Vazboy Vazzy, refugee from war-torn Africa and rising music star, shows off versatility with new single “Baddest Boy”

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When Afrobeat–trap–fusion artist Vazboy Vazzy released his first song at the age of 17, he had never even heard of platforms like YouTube––but a friend uploaded the track for him, and the song garnered 12,000 plays in its first week.

“It just kept going up, up, up right after that,” Vazzy recalls. “It was really exciting and at the same time I was caught off guard because as a kid coming from Africa to America in search of a better life, you’re not really expecting anything like that. Coming from where I come from, people don’t really show you as much love just because everybody is kind of struggling and going through things.”

Inspired by the viral reaction to his first recorded song, and an emerging fanbase, Vazzy dove head first into music. A decade later, he’s found acclaim on two different continents and has his sights set on something even bigger. But his story began with hardship.

Vazzy grew up in the West African country of Liberia, a place torn by years of civil war, and it was this conflict his family fled more than 20 years ago when they immigrated to the United States.

“I’m a guy that comes from war, a guy that lost everything and then I came to the U.S.,” Vazzy says. “Living here, I’ve been able to really connect with a lot of compassionate people from all backgrounds. They want to see me win, and I want people to know I’m really proud to be here and thankful for America giving me the opportunity to chase my dreams. I’m a refugee who lost a lot but came to America to overcome the situation and I still have a dream to chase.”

His introduction to music came in church choirs back home (his grandmother would take him to choir practice after school), and he learned more in school here. After recording that first song at age 17, he delivered a successful mixtape in 2018 aimed at the Liberian entertainment industry. He went by the stage name Slumstar then, a title given to him by his community “because I come from nothing at all; I come from the slum,” he says.

That EP was even sponsored by the president of Liberia, who personally called Vazzy to discuss the project.

“That was a really big––maybe the biggest––moment of my career,” he says. “It’s amazing because after leaving Liberia for so long, most of my fanbase still comes from Liberia and I get good coverage in the media there.”

The project featured the hit song “Baddest Boy,” which saw Vazzy team up with Liberian rapper Bucky Raw. He says the track, and the support he got from back home, was a turning point in his career, and now he’s turning it into a hit all over again by reworking the song and featuring another well-known Liberian artist in Demmie Vee.

“I’m a versatile artist,” Vazzy says. “‘Baddest Boy’ is two songs. The first one (with Bucky Raw) was in the Liberian sound, which is hipco and trapco and I’m pretty good at doing that. The new version is just a regular Afrobeat, which I’m pretty fluent in. I’ve done the song twice, but it’s not the same beat or song.”

Vazzy says his take on Afrobeat is unique, in part because one of his biggest influences musically was 50 Cent. Vazzy’s father was a foreign exchange student in Maryland, and he returned to Liberia with a CD player and music including Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. Vazzy also drew inspiration from the music of Wizkid and other Afrobeats artists.

“Rap has always been a part of my life and my own flow,” he says. “There really aren’t many artists doing Afrobeats music like I do because I can rap and sing at the same time. I’m very versatile with it. Most top Afrobeats artists are singers.”

That’s where his unique fusion of Afrobeats and trap comes into play. And he pairs his style with authentic storytelling.

“Everything I’m trying to get across is a story I’ve experienced,” he says. “I’m definitely more of a storyteller.”

Vazzy’s reworked version of “Baddest Boy” dropped on August 30, and he’s already working on a follow-up EP.

Stay connected to Vazboy Vazzy on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts: 

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B.O.A Mook navigates emotional motivation with new single “It Is What It Is”

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B.O.A Mook is an artist, entrepreneur and visionary hailing from Memphis with much more than music to offer to the rap game. Whether it be his clothing line, his label or anything else, his motto remains the same: “Believe. Overcome. Achieve.” B.O.A is more than an abbreviation for him, it’s a community centric lifestyle that everyone who knows and respects him follows.

