Raz Simone Explained

Raz Simone
Birth Name:Solomon Samuel Simone
Birth Date:15 January 1990
Birth Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Other Names:Razpy
Occupation:Rapper
Children:1
Module:
Embed:yes
Years Active:2014–current
Genre:Hip hop
Instrument:Vocals
Label:Black Umbrella
H1ghr Music

Solomon Samuel Simone (born January 15, 1990), known by his stage name Raz Simone, 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.[1]

Simone gained recognition after releasing his debut solo EP, Solomon Samuel Simone.[1] He became the subject of media coverage for his association with the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, 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.

Biography

Early 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.

Music

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). [2]

Controversies

In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Seattle, Simone emerged as an active member of the self-declared Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.[3] [4] CNN described him as the "de facto leader of the autonomous zone."[5]

Conservative news outlets and publications including Fox News,[6] Townhall,[7] New York Post,[8] and City Journal[9] featured Simone prominently in their coverage of the zone, characterizing him as a "warlord" policing the area with an AK-47 and highlighting an interaction where he allegedly assaulted a tagger.[10] A Facebook video shows Simone distributing a firearm to a protester.[11] According to Snopes, on June 15 Andy Ngo presented a video clip from Simones’s June 8 Facebook feed where Simone takes a rifle from the trunk of his car and hands it to another protester after "rumors developed that members of the right-wing group Proud Boys were going to move into the protest area to set fires and stir chaos."

Simone refuted the characterizations of him made by media outlets. [12]

Sexual abuse and assault allegations

In January 2021, two women stepped forward to publicly accuse Simone of coercion and repeated physical abuse.[13] 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.[14] [15]

Discography

Notes and References

  1. News: Markman . Rob . January 21, 2014 . Meet Raz Simone: 300's First Artist . en . MTV News . https://web.archive.org/web/20140724212343/http://www.mtv.com/news/1720851/meet-raz-simone-300s-first-artist/ . dead . July 24, 2014 . 2017-05-25.
  2. Web site: Rietmulder . Michael . 2020-05-10 . Seattle rapper Raz Simone threw a pop-up, drive-in concert at a Seattle Center parking lot. Here's how it went. . 2020-06-11 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  3. Web site: News. Patrick Quinn KOMO. June 10, 2020. 'Property of the People': Protesters set up camp outside SPD East Precinct. 2020-06-10. KOMO.
  4. Web site: Markovich. Matt. 2020-06-10. Police make allegations of intimidation, extortion inside Capitol Hill's Autonomous Zone. 2020-06-11. KOMO.
  5. Web site: Leader of Seattle's 'autonomous zone' says many protesters are leaving . . June 24, 2020 . June 24, 2020 . Toropin, Konstantin.
  6. Web site: Seattle autonomous zone 'leader' denies acting like 'warlord' in 'no cop, co-op'. Wallace, Danielle. June 11, 2020. June 11, 2020. Fox News.
  7. Web site: Cracks Are Starting to Appear at Seattle's 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone'. Rosas, Julio. Townhall. June 11, 2020. June 11, 2020.
  8. Web site: Feuerherd. Ben. Italiano. Laura. 2020-06-12. Rapper Raz Simone accused of being 'warlord' in Seattle's police-free CHAZ. 2020-07-31. New York Post. en-US.
  9. Web site: Rufo . Christopher F . Anarchy in Seattle . City Journal. 11 June 2020.
  10. Web site: Curet . Monique . November 13, 2021 . PolitiFact - Facebook post overstates rapper's role in Seattle's police-free protest zone . 2022-05-14 . Politifact . en-US.
  11. Web site: Kasprak. Alex. June 23, 2020. Does This Video Show Raz Simone Handing Out Guns in Seattle's CHOP?. 2020-07-31. Snopes.com. en-US.
  12. Web site: Read. Bridget. 2020-06-11. What's Going On in CHAZ, the Seattle Autonomous Zone?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612172928/https://www.thecut.com/2020/06/whats-going-on-in-chaz-the-seattle-autonomous-zone.html. June 12, 2020. 2020-06-12. The Cut. en-us. mdy-all.
  13. Web site: Hiruko . Ashley . 2021-01-11 . 2 women accuse Seattle hip-hop artist Raz Simone of abuse, coercion . 2022-04-15 . KUOW . en.
  14. Web site: Eustice. Kyle. 2022-01-20. Seattle Rapper Raz Simone Sued By 5 Women Over Sex Trafficking + Violent Threat Allegations. 2022-01-23. HipHopDX.
  15. Web site: Hiruko. Ashley. 2022-01-19. 5 women sue Seattle rapper Raz Simone, 4 say he trafficked them. 2022-01-23. KUOW Radio. en.
  16. Web site: NEW MUSIC: 5 Good Reasons – Sam Lachow & Raz Simone. CG. 2012-09-24. A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG. 2017-05-31.
  17. News: Raz Simone - Solomon Samuel Simone - Black Umbrella & Dream & Produce. 2013-03-25. Respect My Region. 2017-05-30. en-US.
  18. Web site: First Listen: Raz Simone, 'Cognitive Dissonance'. NPR.org. 2017-05-30.
  19. News: Raz Simone's 'Baby Jesus' Will Give You Goosebumps. 2015-03-15. UPROXX. 2017-05-30. en-US.
  20. Web site: [Album Review] MACKLEMORE PRIVILEGE & CHIEF ON KEEF VIOLENCE - Raz Simone more than a hip hop blog]. 2015-03-28. Upcoming Hip-Hop more than a hip hop blog. 2017-05-30.
  21. Web site: Raz Simone - Cognitive Dissonance: Part 2 Stream Hip Hop Albums - DJBooth. DJBooth. 2017-05-30.
  22. News: Raz Simone Delivers Soulful, Trap Tunes In His New Mixtape "Trap Spirituals". 2016-01-29. Vibe. 2017-05-30.

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