Cris Breeze
Lookin' For Love
By: Jake Kelley (Posted By: Bear Frazer)
Last updated February 3rd , 2010

Most teenagers deal with pettiness and disloyalty, but when you're a prodigious rapper, you can draw inspiration of it. Explaining the title of his first mixtape, Everybody Hates Cris, 18-year-old Cris Breeze said, "There's just people around you – you think they've got your back, you think they're supporting you, but they're really not. I felt like I did Everybody Hates Cris by myself. So it was like 'Everybody Hates Chris.'" With a chuckle, he also admits to being a fan of Chris Rock's popular television show of the same name. 

Born in Dayton, Ohio and relocated to Cincinnati, Breeze actually looks to Rap's birthplace for his influences. "Most of my inspiration comes from New York. I love New York rappers. That's where it started. I'm a lyrical rapper. I like punch-lines, metaphors and stuff like that," he says, after pointing to Fabolous and Jadakiss specifically. One lesser known rapper that Cris really admires is the late Big L. The Harlem emcee who worked with Jay-Z and Lord Finesse died when Cris was nine years old. Still, the Ohio hopeful pays close attention one of the masters of witty punchlines. 

"Me and my boy Kid Flow re-did [one of Big L's freestyle collaborations with Jay-Z]," revealed Cris, pointing to one of the joint appearances on Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito's '90s radio show. "I did a video to it. It got hundreds of thousands of views. It was real lyrical, and everybody liked it." 

Not many 18-years-olds can claim Big L as an influence, and Cris discovered the Diggin' In The Crates rapper the same way he hopes to find his fans. "I love the Internet. I went to Chicago one day, and a [passerby] told me he [recognized] me from YouTube," Breeze said. "I know rappers around Cincinnati who do shows all the time. But they're probably not gonna make it outta Cincinnati, 'cause they just do Cincinnati. When your stuff is on the Internet, it's easy to distribute. It's easy for everybody to hear it, wherever you are."

Another great marketing element is being young and in school. "It was more fun in school," said the recent high school graduate. "I had supporters [all around me]. I walked down the hallway of Fairfield High School and people would say, 'Oh, is that Cris Breeze?'" He hopes the same will happen next year as he is newly enrolled in Cincinnati State University.

Despite growing up in an era of Rap decadence, Cris has modest goals for his career. "I want to pay bills with rap. Even if I'm not rich, even if I'm not famous, I want to be able to pay bills. For instance, Wiz Khalifa, one of my favorite rappers, he's not even that big yet, but I bet he can pay all his bills with shows and releases. I want to pay bills with something I love." With the label structure ever-changing, Cris' dreams are more reachable than those still married to notions of Maybachs and mansions.

Following the warm reception of Everybody Hates Cris, Breeze is gearing up for a benchmark mixtape: From The Ground Up. "I'm gonna do this mixtape and then I'm gonna stop," he says of his creative output. "I'm gonna push this mixtape to where I won't have to put out anything else. I'll do a video for every song on here. I'll give it away for free. I just want to push it to the limit, from the ground up."  With that stroke, Breeze hopes the labels and investors will see his drive and talent.

With that said, now is as good a time as any for Cincinnati's spotlight. Entertainment can likely piggyback the media draw to sports. "I love the Bengals. The whole city is doing good, [with the Cincinnati Bearcats] going to the Sugar Bowl to play Florida," says Breeze. "Everybody is feeling good. We just party all the time." With Cris Breeze's youthful wisdom, the party may last.



To check our or purchase Everybody Hates Chris, click here.

[Tags] Hip Hop, Rap

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