Gavin Mays (born 1989), better known by his stage name Cities Aviv, is an American rapper and record producer from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

Early life

Gavin Mays was born and raised in

. He attended Overton High School and Cordova High School. At the age of 20, he dropped out of the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

, where he studied journalism.

Career

Prior to his career as a rapper, Mays was a lead singer of a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band, Copwatch. During his involvement with the band, he began experimenting with hip hop music, eventually making a full leap into the genre. In 2011, he released his debut mixtape, '' Digital Lows'', which received positive reviews from music publications such as ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' and '' Spin''. In 2012, he released his follow-up mixtape, ''Black Pleasure'', through streetwear company

Mishka NYC "Mishka" is a diminutive form of the name " Mikhail". Mishka may also refer to: * Mishka (musician), a Bermudian reggae musician * Mishka NYC, a clothing company and record label * Misha, a mascot for the 1980 Olympics, also known as Mishka * M ...

's record label before signing to Young One Records. After releasing the "URL IRL" single in 2013, he released his debut studio album, '' Come to Life'', on Young One Records in 2014. In 2018, he released ''Raised for a Better View''.

Musical style and influences

Cities Aviv is known for his

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

production style. His songs sample various artists of different genres. His influences include

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' ...

8Ball & MJG 8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. They met at Ridgeway Middle School (Memphis, Tennessee) in 1984. In 1993, the duo released their debut album ''Comin' Out Hard''. They went on to release ''On the Outside Looking I ...

, Black Moon,

Big Pun Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the e ...

, Non Phixion, and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

, as well as

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

acts

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

and

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

. Critics also noted

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

influences on his works, accompanied by lyrical references to Joy Division and Psychic TV. Cities Aviv's rapping style and flow was compared to those of RZA and

MC Ride Stefan Corbin Burnett, better known by his stage name MC Ride or simply Ride, is an American rapper, songwriter, and visual artist. He is the frontman of experimental hip hop group Death Grips. He began his career in the late 1990s, before form ...

Death Grips Death Grips is an American experimental hip hop group formed in 2010 in Sacramento, California. The group consists of Stefan Burnett, also known as MC Ride (vocals, lyrics), Zach Hill (drums, production, lyrics), and Andy Morin (keyboards, pr ...

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Come to Life'' (Young One Records, 2014) * ''Your Discretion Is Trust'' (2015) * ''Immortal Flame'' (2020) * ''Gum'' (2020) * ''Accompanied by a Blazing Solo'' (2020) * ''The Crashing Sound of How It Goes'' (Total Works / PTP, 2021) * ''Man Plays the Horn'' (2022) * ''Working Title for the Album Secret Waters (2022)''

Mixtapes

* '' Digital Lows'' (2011) * ''Black Pleasure'' (2012) * ''Raised for a Better View'' (2018)

Singles

* "Coastin" (2011) * "Wet Dream" (2011) * "Flex Your Gold" (2012) * "I Want All" (2012) * "URL IRL" (2013) * "If I Could Hold Your Soul" (2017) * "WAYS OF THE WORLD" (2021) * "CINEMA CLUB" (2022)

Guest appearances

Lushlife Raj Haldar (born August 1, 1981), better known by his stage name Lushlife, is an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the co-author of '' P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever''. He is one half ...

- "She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist" from ''

Plateau Vision ''Plateau Vision'' is a solo studio album by Lushlife. It was released on Western Vinyl on April 17, 2012. It includes guest appearances from Styles P, Heems, Shad, and Cities Aviv. Music videos were created for "Still I Hear the Word Progress" an ...

'' (2012) * Knifefight - "Torn Victor" from ''Knifefight'' (2013) *

Mr. Flash Gilles Bousquet (), known professionally as Mr. Flash, is a French record producer and DJ. He signed on the French electronic music label Ed Banger Records in 2003 and released the track "Radar Rider", which is also the first release of the label. ...

- "Number One" from ''Sonic Crusader'' (2014) *

Mykki Blanco Mykki Blanco (born April 2, 1986) is an American rapper, performance artist, poet and activist. She has collaborated musically with artists including Kanye West, Teyana Taylor, and Dev Hynes, Blood Orange. Early life Blanco was born in Orange ...

- "Moshin in the Front" from ''

Gay Dog Food ''Gay Dog Food'' is a 2014 mixtape by American rapper Mykki Blanco. It features contributions from Cakes da Killa, Cities Aviv, and Kathleen Hanna, among others. Critical reception On October 29, 2014, Stereogum named ''Gay Dog Food'' the "Mixta ...

'' (2014) * Nasty Nigel - "Home Box Office" from ''El Ultimo Playboy: La Vida Y Los Tiempos De Nigel Rubirosa'' (2016) *

Show Me the Body Show Me the Body is an American hardcore punk band from New York. Their sound draws heavily on hip hop, noise music and sludge metal. Their debut album, '' Body War'', was released in 2016. History 2009–13: Early years Julian Pratt first ...

- "Stress" from ''Corpus I'' (2017) *

Beach Fossils Beach Fossils is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Bayonet Records, having previously been signed to indie label Captured Tracks. The group's live band currently includes founder Du ...

- "Rise" from ''

Somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards ...

'' (2017) Productions *

Antwon Antonio Williams (born October 25, 1986), better known by his stage name Antwon, is an American rapper based in San Jose, California. In 2013, he was included on '' Complex''s "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW" list. He was al ...

- "During Mimis" from ''

Heavy Hearted in Doldrums ''Heavy Hearted in Doldrums'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Antwon. It was released on May 6, 2014. It features guest appearances from Lil Ugly Mane, Sad Andy, Wiki, Heems, Lakutis, and Andre Martel. Music videos were created for "D ...

'' (2014)

References

External links

Cities Aviv
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aviv, Cities 1989 births Living people Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee African-American male rappers American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers Alternative hip hop musicians American punk rock singers African-American rock musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people