Rufus Johnson (born July 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Bizarre, formerly Bizarre Kid, is an American rapper and producer, best known for his work with the

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

-based

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- ...

group D12.

Early life

Bizarre was born Rufus Johnson on July 5, 1976, in

. Bizarre grew up living with his single mother. He started rapping when he was in fifth grade. His teacher thought he was talking to himself, and began calling him 'Bizarre Kid', which eventually led to the stage name 'Bizarre'. In 1995, he joined the rap group D12 with neighborhood friends DeShaun "

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

" Holton, Karnail "Bugz" Pitts, Carlos "Fuzz Scoota" Rabb, Willie "Eye Kyu" Drake, and Von "Kuniva" Carlisle. He also met Marshall "

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

" Mathers through Proof. Bizarre used to attend a club on Friday nights called 'The Shelter' in Saint Andrew's Hall, where rap battles were held.

Career

1990s and 2000s

He was then featured on D12's first EP in 1997 titled ''The Underground EP''. On the EP Bizarre recorded songs with D12 members Proof, Eye Kyu, Bugz, Eminem, Kuniva, & Mr Porter, before going on to release his debut solo EP titled '' Attack of the Weirdos'' in 1997. In 2001, D12 released their debut album, '' Devil's Night''. In 2004, he was a part of the second studio album of D12 titled '' D12 World''. Bizarre then released his first official studio album in 2005 titled '' Hannicap Circus'' through his own label Redhead Records, which received mixed reviews. He also appeared on the 2006 Shady Records compilation album '' Eminem Presents: The Re-Up'', on the track "Murder" along with D12 member, Kuniva. Following the death of rapper Proof in April 2006, he and the rest of D12 became inactive for some time. In 2006, he appeared on the third season of ''

Reality Television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

'' show '' Celebrity Fit Club (American TV series)'' where he lost 31 pounds. In 2007, Bizarre released his second studio album called '' Blue Cheese & Coney Island''. This included the some of his most famous hits, such as ‘Fat Boy’. In 2008, Bizarre and D12 recorded their first official mixtape titled ''Return of the Dozen''. A sequel titled ''Return of the Dozen Vol. 2'' followed in 2011.

2010-present

In 2010, Bizarre released his third studio album on Average Joes Entertainment, titled '' Friday Night at St. Andrews''. The album is more reality-based on actual situations throughout Bizarre's early life and career, thus the album is more

conscious Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, a ...

than his previous releases. The album features guest appearances from Seven the General,

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hi ...

, Tech N9ne, Yelawolf, Kuniva, and more. The first single released was "Believer" with Tech N9ne & Nate Walker. The second official single for the album was "Rap's Finest" featuring Kuniva, Seven the General, Royce da 5'9" & Redman. However, for unexplained reasons, Redman would not appear on the album version of the single or the video. Bizarre, along with King Gordy, formed a hip hop duo called The Davidians. The Davidians were featured on Esham's mixtape, '' The Butcher Shop''. The duo is currently signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment under the name Last American Rock Stars. Bizarre was featured in Snowgoons's music video with Swifty McVay, King Gordy, Sean Strange and Meth Mouth. In 2010, Bizarre was featured on the single "Be a Legend" with Russian hip-hop group Red Family MC'z. In 2011, Bizarre was featured on the track "Shock Em" with underground rap group Bankrupt Records for the album ''Double Vision''. In 2012, Bizarre released his fourth mixtape, titled ''This Guy's a Weirdo''. In 2014, he released a song called "Pray for Me" for his upcoming album. His ''Lace Blunts 2'' mixtape was released in March 2014, with nineteen tracks featuring guest artists such as Fuzz Scoota of their group D12, Rittz, Young Zee, King Gordy, and Big T. Bizarre was featured on an international collaboration track called "Fuck the DJ" by UK rapper Blacklisted MC also featuring

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...

, Adil Omar (from Pakistan) and Uzimon (from Bermuda) the song was premiered on music website Noisey from ''Vice'' magazine in October 2014. Later in the year he wrote a verse alongside Detroit artists Mastamind and Jeremiah Ferguson for their song "Whats Right". In 2014, he was featured on the single "Open Heart Surgery" by rapper Lazarus. It was released under All Def Digital and it won the award for "Song of the Year" at the 12th Underground Music Awards in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He has also made an appearance on a track titled "In Yo Behind" by Struggle Da Preacher which was released on Struggle's album ''Ups'n'Downs'' on June 30, 2014. In July 2015 they shot a video for it in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia. Mike ADHD "Frag Out" featuring Young Dirty Bastard, Baby Eazy E and Bizarre. In August 2017, The Keepaz of the Krypt (One Man Kru & Kapital Z) single "Diaries of the Whack Emcees" feat. Bizarre of D12 was released on all digital media outlets as well as One Man Kru's bandcamp page. The song garnered over 1 million plays on SoundCloud in its first week of release. The track was released just two weeks before it was announced that Bizarre had signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment. In May 2018, Bizarre released music video "Cocaine In Miami" directed by Abeni Nazeer. He was also a feature guest on the Song Sadistentreff 2 by German rapper Crystal f, along with Timi Hendrix and King Gordy. On July 9, 2018, Bizarre announced that he was reviving Redhead Records with Danny Mellz being his first act other than himself In September 2018, Bizarre featured in the single "Weirdo (feat. Bizarre)" by No Concept on Drumsound and Bassline Smith's label, Technique Recordings. Also in September 2018, Bizarre made headlines again with

