Timothy Cornell Patterson, known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper from Oak Park, Sacramento, California. He is signed with Real Talk Entertainment, Empire Distribution, Blackmarket Records and Livewire Entertainment. He started rapping in 2004 under the name Lil Tim, eventually changing his stage name to Mozzy in 2012. He received little attention until the release of his 2015 album Bladadah, which was ranked as the 22nd best rap album of 2015 by Rolling Stone and which gave him the "best run" of 2015 according to Complex Magazine.
Early life
Mozzy grew up on 4th Avenue, in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood. His parents were not in his life, so he was raised by his grandmother Brenda Patterson-Usher, a Black Panther party member, who owned several homes throughout Oak Park. Mozzy attended Sacramento High School, but eventually dropped out and earned a GED. He worked various local jobs until he decided to pursue his music career full-time in 2010.
Career
Mozzy first began rapping at age 16 alongside his uncle Genaro "GP the Beast" Patterson. In 2010 under the stage name "Lil Tim", Mozzy released a single titled "U Ain't Really Like 'Dat", his first release as a full-time musician. On August 2, 2016, he released Lil Timothy N Thingz, a collection of songs recorded in 2008 while he had still been known as "Lil Tim".
Collaborations
Mozzy's first notable collaboration was with an industry executive on his third solo album, Goonbody Embodiment. This collaboration with Oakland rapper Philthy Rich, on the track "I'm Just Being Honest" in early May of 2014, caused a longstanding controversy. In December, Compton rapper YG released a single titled "City Mad" featuring Mozzy and associate "Slim 400" leading up to the release of his album, Still Krazy. In 2016, Vallejo rapper Nef the Pharaoh released the albumNeffy Got Wings, featuring a track with Mozzy called "Devil's Team". In 2019, Mozzy released a full length collaboration album called Chop Stixx and Banana Clips, with Gunplay. Writing about the project for Freemusicempire, Dan-O praised the project, stating "Gunplay and Mozzy paint pictures so you can see the crook's whole journey, not just the sentence".
Solo work
Mozzy's solo albums, such as Bladadah, are his largest success. He released his first solo album in 2011 under the title Money Means Mozzy, and had released ten other albums by 2016. In 2015, he was recognized by Complex magazine for having the "best run of 2015", and by Rolling Stone for having the 22nd best rap album of 2015. In 2016, Mozzy moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles, California and released the album Gang Related Siblings, featuring his fellow Oak Park native and producer June. Mozzy's 2016 album Mandatory Check reached no. 7 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart. In 2018, Mozzy released the album Gangland Landlord, which peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200. On May 1, 2020, he released his fifth studio album, Beyond Bulletproof. The 13-track project follows 2019's Internal Affairs and includes the singles "Pricetag", " Ain't Perfect", "Overcame", and "Big Homie from the Hood". Mozzy enlisted various artists on the album, including King Von, G Herbo, Eric Bellinger, and Polo G. The album debuted at number 43 on the Billboard 200, becoming Mozzy's highest-charting project to date.
Controversy
In March 2014, Mozzy released the track "I'm Just Bein Honest" which sparked a feud with local rapper Lavish D. However, there had been an ongoing feud, which started in Meadowview and G Parkway in Sacramento, that put Guttah Team and Starz against Oak Park gangs like Fab and Stunna Gang. This started with an ambush by Lavish D's "Starzup" gang on March 15 on an associate of Mozzy's from Oak Park at the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento. Eight shootings followed, which the Sacramento Police department found to be linked by the original incident between the two gangs.
Legal issues
Between 2005 and 2008, Mozzy was arrested three times by the Sacramento Police for possession crimes, including illegal possession of a firearm and evading police. He was arrested again in 2014 and served a sentence in San Quentin State Prison, during which his brother and colleague E Mozzy released the album Free Mozzy. After his release, Mozzy decided to focus solely on his music, releasing four solo albums in 2015. Despite receiving offers to perform across the nation and worldwide, Mozzy was unable to leave the state of California until 2017 due to being on probation. In July 2018, Mozzy was arrested during a traffic stop in Las Vegas for gun possession.
