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Raz Simone

American rapper

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Solomon Samuel Simone (born January 15, 1990), known by his stage name Raz Simone (/ræz sɪˈmn/), is an African-American recording artist and songwriter from Seattle, Washington. A hip hop artist who started under the name Razpy, he built his brand by releasing EPs, touring, and filming music videos through his company Black Umbrella.

Simone gained recognition after releasing his debut solo EP, Solomon Samuel Simone. He became the subject of media coverage for his association with the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), part of the George Floyd protests in Seattle, in which he distributed a gun to a protester amid rumors the Proud Boys were gathering nearby.

01Early life

Simone attended a private elementary school. In 2007, he worked for the Boys & Girls Club and was in the Running Start dual enrollment program.

02Music

Upon release of his debut solo EP, Solomon Samuel Simone, Simone garnered the attention of 300 Entertainment executives Lyor Cohen, Todd Moscowitz, and Kevin Liles which resulted in a partnership between the newly established 300 Entertainment and his Black Umbrella Imprint.

After the debut EP, Simone toured and released his first full-length album Cognitive Dissonance. In 2016 Simone released Trap Spirituals. He was nominated for XXL's Freshman List. In June 2016 Simone played shows in seven cities, opening for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

In May 2020, at a parking lot at Seattle Center, Simone held a "pop-up, drive-in concert" (a type of concert developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to allow for social distancing).

04Sexual abuse and assault allegations

In January 2021, two women stepped forward to publicly accuse Simone of coercion and repeated physical abuse. In 2022, Simone was sued by five women alleging sexual abuse and assault. Four of them say that he sex trafficked and abused them. One of the alleged victims claims Simone sex trafficked her in Las Vegas for over a year, until she finally broke free in 2017. She stated that Simone held her captive for three days within a confined space and that more than once he forcibly had sex with her and strangled her. Court documents reportedly state Simone targets "young, vulnerable women" who are involved in sex work or susceptible to it. Simone has denied these allegations.

05Discography

  • 5 Good Reasons EP with Sam Lachow (2012)
  • Samuel Solomon Simone (2013)
  • Cognitive Dissonance pt. 1 (2014)
  • Baby Jesus (2014)
  • Macklemore Privilege & Chief On Keef Violence (2015)
  • Cognitive Dissonance pt. 2 (2015)
  • Trap Spirituals (2016)
  • Closer (2018)
  • Drive Theory (2018)
  • Still Love (2019)
Watch videos about Raz SimoneExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Raz Simone, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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