Solomon Samuel Simone, known by his stage name Raz Simone and formerly Razpy, is an American recording artist, songwriter, and political activist and organizer from Seattle, Washington. A hip hop artist, he built his brand by releasing EPs, touring, and filming music videos through his company Black Umbrella. He gained recognition after releasing his debut solo EP, Solomon Samuel Simone. Simone became the subject of media coverage for his association with the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, part of the George Floyd protests in Seattle.
Biography
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 success of his debut EP, Simone embarked on a 52 city tour with Rittz of Strange Music and Tuki Carter of Taylor Gang Entertainment. During this time he dropped his first full-length album Cognitive Dissonance. For the first four months of 2015 Simone released new music nearly every week, resulting in three new projects: Cognitive Dissonance: Part 2, Macklemore Privilege & Chief on Keef Violence, and Baby Jesus. 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. Simone has also collaborated with a variety of rappers, such as Roc Nation label member Jay Park, and GOOD Music artist Pusha Ton the track featuring King Leez titled "That Ain't Love", which was praised by hip-hop blog sites. In May 2020, he threw a "pop-up, drive-in concert" at a parking lot at Seattle Center. This type of concert was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to allow for social distancing.
Activism
In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Seattle, Simone emerged as an active member of the self-declared Capitol HillAutonomous Zone. CNN described him as the "de facto leader of the autonomous zone." Conservative news outlets and publications including Fox News, Townhall, New York Post, and City Journal 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. Video was later released showing Simone distributing firearms to unknown individuals. According to Snopes, conservative social media personalityAndy Ngo shared a video on June 15 of Simone distributing a rifle from the trunk of his car to another protester on June 8, 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 disagreed with the characterization that appeared in the media.
