Bryshere Yazuan Gray (born November 28, 1993), also known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Yazz the Greatest or simply Yazz, is an American actor and rapper, best known for his role as

Hakeem Lyon Hakeem Lyon is a fictional character from the original FOX musical drama ''Empire'' played by Bryshere Y. Gray. Hakeem, one of the main characters within the series, is the youngest and once-favorite son of hip-hop mogul Lucious (Terrence Howar ...

in the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

primetime musical drama television series ''

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 ...

''. He is also known for his portrayal as Michael Bivins in the 2017

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

'' The New Edition Story''.

Career

Since 2013, Gray has performed at a variety of music festivals in the Philadelphia area, including

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

’s Made in America Festival,

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

' Picnic Festival, and Power 99FM's Powerhouse concert. He also has been the

opening act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

for rappers such as Fabolous and

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

. His debut single "Respect" was released in the same year. In 2015, Gray began his first acting role as Hakeem Lyon on the

drama TV series ''

'', with co-stars

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in '' Baby Boy'' (2001). Sh ...

, Terrence Howard, and Jussie Smollett. In March 2015, it was confirmed that both Smollett and Gray had been signed on with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as solo acts. In April 2016, Gray was cast alongside Elijah Kelley, Luke James, Algee Smith,

Keith Powers Keith Tyree Powers (born August 22, 1992) is an American actor and model. He is best known for his roles as Ronnie DeVoe in BET's miniseries ''The New Edition Story'' and Tyree in the film '' Straight Outta Compton''. Career After graduating ...

and Woody McClain in the

miniseries about R&B boy band, New Edition which debuted in January 2017. Gray signed on to portray co-founding member, Michael Bivins. In April 2018 Gray co starred with Teyana Taylor in ''Honey: Rise Up and Dance'' as Tyrell.

Personal life

Gray was born and raised in West Philadelphia. His mother, Andria Mayberry, became pregnant with him when she was a teenager, and in the absence of his father, he was raised by a single mother. When he was five years old, he was diagnosed with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

. Gray played football at Overbrook High School, but he switched to music after getting injured when he was 16 years old. He began to use his talent as a

street performer Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

to earn money and help his single mother afford their expenses. He also worked at Pizza Hut and then he used the money he made there to pay for and make his first music video before being fired for writing music at work. His efforts eventually led to a partnership with manager Charlie Mack. Gray told 'Cosmopolitan' in February, 2015, that his estranged father had reached out to him when he became popular, and that he needed time and needed to grow some more before taking any step in that regard. He has a sister named Brianna. On July 13, 2020, Gray was arrested by police in Goodyear, Arizona following an alleged domestic violence incident with his wife that culminated in a barricade situation with police. Gray is facing charges of aggravated assault, domestic violence and disorderly conduct. Gray was charged and sentenced to 10 days in jail and 3 years probation following the attack on his wife on May 24, 2021.

Filmography

Discography

Singles

" The Bottom

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

: Best Actor: Empire (Nominated)

NAACP Image Awards

* 2016 NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

(Nominated) *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

: Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

: Choice TV: Breakout Star:

(Nominated) *

: Choice TV: Chemistry:

(Nominated) *

: Choice Music: Song From a Movie or TV Show: "You're So Beautiful" with Jussie Smollett (Nominated)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Bryshere 1993 births African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male television actors African-American male rappers Living people 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians