Bryshere Yazuan Gray, often known as Yazz the Greatest or simply Yazz, is an American actor and rapper best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon in Fox’s musical drama series “Empire.” He began rapping when he was 16 years old while working at a Pizza Hut in his hometown of Philadelphia. He was quickly signed to the indie label ‘Raw Life,’ and released a number of singles, including ‘Homework’ (2012) and ‘Respect’ (2013). (2013). He met his future manager, Charlie Mack, during his struggle years when he was doing a lot of performances and playing on the street, and he got him an audition for ‘Empire.’ In 2017, he portrayed Michael Bivins in the BET miniseries ‘The New Edition Story.’ For his work as Hakeem, he has been nominated for the 2017 BET Award for Best Actor. Gray has a strong social media presence as one of Hollywood’s hottest up-and-coming talents, with 3.9 million and 1.31 million followers on Instagram and Twitter, respectively.
The Career of Bryshere
Bryshere Charlie Mack introduced Gray to Lee Daniels, the co-creator and executive producer of ‘Empire.’ He was sent to Los Angeles for a second audition with Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson after a video audition for Daniels.
Gray later admitted that he was “blown away” by this because he had expected only the director, Danny Strong, to be present. Mack also introduced Yazz to Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, two of Yazz’s boyhood heroes.
The pilot was shot in Chicago in March 2014 after the show was picked up by Fox. On May 6, 2014, the network ordered a full season for its 2014-15 US network television schedule.
The pilot episode premiered on January 7, 2015, immediately following the season 14 debut of ‘American Idol.’ The show’s second and third seasons premiered on September 23, 2015, and September 21, 2016, respectively.
On January 11, 2017, it was renewed for a fourth season. Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo, in addition to Daniels and Strong, serve as executive producers.
“I wanted to make a black ‘Dynasty,'” Daniels remarked in an interview with the ‘Hollywood Reporter’ about the series. ‘No, this (crap) didn’t!’ you say as you sit there. “Oh my (expletive) God!” says the narrator.
Gray’s first acting role was in this film. Hakeem Lyon, his character, is the youngest son of hip-hop entrepreneur Lucious (Howard) and his ex-wife Cookie Lyon (Henson).
Having grown up in a world of money and luxury, Hakeem, who was previously groomed by his father to succeed him, progressively earns his father’s scorn for his lack of discipline, despite his inborn skill.
Ironically, Hakeem aspires to be like his father, whom he regards as a role model, but he falls short since he is neither as vicious and power-hungry as Andre (the oldest son, played by Trai Byers) nor as creative and morally grounded as Jamal (the middle son, played by Jussie Smollett).
Even more complicated is his relationship with his mother, who has come home after serving 17 years in prison. Hakeem harbors a great deal of bitterness and builds hatred toward his mother. Jamal appears to be the only family member with whom he has a positive relationship.
“Total opposite,” Gray said in an interview with ‘Cosmopolitan’ when asked about the contrast between Hakeem and himself or his rap identity, Yazz. That kid is a rogue. You know, he doesn’t have any direction. It’s difficult to be Hakeem.”
‘Drip Drop,’ ‘You’re So Beautiful’ (season 1), ‘Chasing the Sky’ (season 2 Volume 2), and ‘Special’ are among the singles Yazz has performed voice for in all three seasons of the show too far (season 3).
He’s working on a project with Timbaland (Empire’s principal music producer) that will be released on Columbia Records.
Gray is set to play Kholi Styles in the upcoming film “Canal Street.” He’s also collaborating with Bille Woodruff on her directorial debut, ‘Honey 4’.
His Personal Experiences
Bryshere Gray was born on November 28, 1993, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America. Andria Mayberry, his mother, became pregnant with him when she was a teenager and reared him alone in the absence of his father.
He watched his mother’s abuse at the hands of his father as he grew up, and at the age of five, he was diagnosed with ADHD. He graduated from ‘Overbrook High School’ in Philadelphia with a high school diploma.
Gray confessed to ‘Cosmopolitan’ in February 2015 that his estranged father had reached out to him since he became famous, but that he needed more time and maturity before taking any action. Brianna is his sister’s name.
After Gray and Jhonni Blaze, stars of the VH1 reality series “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” were pictured together in an amusement park, there was a lot of conjecture about their connection. Gray and Blaze, on the other hand, have neither confirmed nor denied anything.
Estimate Net worth
Bryshere Gray has a net worth of $2 million as an actor and rapper in the United States.