Quiz
Who Is Quiz?
There are a lot of valid answers to this question, but one thing’s for certain – he’s not who you think he is. He’s lived from Oregon to Tennessee. He’s Cuban and Puerto Rican. He wears eyeglasses and his arms are covered in tattoos. He listens to Garth Brooks and DMX. He hoops, he raps, and he grew up in a home broken beyond the borders of most people’s imaginations. He proudly credits his daughter as the reason he’s alive, and painfully reflects on his time in prison as the period in which he defined himself. All of this – so much more – and the kids only 24 Since his days as a youth, when it used to keep him out of trouble, hip-hop is has long been Quiz zilla’s outlet. His ability to express emotion via the pen is impressive, and he possesses deep wells from which to tap. His favorite rappers range from E-40 to Jay-Z & Biggie to Tech 9ine, the latter of whom’s influence can be found in his music. He boasts an aggressive and nimble rap style which he consistently melds with technology-driven, bass heavy beats and complex, high-energy production. While grudgingly embracing a club/pop style of rap, Quiz delivers well thought and precise vocals with a distinct energy that allows him to stand out on beats of various tempos and moods. “This might sound cliché, but I’m versatile.” ~ Quiz zilla Cliché as it might sound, it’s also tremendously true. While most decent rappers are comfortable switching to different types of beats or adding elements from other types of music to add a crossover effect, it seems that Quiz zilla’s music sits right in the pocket of eclecticism… he literally cringes when people even attempt to define his sound. The emotional range expressed through his music is expansive; from club-worthy R&B/pop songs like Punk Rock Beezy with his go-to crooner J-Rome, to horror-themed rock-rap tracks like Candyman, Quiz keeps his listeners guessing. After returning to his birth city of Portland, Oregon as a young adult, Quiz teamed with 5 other emcees to create the super-group known as The Free Agentz. Together, they have performed at some of the biggest venues in the Northwest and opened for hip-hop legends such as 2 Live Crew, Bizzy Bone, Bubba Sparks and Baby Bash. They also managed to release 2 mixtapes, including the latest, Free @ Last, in 2010. His upcoming project, 2 Che drops summer of 2011 .The project features vocals from J-Rome, M-80, Mic Money and Spitfire (of Free Agentz) while boasting top-notch production and mixing by Terminill of Flatline Studios. This will be Quiz’s 2nd solo project and certainly his most ambitious; his first album named 0831, respectively. So again, who is Quiz zilla? When finally pinned with this question, the reserved but cocky, slim rapper responded slowly, “I’m a Scorpio… I don’t know… That’s a hard one for me… Do what you want with that!” One thing we do know is that this guy is talented. Now do yourself a favor, open your ears and check out the music.