RiZion- More than an artist

The REVELATION

Raised in Bronx, NY, Savannah, GA, and PG County Maryland, my earliest memory of Hip-Hop was hearing Rakim’s “Microphone fiend” on the radio and instantly falling in love. I had no idea it would be the beginning of a love affair that would last a lifetime. Raised by a single mom that also was a singer, music has always been tattooed in my DNA. However, I never thought of writing my own music until I went over a friend house after school and saw his sister looking in a thesaurus, mumbling under her breath. I asked her what she was doing and she told me looking for a word to go in her new rhyme. I thought to myself, wow… I want to try that.
Within a year, I was voted best rapper at my middle school in the yearbook they print up every year. I began writing songs every day and started reading the dictionary to find new words to build my vocabulary. The content of my songs from the beginning was about things I saw in my neighborhood and wanted to change or wanted to experience.

The LINK

In college, an excellent poet that heard me rhyming on campus from time to time, invited me to the schools Poetry Slam event the English Department hosted. I told him, I don’t write poetry just rhymes. He laughed and said hey, maybe you should try it. I thought about it and tried to think of something I already wrote that could pass as Poetry. It’s important to note that this brother had already won the last 2 competitions so I wasn’t so sure how I would do. Well, I showed up and competed and to my surprise I won 1st place. The next semester I entered the competition and won 1st place again. I thought to myself, I might have something here! Winning the poetry slams helped me realize I’ve been a poet my entire life. From that moment, I knew I had something special to share with the world, my thoughts.

The MOVEMENT

After college, I made the choice to not search for a record deal, but instead teach myself how to become a music producer and engineer. I made this decision because I wanted to help my mother who had been trying to record a CD her entire life, but chose to raise me as a single mother. I figured this was the least I could do to honor her. When I made this decision I had no idea how hard it would be to learn the various hardware and software programs for music production and engineering. I’m proud to say during my journey I’ve been able to complete 3 solo CDs, produce and engineer for a host of artist from MD to NY and recently made my mothers dream come true with the completion of her Debut CD, “CRY with a SMILE”, (www.SelenaMcdaySings.com). My mother always taught me to follow my dreams and I try in all my songs to offer bits of wisdom that I learned to in essence help others do the same. My new CD, “Try n To Live” (www.RiZionOnline.com) is about defining ones own success and not simply trying to survive. I try to reach young brothers like myself where they are and show them anything is possible if you believe in yourself… RiZ