Mozzy
Timothy Cornell Patterson[4] (born June 24, 1987), known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper from Oak Park, Sacramento, California.[2] He is signed with Real Talk Entertainment, Empire Distribution, Blackmarket Records and Livewire Entertainment.[4][5]
Mozzy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Timothy Cornell Patterson[1][2][3] |
| Also known as | Lil Tim |
| Born | June 24, 1987 Sacramento, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Empire, Real Talk |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
He started rapping in 2004 under the name Lil Tim,[4] eventually changing his stage name to Mozzy in 2012. He received little attention until the release of his 2015 album Bladadah, which was ranked as the 22nd best rap album of 2015 by Rolling Stone[6] and which gave him the "best run" of 2015 according to Complex Magazine.[7]
Early life
Mozzy grew up on 4th Avenue, in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood.[8] His parents were not in his life, so he was raised by his grandmother Brenda Patterson-Usher, a Black Panther party member, who owned several homes throughout Oak Park.[9] Mozzy attended Sacramento High School, but eventually dropped out and earned a GED. He worked various local jobs until he decided to pursue his music career full-time in 2010.[4]
Career
Mozzy first began rapping at age 16 alongside his uncle Genaro "GP the Beast" Patterson.
In 2010 under the stage name "Lil Tim", Mozzy released a single titled "U Ain't Really Like 'Dat", his first release as a full-time musician.[7] On August 2, 2016, he released Lil Timothy N Thingz, a collection of songs recorded in 2008 while he had still been known as "Lil Tim".[10]
Collaborations
Mozzy's first notable collaboration was with an industry executive on his third solo album, Goonbody Embodiment. This collaboration with Oakland rapper Philthy Rich, on the track "I'm Just Being Honest" in early May of 2014, caused a longstanding controversy. In the fall of 2015, he collaborated with South African rapper, and music producer, "Kidd Cartel" on the hit song "Twerk Like Lexy". [11] In December, Compton rapper YG released a single titled "City Mad" featuring Mozzy and associate "Slim 400" leading up to the release of his album, Still Krazy.[12] In 2016, Vallejo rapper Nef the Pharaoh released the album Neffy Got Wings, featuring a track with Mozzy called "Devil's Team".[13]
In 2019, Mozzy released a full length collaboration album called Chop Stixx and Banana Clips, with Gunplay. Writing about the project for Freemusicempire, Dan-O praised the project, stating "Gunplay and Mozzy paint pictures so you can see the crook's whole journey, not just the sentence".[14]
Solo work
Mozzy's solo albums, such as Bladadah, are his largest success. He released his first solo album in 2011 under the title Money Means Mozzy, and had released ten other albums by 2016. In 2015, he was recognized by Complex magazine for having the "best run of 2015",[7] and by Rolling Stone for having the 22nd best rap album of 2015.[6]
In 2016, Mozzy moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles, California and released the album Gang Related Siblings, featuring his fellow Oak Park native and producer June.[15] Mozzy's 2016 album Mandatory Check reached no. 7 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart.[16]
In 2018, Mozzy released the album Gangland Landlord,[2] which peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200.
On May 1, 2020, he released his fifth studio album, Beyond Bulletproof. The 13-track project follows 2019's Internal Affairs and includes the singles "Pricetag", " Ain't Perfect", "Overcame", and "Big Homie from the Hood". Mozzy enlisted various artists on the album, including King Von, G Herbo, Eric Bellinger, and Polo G.[17] The album debuted at number 43 on the Billboard 200, becoming Mozzy's highest-charting project to date.[18]
On September 23, 2020, Mozzy returned with his second project of 2020, the mixtape, Occupational Hazard. He described it as his favorite project and said the tape goes back to his "old" style.[19]
Controversy
In March 2014, Mozzy released the track "I'm Just Bein Honest" which sparked a feud with local rapper Lavish D. However, there had been an ongoing feud, which started in Meadowview and G Parkway in Sacramento, that put Guttah Team and Starz against Oak Park gangs like Fab and Stunna Gang.[11] This started with an ambush by Lavish D's "Starzup" gang on March 15 on an associate of Mozzy's from Oak Park at the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento.[11] Eight shootings followed, which the Sacramento Police department found to be linked by the original incident between the two gangs.[11]
Legal issues
Between 2005 and 2008, Mozzy was arrested three times by the Sacramento Police for possession crimes, including illegal possession of a firearm and evading police. He was arrested again in 2014 and served a sentence in San Quentin State Prison,[4] during which his brother and colleague E Mozzy released the album Free Mozzy. After his release, Mozzy decided to focus solely on his music, releasing four solo albums in 2015.[7] Despite receiving offers to perform across the nation and worldwide, Mozzy was unable to leave the state of California until 2017 due to being on probation.[4][20]
In July 2018, Mozzy was arrested during a traffic stop in Las Vegas for gun possession.[3]