by releasing his own diss track aimed towards Machine Gun Kelly, Jay Electronica and

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American broadcaster and former rapper. He first gained recognition with his 2003 single " Pump It Up", which peaked in the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and preceded the release of h ...

during the MGK and Joe Budden vs. Eminem beef of 2018. Bizarre's diss track titled "Love Tap" was released as a single everywhere on September 18, 2018. Bizarre also signed a deal for his podcast “The Bizarre World Podcast” with The Digital Soapbox Network/ CBS/

Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corp., it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning over 220 radio stations across 47 media ...

On October 10, 2019, Bizarre released his second Extended Play ''Rufus''. The day after the release of his second extended play, he announced the release of a duo mixtape “Leatherface Mixtape” with Hopsin on October 31, 2019. Bizarre performs an intro and adlibs on Eminem &

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

’s “ Those Kinda Nights” released in January 31, 2020. On May 31, 2020, Bizarre appeared on an album “Tabu“ of a Czech rapper named Schyzo on the song “Lubrikant“. Bizarre is featured on "Fat Man Swag" by Pacific Northwest rapper Jawbo, released on July 22, 2021. Bizarre is featured on "Limitless" by Canadian rapper Brax, from album "Leave it to Cleaver" released in late 2021. On October 31, 2021, Bizarre shared his fifth album "Dumpster Juice" with features from Kidd Kidd, Merkules, and Giggs, among others. In July 2024, Bizarre made a surprise guest feature on Eminem’s “

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

” off his twelfth album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).

Personal life

Bizarre currently lives in Detroit, Michigan, where he continues to produce music and social media content to this day. Bizarre lives with his wife who is Detroit rapper Sindee Syringe, the lead singer of a band by the same name.

Discography

; Studio albums *'' Hannicap Circus'' (2005) *'' Blue Cheese & Coney Island'' (2007) *'' Friday Night at St. Andrews'' (2010) *''Rufus'' (2019) *''Dumpster Juice'' (2021) *''Peter'' (2022) *''He Got a Gun'' (2022) *''18159 Stout'' (2023) ;Extended plays *'' Attack of the Weirdos'' (1998) ;Collaborative albums *'' Devil's Night'' (with D12) (2001) *'' D12 World'' (with D12) (2004) *'' Taking Lives'' (with Fury as Something Awful) (2010) *'' Last American Rock Stars'' (with King Gordy as L.A.R.S.) (2018) *''All in My Head'' (with Wack Rac) (2020) *''HGG2'' (with Foul Mouth) (2023) *''Killah Kombo EP'' (with Dheezy) (2023) *''Ratt Poison'' (with Foul Mouth) (2024) *''Trigger Treat'' (with Dope D.O.D.) (2024) *''Fat & Skinny'' (with Young Zee & Foul Mouth) (2024) *''HGG3: Art Peace'' (with Foul Mouth) (2024) *''H.G.G.4'' (with Foul Mouth) (2024) ;Mixtapes *''Bizarre's World'' (2007) *''Hate Music'' (2008) *''Liquor, Weed & Food Stamps'' (2008) *''This Guy's a Weirdo'' (2012) *''Lace Blunts'' (2013) *''Lace Blunts 2'' (2014) *''Dab Life'' (2015) *''Tweek Sity'' (2015) *''Tweek Sity 2'' (2017) *''Foul World'' (with King Gordy as L.A.R.S.) (2017) *''Pill God'' (2018) *''The Leatherface Mixtape'' (2019) ; Collaboration singles *''Where da Hoes At?'' (with King Killumbia &

Project Pat Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), known professionally as Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia. Houston was formerly a member of the hip-hop ...

) (2019) *''All Night'' (with King Killumbia & MET G) (2019) *''Detroit 2 Memphis'' (with Kingpin Skinny Pimp & Mexiveli) (2019) *''Lubrikant'' (with Schyzo) (2019)