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Jacob Raiford, born May 19, 1986, is an American rapper known professionally as Roqy Tyraid (or stylized RoQy TyRaiD). In 2015, Raiford signed with Soulspazm Records for the release of his 2016 album The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD, which had three singles placed on the indie college charts. [1]
Raiford, then known as J RoQ, attended school in Arizona and traveled to Pomona, California, where his camp relocated and formed Tak Ovr Ent, led by DJ Metric. The label included the hip-hop act 60 East with flagship artist Space Ghost. McAdams already had a reputation in the Inland Empire's music scene as a performer and battle rapper and was chosen as the first artist to be promoted, with Raiford following shortly after. They collaborated on McAdams’ project, “House on Haunted Hill.” On July 28, 2006, Paul McAdams and his close friend and collaborator Brendan, known as Sank, were ambushed and shot while on their way to a show. McAdams died from his injuries, and the group disbanded shortly after, with other key members incarcerated.
Raiford continued his pursuits in Phoenix, Arizona, and partnered with Grammy-nominated producer Dion Brigham, a.k.a. Checkin Trapps. Raiford launched a marketing campaign, selling his first two mixtapes "Prequel 2 Bootlegs" and "Hiatus RoQ" and claiming to have sold around twenty thousand copies between the winter of 2006 and mid-2008. At local shows, Raiford would occasionally rap battle members of the crowd. He advertised this on Myspace as “Going On A Tirade”. In late 2008, Raiford spoke with Chino XL, whom Raiford had known since he was 16. Raiford wanted to find a unique name. Out of respect for the legendary J Rocc, Raiford decided to retire the moniker. Chino XL suggested “Tirade,” and Raiford agreed, conceptualizing Roqy Tyraid as both “Roq and Tirade”.
2009–2010: RoQy TyRaiD - The New Millennium Man
Raiford befriended Rampage of Flipmode Squad Fame, the cousin of Busta Rhymes, who recruited Raiford onto his label Deep Freeze. Raiford refined his craft before leaving to manage his career. He released singles to local DJs, engaged in record battles, and found his way onto terrestrial radio. By late 2010, he released his first mixtape as Roqy Tyraid, The New Millennium Man, consisting of original songs and mixtape records containing instrumentals from producers he hoped to work with. His first single, "Woosah," sampled Pointer Sisters' "Pinball Number Count" and repurposed a popular Sesame Street song. The video, a tongue-in-cheek ode to Sesame Street, was mildly successful, receiving support from online publications such as AllHipHop and social media support from Grammy Award winner 9th Wonder. The New Millennium Man was featured on various blogs, introducing online browsers to an artist described as "quintessentially hip-hop".[4]
After promoting The New Millennium Man, Raiford sought to maintain his momentum with a weekly series detailing current events. Phoenix DJ and on-air personality Ramses Ja, brother of Dilated People's Rakaa Iriscience, approached Raiford to do a weekly segment for his show with Bootleg Kev called Ready Set Radio, which aired out of Phoenix and Las Vegas.
For the next nine months, Raiford detailed events such as the Egyptian revolution, the crises in Libya, Japan's earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and other significant events. DJ John Blaze from Phoenix facilitated the recording and editing. Following this, Raiford returned to releasing singles and visuals, including "Break Shit" and "Bye Felicia." Around this time, he began touring and engaging in spot dates. Raiford joined Skyyhook Radio, which featured acts such as Headkrack & The Bodega Brovas, A Tribe Called Quest'sJarobi White, and Combat Jack.
