Mawuli Kulego (better known by his
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Lazee) is a Swedish rapper from the
Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
suburb
Lindängen.
Biography
Lazee was born in
Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
, Sweden, to parents of
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
ian origin. His passion for music grew at a young age and he was heavily influenced by the musical tastes of his father who was a
DJ. He introduced Lazee to
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
,
R&B and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
. Lazee first became interested in
Hip Hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
when he was seven years old and wrote his first rhyme at the age of ten.
Just before 13th birthday his mother sent him to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
where she believed he could "be someone". He attended Elliott School in
Putney
Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
History
Putney is an ...
,
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
. Whilst still a teenager at school heard the song "Players Anthem" by
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...
and describes it as a "turning point" in his life. Together with Marcus Nzaku Curtis he started writing lyrics and rap battling with other students. continued to listen to
Hip Hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and began work on his first mixtape until he eventually moved back to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in 2004, where he attended
John Bauergymnasiet High School in his native
Malmö
Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
.
Career
He released his first major work as a mixtape entitled ''It Is What It Is'' with the help of New York
DJ Kayslay; the mixtape was a free sample given to 5000 members of the Swedish urban underground from which Lazee gained critical acclaim and notoriety. The mixtape included tracks like "Top Notch" and "Bigga *****" and there are two music videos for the tracks as well. Things became serious for in 2007 when he moved to
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
and began working with producer
iSHi. The collaboration gave birth to debut single "Rock Away" on his new label 2Stripes and major label Sony BMG which was released across
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
in 2008. The single was met with high regard across Scandinavia and wider
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
with some critics giving it 9/10. Since then has released several critically acclaimed songs including "Drop Bombs", "Pusherman, featuring Swedish rapper
J-Son" and his current hit single "Hold On" featuring
Neverstore, a Swedish
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band and the song has been a featured single on UK radio stations including
Radio 1 and
Kiss100 receiving listeners choice selects and ranking highly in song request tables.
Discography
Albums
*2008: ''Setting Standards''
*2011: ''Supposed II Happen''
Mixtapes
*2006: ''It Is What It Is''
*2008: ''Back for the 1st Time''
*2009: ''First Class Five Stars''
*2009: ''First Class Five Stars Season 2''
*2011: ''One Way Ticket''
Compilations
*2011: ''Global Attack Mixtape, Vol. 2''
Singles
*2009: "Hold On" (feat.
Neverstore) (#46 United Kingdom)
*2010: "Just Like That" (feat.
Danny Saucedo)
*2010: "Do It" (feat.
Mohombi
Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo (born 17 October 1986) is a Congolese- Swedish musician, singer, composer and dancer. He grew up in Norsborg and Kista near Stockholm. Mohombi was RedOne's first signing to 2101 Records in joint venture with Universa ...
)
*2010: "Young n Restless" (feat.
Eric Turner and
Adam Tensta)
*2010: "Calling Out" (feat.
Apollo Drive)
*2011: "Gotta Go"
*2011: "Do It"
*2011: "TAG" (feat.
Madcon and
Julimar) (Remixes)
Guest appearances
*2009: "Gå Loss" (Kartellen feat. Lazee, Adam Tensta, J-Son, Glaciuz, Eboi and Mofo the Maverick)
*2009: "Creamy Girls" (Mathieu Sanders feat. Lazee and Anonis)
*2010: "Stronger" (Lazee feat. Dead by April)
*2012: "Shake That Ass" (Danny Saucedo feat. Lazee)
*2017: "Get Lit" (DJ Cruze feat. Mawuli and Idrise)
References
{{Authority control
Living people
1985 births
Swedish male rappers
Swedish people of Ghanaian descent
Swedish expatriates in the United Kingdom
Singers from Malmö
English-language singers from Sweden
Musicians from Malmö