Timothy Cornell Patterson
(born June 24, 1987), known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper and convicted felon from
Sacramento, California
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
.
He signed with
Yo Gotti
Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, singer, and record executive. Rooted in Memphis rap, he released five independent albums—''Youngsta's on a Come Up'' (1996), ''From da Dope ...
's record label
Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
in 2022, having previously signed with local independent label,
Blackmarket Records. He is best known for his 2021 single "
Last One Standing" (with
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2004, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract w ...
,
Polo G
Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album '' Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked a ...
, and
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 ...
) from the film ''
Venom: Let There Be Carnage'', which peaked at number 78 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
[
He began rapping in 2004 under the name Lil Tim,][ which he changed in favor of Mozzy in 2012. He gained recognition following the release of his mixtape ''Bladadah'' (2015), which was ranked as the 22nd Best Rap Album of that year by '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', and gave him the "best run" of 2015 according to ''Complex''. Each of his studio albums—'' 1 Up Top Ahk'' (2017), '' Gangland Landlord'' (2018), '' Beyond Bulletproof'' (2020), ''Occupational Hazard'' (2020), '' Untreated Trauma'' (2021), ''Survivor's Guilt
Survivor guilt or survivor's guilt (also survivor syndrome, survivor's syndrome, survivor disorder and survivor's disorder) happens when individuals feel guilty after they survive a tragic, near death, or traumatic event when others perished. It ...
'' (2022), and ''Children of the Slums'' (2024)—have entered the ''Billboard'' 200, in addition to his collaborative album with fellow California rapper YG—'' Kommunity Service'' (2021)—and compilation albums with CMG—''Gangsta Art'' (2022) and ''Gangsta Art 2'' (2023).
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
A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
party member, who owned several homes throughout Oak Park. Mozzy attended Sacramento High School and American Legion Continuation School , but eventually dropped out and earned a GED
Ged or GED may refer to:
Places
* Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India
* Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED
People
* Ged B ...
. He worked various local jobs until he decided to pursue his music career full-time in 2010. In a 2017 interview with CivilTV, Mozzy stated that he used to walk around his neighborhood with a hoodie over his head out of embarrassment as to not be noticed by his neighbors and peers. He later states that this was his motivation to pursue music full-time.
Career
Career beginnings
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. Mozzy released his first solo mixtape in 2011 under the title ''Money Means Mozzy''.
2014–2016: ''Goonbody Embodiment'' and ''Bladadah''
Mozzy released his third solo album, ''Goonbody Embodiment'', which features a collaboration with Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
rapper Philthy Rich, on the track "I'm Just Being Honest" in early May of 2014, which caused a longstanding controversy In December the same year, 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 2015, he released the Mixtape ''Bladadah'', which had been awarded the "best run of 2015" by ''Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine for had the "best run of 2015", and was ranked the 22nd best rap album of 2015 by ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''
In January 2016, Vallejo rapper Nef the Pharaoh released the album ''Neffy Got Wings'', featuring a track with Mozzy called "Devil's Team". Mozzy moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and released the album ''Gang Related Siblings'', featuring his fellow Oak Park native and producer June later that year.
2016–2017: ''Mandatory Check'', ''Fake Famous'', and ''1 Up Top Ahk''
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".
In November 2016, Mozzy released the mixtape ''Mandatory Check'', which reached no. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Rap Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart.
In January 2017, Mozzy released the mixtape ''Fake Famous''. It features several artists, including YG, Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...
, and G-Eazy
Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...
. In August 2017, Mozzy released his debut studio album, '' 1 Up Top Ahk'', which charted at number 68 on the Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
.
2018–2020: ''Gangland Landlord'', ''Internal Affairs'', and ''Beyond Bulletproof''
In 2018, Mozzy's second studio album '' Gangland Landlord'' was released. It peaked at number 57 on the US ''Billboard'' 200.
In May 2019, Mozzy released the mixtape ''Internal Affairs'', which features guest appearances from Lil Poppa and TeeJay3k, among others. 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".
On May 1, 2020, he released his third studio album, '' Beyond Bulletproof''. The 13-track project follows 2019's ''Internal Affairs'' and includes the singles "Pricetag", "I Ain't Perfect", "Overcame", and "Big Homie from the Hood". The music video for "Big Homie from the Hood" was filmed at McClatchy Park, near 4th Avenue in the Oak Park Neighborhood of South Sacramento where the rapper grew up. Mozzy enlisted various artists on the album, including King Von, G Herbo
Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper. He signed with the Chicago-based record label Machine Entertainment Group in 2011, at the age of 16. His debut ...
