Chivez Smith (born October 31, 1989), known professionally as Icewear Vezzo, is an American rapper from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He is the founder of the label Iced Up Records. He is best known for his ''Clarity'' mixtape series and his ''Rich Off Pints'' mixtape trilogy, with the latter entering the

Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

chart. He is noted as a prominent figure of the Detroit

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

scene.

Early life

Chivez Smith was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in the Gratiot-Findlay neighborhood on the east side of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Career beginnings

Smith began his career as a member of the rap group Green Guyz, founded in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

by his close relatives and siblings.

Solo career

2012–2018: ''The Clarity'' series and Motown

In 2012, he started gaining traction with the release of his debut solo mixtape ''The Clarity''. In 2013, he released his second mixtape ''The Clarity 2: Can't Stop the Count'' the sequel to ''The Clarity''. In 2014, he released his third ''Clarity'' mixtape ''The Clarity 3: Fully Blown'', which reached number 48 on the

chart. In 2015, he released his fourth ''Clarity'' mixtape ''Clarity 4: I Can't Fall Off'' which featured the single "Moon Walken". In 2016, he released the full-length mixtape ''Moon Walken''. In November 2018, Vezzo was signed to the record label

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. In December 2018, he released his ''Clarity 6'' under Motown, featuring

Kash Doll Arkeisha Antoinette Knight (born March 14, 1989), known professionally as Kash Doll, is an American rapper and actress from Detroit, Michigan. Signed to Republic Records, she is best known for her singles "For Everybody" (2017) and "Ice Me Ou ...

. In February 2019, Vezzo released his debut single under Motown, "Balance" featuring rapper

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popul ...

2021–2022: ''Rich Off Pints'' series and Quality Control

In April 2021, he released his single "Up the Sco" with a feature from

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

. In May 2021, he released his project ''Rich Off Pints'' featuring guest appearances by Rio da Yung OG, Peezy, Louie Ray,

Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music. His de ...

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night (Lil Yachty song), One Night", the lead single from his debut extend ...

EST Gee George Albert Stone III (born May 11, 1994), known professionally as EST Gee, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he signed with Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of Interscope Records in a joint ve ...

Dreezy Seandrea Sledge (born March 28, 1994), better known by her stage name Dreezy, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She signed with Interscope Records in 2014 where she released the studio albums '' No Hard Feelings'' (2016) and '' Big ...

, BIG 30, and others. In June 2021, the album debuted at number seven on the Heatseekers Albums chart. In September 2021, Vezzo released his project ''Rich Off Pints 2'' the sequel to ''Rich Off Pints'' with appearances from Rio da Yung OG, Antt Beatz,

Babyface Ray Marcellus Rayvon Register (born February 7, 1991), known professionally as Babyface Ray, is an American rapper. He is a prominent figure in 2020s Detroit hip hop. Early life Born February 7, 1991, in Detroit, Ray played basketball and footbal ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper known for his melodic trap and Southern hip hop music style. White signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, ...

, and RMR. ''Rich Off Pints 2'' debuted atop the Heatseekers Albums chart and peaked at number 34 on the

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...

chart. In July 2022, Vezzo released ''Rich Off Pints 3'', which is the third and final installment in his ''Rich Off Pints'' mixtape trilogy. The mixtape includes performances by Lil Durk,

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...

G Herbo Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper. He signed with the Chicago-based record label Machine Entertainment Group in 2011, at the age of 16. His debut ...

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...

Key Glock Markeyvius LaShun Cathey (born August 3, 1997), known professionally as Key Glock, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. The cousin of late Memphis rapper Young Dolph, Cathey signed with his record label, Paper Route Empire, t ...

, Baby Money and Antt Beatz. In August 2022, debuted at number three on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Also in August 2022, Vezzo signed a deal with

Quality Control Music Quality Control Music, LLC (also known as Quality Control or QC) is an American hip hop record label founded by Kevin "Coach K" Lee ( COO) and Pierre "P" Thomas (CEO) in March 2013. The label's releases were distributed through Universal Music Gr ...

and released his track "It's All On U" with rapper

Kodak Black Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), known professionally as Kodak Black, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained initial recognition following the release of his 2014 songs " No Flockin" and " Skrt", both of ...

2022–present: ''Paint the City''

In December 2022, he released his song "One Time" featuring rapper

Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for ...

. On December 8, 2022, Vezzo released his ''

Gangsta Grillz Gangsta may refer to: Urban culture * Gangsta rap, a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths * Gangster, a member of a gang * Hip hop fashion ...

'' mixtape ''Paint the City'' with appearances from Kodak Black, Jeezy, Future,

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

, Peezy, and G.T.

Other ventures

Iced Up

Iced Up Records is a record label founded by Vezzo. The label has its own film production company Iced Up Films; its first film was ''Price of Love''.

Chicken Talk

In July 2015, Vezzo opened a restaurant called Chicken Talk.

Personal life

Smith supported

Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) ran a successful campaign for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He formally announced his campaign on November 15, 2022, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, initial ...

Discography

*''The Clarity'' (2012) *''The Clarity 2'' (2013) *''The City Is Mine'' (2013) *''The Clarity 3: Fully Blown'' (2014) *''Solitaires: Drank God (2014) *''Clarity 4: I Can't Fall Off'' (2015) *''Moon Walking'' (2016) *''Purple City'' with Antt Beatz (2016) *''Price Goin Up'' (2017) *''Clarity 6'' (2018) *''Robbin Season'' (2019) *''Drank Baby'' (2020) *''Robbin Season 2'' (2020) *''Rich Off Pints'' (2021) *''Rich Off Pints 2'' (2021) *''Rich Off Pints 3'' (2022) *''Paint the City'' with

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

(2022) *''Live from the 6'' (2024) *''Live from the 6 (Part Two)'' (2024)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vezzo, Icewear 1989 births Living people 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Businesspeople from Detroit Hardcore hip-hop artists Midwest hip-hop musicians Motown artists Quality Control Music artists Rappers from Detroit Underground rappers