Waleed Shabazz (born August 3, 1975), better known by his stage name C-Rayz Walz, is an American rapper from

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He has been a member of the collective Stronghold.

Early life

Waleed Shabazz was born and raised in

. His father was a drug kingpin. When he was 2 years old, his father was murdered. He grew up listening to

DJ Kool Herc Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited with contributing to the development of hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in the 1970s through his "Back to ...

, who is credited with originating hip hop music. In this environment, he developed a love of music and began

freestyling Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...

with his friends for fun. In school, he had rap battles in the lunch room with his childhood friend

Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

Personal life

Currently Waleed Shabazz is incarcerated awaiting trial for 32 charges including but not limited to felony rape, sodomy, strangulation, acting in a manor injurious to a child. Trial is scheduled to begin in January 2023. Information relating to his arrest and current incarceration can be found using Criminal Justice Tracking Number: 69239936M, NYSID Number: 14882974Y, Arrest Number: B19649447.

Career

In 2003, C-Rayz Walz released a studio album, ''

Ravipops (The Substance) ''Ravipops (The Substance)'' is a studio album by American rapper C-Rayz Walz. It was released on Definitive Jux in 2003. Critical reception David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5, saying: "There's a new producer for practic ...

'', on

Definitive Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the nam ...

. In 2005, he released another studio album, ''

Year of the Beast ''Year of the Beast'' is a studio album by American rapper C-Rayz Walz. It was released on Definitive Jux in 2005. The CD version of the album was initially released in a limited edition with a bonus DVD. Critical reception Tom Breihan of ''Pitch ...

'', on the label. In 2007, he released a collaborative studio album with Sharkey, titled ''

Monster Maker "Monster Maker" is a 1989 45-minute television special, adapted by Matthew Jacobs from the 1979 novel of the same name by Nicholas Fisk. Harry Dean Stanton plays an American Special Effects expert living in England, who is befriended by a young ...

'', on

Babygrande Records Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood. History Babygrande Records was ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''The Prelude'' (1999) * ''Detonator Records Volume 1'' (2001) * ''Off the Radar'' (2003) * ''Limelight (The Outroduction)'' (2003) * ''

'' (2003) * ''

'' (2005) * ''1975: Return of the Beast'' (2006) * ''The Best of the Beast'' (2006) * ''The Dropping'' (2006) * ''

'' (2007) * ''Chorus Rhyme'' (2007) * ''Freestyle vs. Written'' (2008) * ''Almighty: Original S.I.N.'' (2008) * ''Who the F%@k Are You?'' (2009) * ''Naptown: The Broken Comb'' (2010) * ''All Blvck Everything: The Prelude'' (2011) * ''Year of the Beatnikz'' (2011) * ''The Code'' (2012) * ''The Calendar'' (2012) * ''St. Patrick Rayz: The Leper-Con'' (2013) * ''Almighty: The Solar Facts'' (2013) * ''Feel Me'' (2014)

Compilation albums

* ''Singular Plurals'' (2002) * ''Singular Plurals Vol. 2'' (2005) * ''Free Rayz Walz'' (2008) * ''Beat the System'' (2010) * ''Where the Walz Things Are'' (2010) * ''I Am Numba Four'' (2011)

EPs

* '' We Live: The Black Samurai'' (2004)

Singles

* "Pots and Pans" (2001) * "It's a Wrap" / "Peroxide" (2002) * "The Essence" (2003) * "Buck 80" / "Body You" (2003) * "We Live" / "Protect My Family" (2004) * "R'Thentic" / "Street Reppin'" (2005) * "Dead Flowers" (2009) * "Linsanity" (2012)

Guest appearances

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerge ...

- "Bent Life" from ''

Labor Days ''Labor Days'' is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released by Definitive Jux on September 18, 2001. It is a concept album about work. The album's production was handled by Aesop Rock, Blockhead, and Omega One. ...

'' (2001) * Cannibal Ox - "Battle for Asgard" from ''

The Cold Vein ''The Cold Vein'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox. It was produced by El-P and released on his Definitive Jux label on May 15, 2001. The album has since been reissued by iHipHop Distribution. Release ''The Cold Vei ...

'' (2001) *

El-P Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...

- "Blood" from ''

Fantastic Damage ''Fantastic Damage'' is the first solo studio album by American hip hop artist El-P. It was released through Definitive Jux on May 14, 2002. It peaked at number 198 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Music videos were created for "Stepfather Factory ...

'' (2002) * Dutchmassive - "The Hook" from ''Junk Planet'' (2004) * Chase Phoenix - "Say Something" from ''Cut to the Chase'' (2004) * Dub Sonata - "New York" from ''On the Arm'' (2007) * Gumz - "Hip Hop Music" from ''From Fetus to Genius'' (2007) *

Socalled Joshua Dolgin (born December 28, 1976), better known by his stage name Socalled, is a Canadian rapper and record producer, known for his eclectic mix of hip hop, klezmer, and other styles such as drum & bass and folk music. A pianist and accordi ...

- "You Are Never Alone" from ''Ghettoblaster'' (2007) * DJ I-Dee - "Explosion" from ''Solitude'' (2008) *

Sadat X Derek Murphy (born December 29, 1968), better known as Sadat X, is an American rapping, rapper, best known as a member of alternative hip hop group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president ...

- "Gamer" from '' Brand New Bein''' (2009) *

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

- "Paraghnoid" from ''

Naked Dinner ''Naked Dinner'' is the third solo album by American hip hop musician Time. It was released on August 25, 2009 on Dirty Laboratory Productions in association with Hip Hop Vinyl. It features guest appearances from C-Rayz Walz Waleed Shabazz (bo ...

'' (2009) *

MC Paul Barman Paul Nathaniel Barman (born October 30, 1974), better known by his stage name MC Paul Barman, is an American rapper. He resides in Manhattan, New York. In 2012, ''LA Weekly'' placed him at number 14 on the "Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All Time" l ...

- "The Moon" from '' Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud'' (2009) * Access Immortal - "I Love New York" from ''Birth of a Dream'' (2010) * DJ Lord Ron - "Concrete Bars (Echo Park Beat Street N2 Da Future)" and "It'z Da R.C.P." from ''Environmental Shape Sounds of DJ Lord Ron'' (2010) * Irealz - "Starz of the Godz" from ''The Code of Omerta'' (2011) * Verse Essential - "Between the Lines" from ''Ingenious: Deluxe Edition'' (2011) * Intention - "Blvck Pioneer" from ''American Psycho'' (2012) * Bedlam Brethren - "Apocalypto" from ''

Black Feather Messengers Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

'' (2012) * Falcon Burns & Melph - "The Cypher" from ''Back in Effect: The Word Effect Chapter II'' (2012) * Apaulo Treed & Knightstalker - "Contraband" from ''The Last Line of Defence'' (2013) * Junclassic - "My Style (Remix)" from ''Blvd Backdrop'' (2013) * Cannibal Ox - "Street Reppin" and "That Moment Before Crazy" from ''Gotham'' (2013) * Plot - "I Feel Dirty" from ''Towny Fresh'' (2014) * Scholars Ent. - "When It Was Real" from ''Maintenance Vol. 1'' (2015) * Obi Khan - "The Circus" from ''Grhyme... Thee EP'' (2018) * Kyo Itachi & Realio Sparkzwell - "Enemy of the State" from ''Akira'' (2018)

References

External links

Official website
(archive) * {{DEFAULTSORT:C-Rayz Walz 1979 births Living people African-American male rappers Underground rappers Rappers from the Bronx Definitive Jux artists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people