We recently connected with Big Rez and have shared our conversation below.

Big Rez, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I wrote my first rap at the age of 8. I’ve always been a fan of hip-hop & black media as a whole. I used to tell my friends when I was in middle school,” one day I’m going to be on 106 & park.” I was influenced by seeing kids a few years older than me on tv. I tell people all the time that Bow Wow was one of my first influences. As time went on, Unfortunately, I started focusing more on football, and my love for music was put on the back burner. Years flew by I graduated college, I had a beautiful baby boy on his way into the world. Life wasn’t the best, but I’m figuring everything out. One evening, I attended this poetry event at Columbus State University. It was there I met an artist by the name of Tobe Nwigwe. I felt like I could relate to his story. A former athlete with dreams of making it to the league and having that crushed by an injury. He spoke about being in a dark place and having to refind himself. I was familiar with that dark place because I experienced similar darkness when I stopped playing football. He spoke about chasing your dreams because life was short. I had been contemplating getting back into music for months, I was 26…I thought I was way too old to start rapping again. Then I found out Tobe was in his late 20s when he started his journey. He was 31 when he visited CSU, and within months his career blossomed like wildfire. I left that event with a fire burning inside of me to focus on music again. This time Consistently, that was 2018, and I’ve been moving up ever since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Big Rez is a southern hip-hop artist who prides himself on painting pictures with words. Born Taurez Rashaud Russell in Lagrange Georgia, and raised in Valley, Alabama. Rez spent a lot of time going back and forth between the two cities, an area which he refers to, as “The Border”.

He got his first taste of music around age 5 when his mother forced him into their church choir. It was there where he learned the art of showmanship & confident stage presence. At age 8 he wrote his first rap; being heavily influenced by Lil Wayne, Bow Wow, & T.I. As Rez grew older he became a true student of Hip-Hop, studying greats like Biggie, Jay-z, Outkast, & Kanye West. He would go on to release a plethora of singles & jack-beat tapes.

In 2019 Big Rez released his debut EP “The Biggest Vibe” led by his single “The Vibe”. Big Rez sold over 2500 hardcopies creating a buzz for himself in the greater valley area. In 2020, he released his second EP “VELOUR” led by his single & fan favorite “Stack”. His latest release “Long Live the Vibe” is on track to be his biggest streaming project of all time, led by his singles “Mood” & “Stack 2.0”. A true master of hidden silky wordplay..double entendres wrapped in storylines of vivid imagery. Rez’s relatable lifestyle music makes you feel like you have everything you’ve ever wanted in life.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There’s nothing more rewarding than learning your music impacts people. In life we all have our personal battles. You never really know what people are going through. I remember the first time hearing my music helped a person out of a dark place..It felt so surreal to me. It lets me know that I’m doing something right.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Growing up I was never an avid reader..however recently a friend of mine put me on a book titled The Way of the Superior man by David Deida…me being a Nipsey fan, rest his soul. I remember him talking about how this book changed his life. So when my friend mentioned it I saw that as a sign to hop on it. This book teaches you how to live beyond your edge and give the best version of yourself..whether you’re in the workplace, or dealing with relationships, I would recommend it to all men.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bigrezofficial.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsbigrez
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/its.bigrez
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/its_bigrez
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCow_IFZXX0as1SvmXelCodw