, Eric Bellinger
Eric Aldwin Bellinger Jr. (born March 27, 1984) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. He began songwriting in 2010, and has co-written singles including " Lemme See" by Usher, "New Flame" by Chris Brown, " Right Here" by Justin Bieber, " O ...
, and Polo G
Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album '' Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked a ...
. The album debuted at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming Mozzy's highest-charting at the time.
2020–2021: ''Occupational Hazard'', ''Kommunity Service'', and ''Untreated Trauma''
On September 23, 2020, Mozzy returned with his second project of 2020, ''Occupational Hazard''. He described it as his favorite project and said the album goes back to his "old" style.
Mozzy started 2021 by releasing the single "Bompton to Oak Park", which was a collaboration with fellow California rapper YG. The single was the lead single to a collaborative album titled '' Kommunity Service'', which was released on May 21 of that year. The album peaked at number 88 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In September of that year, Mozzy released his sixth studio album, titled '' Untreated Trauma''. The album debuted at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200, surpassing ''Beyond Bulletproof'' as his highest-charting album.
On September 30, 2021, Mozzy was featured on the song " Last One Standing" by Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2004, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract w ...
, along with 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 ...
and Polo G
Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album '' Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked a ...
, featured on the soundtrack for the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
2022–present: ''Survivor's Guilt'' and ''Kollect Kall''
On February 10, 2022, Mozzy signed his major-label contract in a joint venture with CMG and Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
and shortly after, released the single "Real Ones" featuring Roddy Ricch
Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Compton, California, Moore rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his song "Die Young ...
, which was the lead single to his album ''Survivor's Guilt
Survivor guilt or survivor's guilt (also survivor syndrome, survivor's syndrome, survivor disorder and survivor's disorder) happens when individuals feel guilty after they survive a tragic, near death, or traumatic event when others perished. It ...
''. It was released on July 22, 2022 and peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
.
Controversies
In April of 2013, Mozzy released a diss track titled 'The Truth', which was primarily aimed at several rappers and gang members in South Sacramento. Mozzy had still been living in Sacramento at the time of release. The diss track was deemed by several within Sacramento to be highly disrespectful due to the constant slander of 'rival' rappers in his lyrics and of gang members who had been killed. In a interview with VladTV in June 2016, Mozzy claims Alonzo Walsh, who was nicknamed from him and those close around him as 'Zilla Zoe', had appeared in the video and was killed in a drive by shooting within 12 hours of the videos release as revenge. Officials in Sacramento affirmed Walshs' death to be caused from a gang rivalry. According to Mozzy, he had advised Walsh before the video shoot not to appear due to its 'message'. Rapper Lizk released the song of the same title addressing Mozzy in August of the same year.
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. Nine shootings followed, which the Sacramento Police department found to be linked by the original incident between the two gangs.
In August of 2017, a feud between Mozzy and C-Bo
Shawn Thomas (born January 14, 1972), better known by his stage name C-Bo, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California. Known for his extensive legal troubles, he was the first notable rapper to be jailed due to his lyrical content in 1998. ...
began when Mozzy released a music video for the song "New Era New King", addressing C-Bo. C-Bo responded with a song within the same month titled "Body 4 Body".
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
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...
, 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
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
for gun possession.
In July 2022, Mozzy pled guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to one year in prison, as well as a $55,000 fine. He served his sentence at USP Atwater before being released in May 2023 after serving 10 months.
In July 2023, Mozzy was briefly detained and questioned in Kansas City after a mass shooting occurred that injured nine and killed one at a concert he was performing in. He was shortly released thereafter.
Personal life
Mozzy is a father to two daughters. His youngest daughter was born Zayda Ahkyana Patterson in early 2018.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Collaborative albums
Mixtapes and EPs
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charted and certified songs
Notes
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Rappers from Sacramento, California
Gangsta rappers
G-funk artists
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
Bloods
21st-century American rappers
Living people
1987 births
21st-century American male musicians
Interscope Records artists
West Coast hip-hop musicians