizzy’s love for music began with the influence of his brother whom he would often frequent the studio with. Although it started with his brother, it really kicked off while watching and perfecting his craft with two of his very close friends Danny Brown and Coleman Neely; both of whom helped Rizzy break out of his shell and create stage presence. Brown and Neely, both are no longer with us but continue to be one of the reasons why Rizzy will continue to tell stories through his music and make a better life for his family. The humble artist from Staunton is working on putting his music out as much as he possibly can. With the release of album Exit 222 and hits like “Everybody Know Me,” we are thrilled to see where Roc Rizzy the artist takes the music industry.