Raiford excelled as an online radio personality while advancing his career in emceeing. In the winter of 2013, after being in rotation on Shade 45 and The Wake Up Show, he participated in a live cipher called The Wake Up Show: Unplugged.[5] The show was hosted by Sway & King Tech, with live mixing from D.J. Revolution. The live band included Anderson .Paak, Bobby & IZ Avila, Andre Desantana, and Tru James. In 2014, Raiford shifted his attention towards his official album, The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD. At this time, he joined The Clean Up Crew, hosted by Nick Norris on KWSS 93.9 in Phoenix, Arizona. The station achieved a #1 rating by 2016. Raiford was mentioned in “Best Of” lists for independent/underground hip-hop acts, on sites such as AllHipHop.[6][7]
2015–2016: The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD and global touring
At the beginning of 2015, RoQy worked to complete his album The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD and researched labels to release it from. The album was recorded at HKS Studios in Phoenix, Arizona, and mastered by DJ Pickster One.[8] Raiford changed the album's track listing five times before completion in the summer of 2015.
During this time, he attempted to shop the album to labels without satisfaction. He was introduced to Jim Drew, head of Soulspazm Records, via Raiford's DJ Terrance "SlopfunkDust" Harding. Drew expressed interest in working with Raiford, and a contract to release the album was drawn up. RoQy concluded his tenure at Skyyhook Radio and announced the signing via social media shortly after his performance at the A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
In December 2015, The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD was released simultaneously with the lead single "Hey You." Both "Hey You" and the Slopfunkdust-produced "Over The Horizon" performed well in the indie college charts, with "Hey You" landing at Number One. Other records include the Oddisee-produced "Barefoot Running" and "Application, Dedication, Discipline" produced by Arza1990. The visual for the latter, released in January 2017, paid homage to Office Space and Spike Lee. The song "The RaiD" is described by Raiford as part of a more extensive series he will explore through future 2018 releases.
By early 2016, the success of TDORT led to opportunities to tour overseas. He and Slopfunkdust embarked on The Dichotomy Tour, touring the UK and Europe. Upon returning, he toured North America.[9] On October 31, 2016, the visual “Kenny Powers” was released, which featured a Purge hunt of a Donald Trump supporter.
2017: Redirection
Raiford released "Crown Me," which returned to the indie college charts. The single peaked at #2. Raiford teamed up with Phoenix Sun's visual arts director Derrick Reed for a cinematic experience. Raiford was inserted into cult hits such as Black Dynamite, The Warriors, Akira, and Game of Death. During this year, The Clean Up Crew joined Radiosupa and was picked up by iHeart Radio.
In 2017, he also debuted an online-only release titled A LP Has No Name featuring unreleased Dichotomy records. Raiford ended the year on the radar of record entities.[citation needed]
2018–Present
During a show in Dec 2017, RoQy TyRaiD announced he was working on a follow-up to The Dichotomy of RoQy TyRaiD, with the intent to release it in 2018, and was rumored to have provided a sneak peek of an upcoming single. It was unknown what avenue he will release his next body of work from.[citation needed] In 2019, this was released as a five-track mixtape, Outbreak, which became the basis of his work for the next several years.[10][11]
In a 2015 interview, he claimed his appreciation for creative videos came from Busta Rhymes, Missy, Redman, and Ludacris. Raiford's love for movies is evident through references played out in visual form via video themes.[citation needed]
Rapping technique
RoQy TyRaiD opts not to write lyrics down, claiming a stronger connection to the craft by memorizing it. In an interview, he stated that he sometimes translates his thoughts into syllables and not necessarily words, allowing him dexterity in conveying the message. He believes in allowing the lyrics and energy of the performance uniqueness as opposed to static cadences and vocal tones. In songs such as "The RaiD", he can be heard changing his accent to emphasize the dialogue. In "Kenny Powers," he warps his vocals to take on a bullhorn effect. He has used Black Thought, Royce Da 5'9, and Busta Rhymes as examples of artists who adapt to songs without compromise.
He describes his music as created for the average person.
Personal life
RoQy TyRaiD is the second youngest of five children and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. He has talked about his religious upbringing in his father's household in the song "Preach".
He has cited his mother and her fiancée as influences in falling in love with hip-hop, as well as his oldest brother for introducing him to different genres of music as a child. RoQy is a former member of the Universal Zulu Nation's Southwest Chapter and has been interviewed by the news for leading BLM marches in Tempe, AZ.
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