Discography
Solo albums and EPs
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [21] | ||
| Izizzel Izzy Izie Izim |
|
— |
| Money Means Mozzy |
|
— |
| Money Makin Mozzy |
|
— |
| Dope Fiend Tryna Get His Corsica Back |
|
— |
| The Tonite Show with Mozzy (Hosted by DJ Fresh) |
|
— |
| Goonbody Embodiment |
|
— |
| Next Body On You |
|
— |
| Next Body On You Part 2 |
|
— |
| Gangland Landscape |
|
— |
| Bladadah |
|
— |
| Yellow Tape Activities |
|
— |
| Down to the Wire: 4th Ave Edition |
|
— |
| Hexa Hella Extra Headshots 2 |
|
— |
| Beautiful Struggle |
|
— |
| Mandatory Check |
|
— |
| Lil Timothy n' Thingz |
|
— |
| 1 Up Top Finna Drop (EP) |
|
— |
| Fake Famous |
|
— |
| 1 Up Top Ahk |
|
68 |
| Spiritual Conversations (EP) |
|
— |
| Gangland Landlord |
|
57 |
| Internal Affairs |
|
— |
| Beyond Bulletproof |
|
43 |
| Occupational Hazard |
|
190 |
Collaborative albums
| Title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Dope Money (with J-Roq) | January 5, 2012 | Independent |
| Earthquakes and Murder Rates (with Dutch Santana) | April 29, 2016 | Blood Work Ent. |
| Extracurricular Activities (with Stevie Joe) | April 29, 2016 | Green Carpet Ent. / Livewire Records |
| Fraternal Twins (with E Mozzy) | May 12, 2016 | Mozzy Records |
| Mob Ties (with Red-Dot) | May 27, 2016 | Fallout Records |
| Promise Not to Fumble (with Troublez) | July 22, 2016 | Troublez Music |
| Gang Related Siblings (with June) | August 18, 2016 | Mozzy Records |
| Political Ties (with Philthy Rich) | September 2, 2016 | Mozzy Records / SCMMLLC |
| Fraternal Twins 2 (with E Mozzy) | October 19, 2016 | Mozzy Records |
| Tapped In (with Trae tha Truth) | December 16, 2016 | Mozzy Records / ABN / Empire Distribution |
| Can't Fake the Real (with Blac Youngsta, Hosted by DaBoyDame) | May 19, 2017 | Play Too Much Entertainment |
| Dreadlocks & Headshots (with Gunplay) | June 2, 2017 | Real Talk Entertainment |
| Money Makkin Murder (with Lit Soxx) | December 2, 2017 | Muscle Up Music |
| Legendary Gangland (with Yhung T.O.) | December 8, 2017 | Mozzy Records / SOB X RBE / Empire Distribution |
| Hell Made (with Yowda) | December 26, 2017 | Mozzy Records / YMI LLC |
| Run It Up Activities (with Kae One) | June 8, 2018 | Team Player Records |
| Slimey Individualz (with Berner) | February 13, 2019 | Bern One Ent / Mozzy Records / Empire |
| Chop Stixx & Banana Clips (with Gunplay) | September 13, 2019 | Real Talk Entertainment |
| Blood Cuzzins (with Tsu Surf) | November 20, 2019 | Mozzy Records / Foundation Media / Empire |
References
- https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/search/workID/896711357
- Giorgis, Hannah (October 5, 2018). "The Powerful, Pained Raps of Sacramento's Mozzy". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- Saponara, Michael (July 9, 2018). "Mozzy Arrested for Gun Possession in Las Vegas: Report". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- "From the streets to stardom: Is Sacramento rapper Mozzy the next big thing?". Sacbee.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- "Sacramento Sensation Mozzy Courts Offers From Epic and Atlantic - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- "40 Best Rap Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- David Drake (December 16, 2015). "Sacramento Rapper Mozzy Had the Best Run of 2015 - Complex". Complex. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- "Sacramento gangster rapper Mozzy is now one of the music industry's most wanted commodities - Feature Story - Local Stories - March 17, 2016". Antioch News & Review. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- "Who the Hell Is Mozzy, the Antioch Rapper Who Has the Whole West Coast's Attention?". NOISEY. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- "Lil Timothy n' Thingz (2008 Era) by Mozzy on Apple Music". iTunes.apple.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- "Sacramento News & Review - Sacramento struggles to understand its 'hybrid' gang problem as social media sparks local beefs - News - Local Stories - April 10, 2014". Sacramento News & Review. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- "YG Releases Two New Songs "Goapele Freestyle," & "City Mad"". Vibe. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- "Nef the Pharaoh Is Taking Off: Listen to His New Mixtape with Cardo, 'Neffy Got Wings'". Nosiey.vice.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- http://freemusicempire.com/2019/10/31/song-review-bail-bond-by-mozzy-gunplay
- "Mozzy Has Been True To Sacramento. Now He's Gunning For The World". Thefader.com. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- "Mozzy - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- Ingvaldsen, Torsten (May 1, 2020). "Mozzy Delivers Fifth Studio Album 'Beyond Bulletproof'". Hypebeast. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- @BillboardCharts (May 11, 2020). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (1/2)" (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
- Tigg, FNR (September 24, 2020). "Listen to Mozzy's New Album 'Occupational Hazard'". Complex. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ""Sacramento is Where I Call Home": An Interview with Mozzy". Passionweiss.com. January 17, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- "Mozzy Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
