Career
2004–2007: Soul Diggaz and the Young Country / Yung Kuntry era
In 2004, Davis was introduced to a member of the production team Soul Diggaz through a family connection. He relocated to New Jersey and joined their creative camp, where he began recording under the stage name Young Country, later stylized as Yung Kuntry. [1]
While working with Soul Diggaz, Davis signed with Universal Records and, in 2006, released the 12" single *“Pattycake” / “I'm Official”*. [3] The B-side “I'm Official” features vocals performed by songwriter and producer Shalom "J.Storm" Miller. [3]
As Yung Kuntry, Davis also contributed rap features to two tracks—“Lo Que Llamas Amor” and “No No”—on the album Mañana by the Mexican-Argentine duo Sin Bandera. [4] The album was later nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocals, marking Davis’s first Grammy nomination credit. [5]
In 2007, Davis contributed songwriting and vocal work to the track “30 Rocks” on Ridin’ High by 8Ball & MJG, writing the song’s chorus and providing vocals that were sampled, chopped, and screwed for the hook. [6]
2007–2010: Transition to Izza Kizza and Mosley Music Group
Following his early success within the Soul Diggaz camp, Davis adopted the stage name Izza Kizza and developed a more experimental, high-energy rap style.
During this period, Davis also worked closely with rapper and dancer Sharaya J, another longtime Missy Elliott protégé. His early creative support contributed to her artistic development prior to her national breakout on the Fox competition series The Four: Battle for Stardom , where she finished as runner-up in 2018. [7] [8]
His work with Soul Diggaz led to collaborations with Missy Elliott, including “Walk The Dawg,” which samples Shirley Ellis’ “ The Clapping Song”. [9]
His growing reputation led to signing with Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group/Interscope Records imprint. During this period he released several mixtapes and was featured in music publications for his unconventional delivery and genre-blending production choices. [2]
In 2008, Izza Kizza released Kizzaland , mixed by Nick Catchdubs. [10] Tracks from the mixtape received notable placements: “Red Wine” appeared on Paste Magazine’s June 2008 sampler, [2] while “Millionaire” was featured on the soundtrack for Madden NFL 09 . [11]
His song “They’re Everywhere” appeared on NBA 2K10 and was used in a hip-hop routine on Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance .
2011–present: Independent releases
After parting ways with Mosley Music Group, Izza Kizza continued releasing independent music, including the mixtapes The Wizard of Iz (2009) and 10:15 (2010). He has collaborated with numerous artists across hip-hop, pop, and electronic music, contributing guest verses to projects by Calvin Harris, Crookers, and others.
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