Critical Praise:
“Mozzy is the flip side of that coin, conscience-stricken and tormented by every loss. Less than a year removed from a stint in federal prison, there is seemingly even greater caution to his music now, turning his matter-of-fact disposition in an even more poignant direction. Mozzy, who recently said he was “not one to glorify his L’s,” has moved into a hyper-reflective position on his new album, Children of the Slums.” – NPR
“He never needs to raise his voice or act out just to grab your attention; his delivery is assured and consistent but never overconfident. But despite how second nature rapping is for Mozzy, he never lets that confidence tilt into arrogance.” – Pitchfork
“Mozzy is the definition of a rapper in the zone, with a signal-to-noise ratio that rivals anyone else working in hip-hop today.” – Complex
“Chalk it up as a victory for Sacramento’s lyrical champion.” – HipHopDX
Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest West Coast Rap Songs of All Time (#68, “Bladadah”)
The Video:
Mozzy has established himself as one of the rap game’s realest wordsmiths, but success has not sheltered him from the trauma he experienced to get to the top. Reflecting on his legal troubles and betrayals that shook him to the core, Mozzy shares the video for “23 AND 1,” a poignant new single. Populated by rippling pianos and mournful vocal samples, “23 AND 1” finds Mozzy reminiscing on his past misdeeds, expressing regret and nostalgia in equal measure, as he lashes out at betrayers and mourns those he has lost. The song is blessed with a standout guest verse from YFN Lucci, who recounts his time in jail and reflects on what he missed (“Ay, Trouble left and I ain’t get to say my goodbyes,” he sings), his voice rising with melodic verve as he promises to push forward. The video for “23 AND 1” flashes back to Mozzy’s time behind bars, combining real archival footage and photos of the rapper as a young man with new scenes of Mozzy and YFN Lucci performing the song.
“23 AND 1” picks up right where INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, Mozzy’s April 2025 album, left off. The album dramatizes Mozzy’s journey toward inner peace, as he attempts to move forward from the memories of traumatic youth that flood back, even during his current life of luxury. INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS swerves between emotional paeans like the Pitchfork-praised “NIGHTMARES” ft. Lil Poppa and ruthless anthems like “BLOOD DIAMONDS” ft. Peysoh and “KATTA CLIPS,” making space for fan favorite singles like “10 PERCENT” and high profile collaborations like “WHO WANT WAR” ft. Polo G. Featuring additional guest spots from EST Gee, Maine Muzik, Tsu Surf, and Mozzy’s faithful Sactown associates E Mozzy and Celly Ru, INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS is available everywhere via Mozzy Records / EMPIRE.
INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS continues Mozzy’s run as one of the most acclaimed and popular street rappers of his generation. He has earned a PLATINUM certification from the RIAA (for “Sleep Walkin”) and one GOLD certification from the RIAA as a lead artist (for “Excuse Me”) and three more on his collaborations with Skylar Grey, Likybo, and $tupid Young. Mozzy earned mainstream recognition in 2018, when his song “Sleep Walkin” was featured in a pivotal scene in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, and he earned a shout out from Kendrick Lamar in his Grammy Award acceptance speech. His street classic “Bladadah” placed #68 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best West Coast Rap Songs of All Time. Late last year, Mozzy teamed with Kalan.FrFr for the breezy LUCKY HER, and earlier, he paid tribute to his neighborhood with the album CHILDREN OF THE SLUMS.
Stay tuned for much more music from Mozzy in the coming days and weeks.
Stream “23 AND 1” ft. YFN Lucci: https://music.empi.re/23and1
Watch “23 AND 1” ft. YFN Lucci: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrEmSn4_jP4
Stream INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS: https://music.empi.re/intrusivethoughts
Photo credit: Bryan Berry
Please contact Michelle or Kevin for more info.
Links:
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“23 AND 1” ft. YFN Lucci: https://music.empi.re/23and1 / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrEmSn4_jP4
“KEEP CALLIN MY NAME” (Vevo ctrl performance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2348n3-Ag
“SEVEN 2’S” (Vevo ctrl performance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLNU2tTNQ4s
INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS: https://music.empi.re/intrusivethoughts
“WHO WANT WAR” ft. Polo G: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iYITT3xS5A
“NIGHTMARES” ft. Lil Poppa: https://music.empi.re/nightmaremozzy / https://youtu.be/aKqhIqe-QqA?si=2dZGjM6dvSr37pmc
“UNDER OATH”: https://music.empi.re/underoathmozzy / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5PvacJ87w4
Mozzy & Kalan.FrFr – LUCKY HER: https://music.empi.re/luckyher
Mozzy & Kalan.FrFr – “BBL” ft. Rob49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgKIvcOL-fY
“LOST IT ALL” ft. Fridayy (Lyric Video): https://mozzy.lnk.to/LOSTITALLVideo
CHILDREN OF THE SLUMS: https://mozzy.lnk.to/ChildrenOfTheSlums
“RED NOSE BULLY”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQDcIKqMX4
“JADED” ft. Eric Bellinger: https://Mozzy.lnk.to/Jaded / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3NOqXE2fPo
“FREE JUJU”: https://Mozzy.lnk.to/FREEJUJUVideo / https://Mozzy.lnk.to/FREEJUJU
“Ain’t On Sh*t” ft. Lil Zay Osama: https://mozzy.lnk.to/AINTONSHIT / https://youtu.be/GHw5oAVxUwM?si=Q2o2z-1yofsrbxba
“IF I DIE RIGHT NOW”: https://mozzy.lnk.to/ifidierightnow / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7UVt7KUkj4
“Count Time”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oaaW-sPj1M&
“10 Percent”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rZq8S5dpKk
KOLLECT KALL EP: https://mozzy.lnk.to/KOLLECTKALL/