Jai Blizz

Born August 23rd, 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Jai Blizz became attached to Hip Hop/ Rap music at a young age listening to various artists. Ironically not liking choir and music class in school very much, around 8 years old he bought his 1st tapes Dr. Dre The Chronic and E-40 The Mailman while older peers around him played artists such as NWA, Scarface, 8Ball and MJG. Jai Blizz's older step brother wrote music for him at the age of 10 just to play around with but soon after he began to write his own bars the same year. The first material was never kept but at the age of 12 when Jai Blizz was staying in Nashville he had a few friends who rapped and it was from there he began to take music seriously and build his portfolio from there while listening to DMX 2 Pac and most No Limit artists. Between moving city to city and missing school in his early teens he wrote music everyday. From 6th to 8th grade he actually only was enrolled in school less than a year of his middle school years and he found himself running the streets often so the knowledge came to him 1st hand. At 13 years old he recorded his 1st song with some guys that brought him to the studio. At 15 he did his 1st performances in talent shows and other events but he never could advance too far in music due to a string of legal troubles from thefts to robberies. By the time when he did get back in school which was supposed to be his freshman year he spent most of his days in school writing music, and was only going to school because he was on probation. At the age of 16 he had wrote over 400 full original songs and was respected for his craft and recognized wherever he went for his talent. He actually began with a fast style but slowed it down eventually so he could focus on his lyrical content. At the age of 16 he began selling drugs and making money he never seen which he would buy keyboards, karaoke machines etc to help practice his craft but not knowing the music business or taking it seriously as he should've he didn't know how to invest. At 17 he caught 3 drug sales which eventually sent him to prison. The 2 years there he wrote bars and battled other inmates and was respected as a lyricist. Upon release on parole at 20 years old he recorded his 1st 2 songs on his own. He ended up going back to prison for a parole violation but after being released from he finished his 1st mixtape 4 Da Luv of Da Minne (2008) and Beast Of Tha Lakez (2009) in which he pushed around Minnesota then took a step forward and went to Memphis then Atlanta to promote. Unfortunately his 4th day in ATL he got in serious legal trouble which landed him on probation there for years. While struggling with a new city, no support to get started he molded and perfected his craft even more living on the Westside of the city and observing new talent and competition. Dealing with homelessness was no easy task but he competed in several showcases, open mics and battles throughout the city. Not only was he a great lyricist but now was a complete artist learning how to now make catchy hooks and songs which again evolved his style. He started his own label in 2012 (Thurty Below), and began to take his mixtapes across the US to most major cities. Although still in poverty he'd take his only money to perform in events in places such as New York, Memphis etc as well as passing out/ selling mixtapes and promoting. In 2014-15 he went to Los Angeles selling cds and eventually landed small roles and background work for television. Although most gigs were reputable titles Jai Blizz didn't want to be known for tv before music so he passed up roles and continued to focus on music as he acquired a Vevo and Pandora station, and although he didn't feel as if he'd accomplished much he found his videos on sites such as Yahoo Celebrity, AllMusic (one of the first rap artists from Minneapolis on there), and other blogs such as PrettyFamous.com listing him as "Best Artists from Minneapolis" with reputable names such as Prince, Morris Day, Jessie Ventura, and Louie Anderson Jai Blizz was honored to be listed amongst the icons but still didn't feel he earned the company. It wasn't until 2016 he released his debut album "The Induction" then in 2017 he released his 2nd and 3rd albums "Minneapolis" and "Blackout" under his label Thurty Below. Jai Blizz managed his own music online and got himself on most platforms as every other professional recording artist. Not only establishing an online presence he also managed to get familiar with the behind the scene business of the industry and put himself in a position to be a rising star in the industry. Maybe he could've been more recognized sooner but has passed up several opportunities holding off until the best situation presents itself. Not only has he pushed and funded his own career he has also recruited and released other artists under Thurty Below consisting of different genres but with similar artists being listed from Eminem, Jay-Z, Fabolous, Jadakiss, 50 Cent and other great lyricists it's only a matter of time before he gets the proper recognition deserved