His newest single “It Is What It Is,” a melodic guitar laced rap track, chronicles the emotions he navigates as he goes through life meeting people who may not always have his best interest in mind. He wants people to feel motivated when they hear the song and know they can beat the odds just like he did.

His faith in God is what he credits for getting through these situations and life in general. In fact, God’s divine timing is what he credits for the birth of the song itself.

B.O.A Mook reached many people’s ears when he was featured on the song “CAN WE LIVE?” by NLE Choppa. Choppa flew him out to Los Angeles and Mook thought they were going to shoot a video but something completely different happened.

“I was out in Los Angeles for about three or four days. Choppa was shooting videos during the day and we were working on our song together in the studio at night. The producer Project X was there along with a few others and me and him formed a connection. He was recording other people and I wanted him to record me too. Things came up but finally on the last night I was there we were able to record and I did it in one take and he was very impressed by that. NLE Choppa explained to him that both of us came from a place where we truly had to make the most of our studio time and that a quick and efficient work ethic was something people like us naturally developed through the circumstances we were in.” he said.

B.O.A Mook’s new project titled Empath is slated to drop on November 12 and he says it will be his most personal project yet. Just like Mook wants to spread the B.O.A movement to everyone, he simultaneously understands the struggles and pains his community faces and wants to overcome. The project includes sentimentally uplifting tracks like “Looking at the World Different,” one of his favorites.

“This song is all about my life behind the scenes. I’m talking about how I’m trying to be a good example for my daughters, praying and raising them to be good young ladies.” he said.

Writing from such a personal place is not completely new territory for Mook but the track “Thank God” took him to a different level of vulnerability. His faith in God remains at the center of everything he does but he’s also aware of the decisions he’s made in life and had to reflect on them to write the song.

“I always pray before I make music but for this one I really wanted to make sure my mind was in the right place before I recorded the song. God knows us for who we are and sees all that we do. Despite what I may have done beforehand, I knew I wanted to center myself mentally and spiritually before recording this one because of how it was a song fully dedicated to Him.” he said.

Emotional resonance is a throughline through Mook’s lyricism and delivery but also his production. He tends to gravitate towards piano and guitar based production, whose melodic tones pair well with his melodic delivery and vulnerable songwriting. The sonic cohesion is all a part of his goal to bring raw and unfiltered soul to the rap game and give people a look at what he and the people from his environment have lived and continue to live through.

As aforementioned, B.O.A is not just an abbreviation for Mook but a lifestyle. Originally it only stood for “Best of All Time” but Mook has evolved past declaring this, it’s more of an internal belief. With it now also standing for “Believe. Overcome. Achieve.,” his message of encouraging others is at the forefront and it transcends all he does. Both the name of his label and clothing brand push the “B.O.A.” abbreviation and they both are centered around a mutual exchange of support and motivation.

Mook sees the label ownership as a mutual investment for himself and the artists he works with. He wants to start a legacy of generational wealth through it as well as his other business endeavors. Ensuring financial security for his three daughters is his motivating factor through it all but his pure love and dedication to them outweighs any financial amount he could accumulate.

“My number one fear is not having anything. And I also just don't want to focus on only one thing and let that stop me from doing other things. I’m going to continue doing music, building the podcast, acting and doing what I can to get my own equipment to do everything too. I don’t want my daughters to look at me and think I didn’t try. They’re my motivation.” he said.

Mook has plans to continue pursuing business ventures and use that money to fund his endeavors at the same time. He also plans to continue acting as he did in the Starz series BMF. Additionally, he has plans for visuals for the Empath album and plans for the top of 2026 too.

B.O.A Mook is a multifaceted artist with God at the center of his life and his motto of “Believe. Overcome. Achieve.” at the front of his mind.

“It Is What It Is” is available on streaming services now and Empath drops on November 12,2025.

You can tap in with B.O.A Mook’s Believe Overcome Achieve lifestyle by keeping up with him on these platforms.

Apple Music
Spotify
YouTube
Instagram

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