Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray (born July 22, 1987)
is an American actress and rapper, best known for her roles as Tamia "Coop" Cooper in the American drama series ''
All American'' and as Freda Gatz in ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''.
Early life
Bre-Z was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and was raised in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
.
Her grandmother gave her the nickname "Bre-Z" at birth when she would not stop crying until a window was shut, so they called her "breezy".
She found out it wasn't her real name when she began elementary school.
As a child, she had short hair and people would often mistake her for a boy.
In sixth grade, she decided that she wanted to pursue music.
Her mother worked in the entertainment industry, and once woke up to
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
in her living room, so she knew that she would become involved in the entertainment industry from a young age.
Bre-Z graduated high school in 2005.
She attended
Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. It was formerly a recording studio in Ohio named Full Sail Productions and Full Sail Center ...
in
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Winter Park was fo ...
.
In 2008, she moved to Atlanta when her mom found a job there.
Bre-Z began cutting hair at the age of 10,
and comes from a family of barbers, with her grandfather, father, and mother all working as barbers.
While working as a barber, she cut hair for
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
and
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
.
In 2014, she moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to pursue her dream of becoming a musician with only one dollar in her bank account.
Career
Bre-Z began her music career at age 14 with impromptu performances around Philadelphia.
Her brother used to rap, and she would perform his songs until she began writing her own.
When she was 15, she met
Freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
of
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994.
History
1994–2000: Formation ...
rap group
State Property
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownershi ...
.
Freeway put her in a studio and recorded her first song with her.
Bre-Z began writing songs with
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, and
The Game.
She moved to Los Angeles when she was 24 to pursue her music.
In 2015, after landing an audition through a barbershop connection, Bre-Z was cast in the role of Freda Gatz.
It was her first audition and first time acting.
She appeared on the soundtrack several times throughout her time on the show, sometimes performing her own raps.
In November 2018, she was the grand marshal of the
Xavier University
Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...
homecoming parade.
In 2018, Bre-Z was cast as Tamia "Coop" Cooper in the drama ''All American''.
She once stated that "Coop is literally Bre-Z in high school," emphasizing the similarities between her and her character.
Her role has been praised as breaking barriers for the LGBTQ community.
She released an EP, ''The Grl'' in 2015 on her independent label.
Her most recent album is titled ''Full Circle''.
Personal life
In regard to her sexuality, Bre-Z has stated that she wants to keep her romantic interests private.
In one interview, Bre-Z said, "I love everybody. But when it gets down to whatever is underneath my clothes, whatever is inside of my home, or in my bedroom... I feel like at some point, being in the public eye, you have to keep something for yourself. And that's just what I choose to keep for me."
Bre-Z is very spiritual.
She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Her favorite movie is ''
Juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...
''.
On March 16, 2021, Bre-Z proposed to girlfriend Chris Amor in front of friends and family.
Filmography
Discography
*''The Grl.'' (2018)
*''Full Circle'' (2020)
References
External links
*
*{{TV Guide person, 977573
Official website
1987 births
Actresses from Philadelphia
Living people
Rappers from Philadelphia
People from Wilmington, Delaware
Full Sail University alumni
21st-century American women