Bizzle

One of the few Christian rappers to issue diss tracks aimed at secular MCs, Houston-based Bizzle was originally known as Lavyss. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bizzle began releasing his series of L.A.V. Mixtapes in 2004, while 2005 saw the then-secular rapper moving to Houston and negotiating a deal with the major-label Universal. He spent the next three years working on his debut album, Grind Pays, but in 2008, the Church turned his head around, and Bizzle simply had to rap the gospel. In 2010, he issued the newsmaking track “You Got Some Explaining to Do,” a diss aimed at Jay-Z and his perceived “mishandling” of Christ’s name. The album Tough Love & Parables appeared in 2011, with tracks like “God Over Money” and “Gotta Seek Change” challenging hip-hop fans to return to the Bible. The Good Fight followed in 2013 with the same message, but this time production was handled by the Grammy-winning Drake collaborator Boi-1da. The album reached number two on the Billboard Gospel chart, also peaking at number 11 on the Rap chart. After taking aim at Macklemore’s pro-LGBTQ anthem “Same Love” in 2014, he issued Well Wishes. A year later, Bizzle released Surrender, which featured production by Beanz N Kornbread, the Cratez, and Boi-1da. The set rose into the Top Ten on the Christian and Independent Albums charts, while landing at 13 on the Rap list. Crowns and Crosses arrived in 2016 and broke into the Top Ten of the Rap chart. 2018 saw the release of the trap-infused EP Light Work, which featured guests like Sevin, Datin, Joey Vantes, and more. Bizzle issued a follow-up full-length album, Light Work 2: Bars & Melodies, the following year, featuring contributions from Selah the Corner, Sharon Ann, and V. Rose, among others. ~ David Jeffries