Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyrone Raphael Jr.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Honestly, I would have to say I got into music at an age. Not making it exactly but the love for it! My father listened to a lot of oldies and I mean a lot. Mainly Michael Jackson and Berry White. This was an everyday thing for me no matter the season. I could expect to hear some type of old music.
My mother, on the other hand, loved up-tempo beats and music! She would listen to people like 69 Boys, Uncle Luke, and Ying Yang Twins! So I want to say to them is the most important people in my life at the time is what drew me to music in the first place. If you listen to my music you would notice I like old beats but most of the time have up-tempo raps! In second grade is when I started experimenting with writing music after having to write a poem in class (Which got picked to be read to the whole class) haha I had to put that in there just for a laugh! That exact moment is what opened up my passion for writing which turned into music!
After writing a bunch of material and showing my mother who then showed my uncle, I found out one of my uncles closest friends had a studio and wanted me to come by. So like any kid at my age (7) I happily went. Although I thought it was going to be a time for me to finally actually make music it was not. But, that studio did teach me everything I needed to know about recording. I would sit there day after day watching people write, record, and critique their craft. Sometime shortly after me finding the studio, it shut down. So I continued to write here and there while getting introduced to freestyling.
Some of my older cousins and their friends would do it while we just sat around. It excited me! I don’t know why but it did. Seeing someone rhyme words together off the top of their head was amazing! I think it was even more amazing because they would go for minutes at a time. Non-stop. One after another! It got my adrenaline pumping.
Eventually, my adrenaline turned into words and I would add my couple bars in every so often. Until I was able to go a couple mins myself. Being that it was easy to do at any time and I didn’t know of any studios to go to I picked it up and ran with it. Freestyling with and for my friends throughout the school years from elementary up to my freshman year of high school! Always willing to spit a couple bars at any time I met a lot of people who did as well. My first couple of weeks of high school I met someone who had a studio not far from school who also made beats and mixed his own music! So he was a one-stop shop and very convenient at that. Not to mention good at what he did which made it even more perfect.
At his studio is where I began making my very first actual songs. Burning them on cd’s and making short mixtapes. I wasn’t too serious about it at the time so I would only go record when I had the time to go and actually sit in there and get a whole song done.
A lot of people from the school would go and record alongside myself and the friends I hung with on the daily. So even though we made a lot of great stuff most of it didn’t get put out or unfortunately got lost. Amongst the people I made music with was a long time friend I knew since elementary school. Him and I didn’t make much music together but we did work great together and both could rap a bit. One day while at school we decided to make a group called Block Mafia Gang or BMG for short. The name came from basically protecting your block which is most of the time also your family. Hence the Mafia Gang. Although we now had a group we didn’t treat it like one.
We did acknowledge it by shouting it out in our songs to constantly let people know but it didn’t go much further than that. In fact, we still didn’t do much with the music. My graduating year which was 2009 is when I had my first born Martise! We all call him Tisey Tise! This is when I began to get more serious with the music and the friend who helped make the group remained undecided on how serious he wanted to be. so I took off with the group name putting it on all my songs and mixtapes. Pushing it as I push myself. The same year I met one of my best friends and artist known as Dom-G. With having the same passions we quickly clicked.
Not long after meeting him and finding out he rapped as well he became another member of the group. Together we did multiple shows, songs, and videos. We both put out tapes and continued to push the group along with ourselves. A couple years passed of us putting out free mixtapes on sites like Datpiff and MyMixtapes to us eventually beginning to sell burned copies to supporters around our area. With us both having growing families we had to tend to we sometimes took breaks.
In 2012 I had my daughter and didn’t make music for a while after. With being a new dad again I felt that was more important. In 2015 is when I began writing my latest project Impatiently Waitin. I feel this is when I started to be more serious with the music and looking at it like a career and no longer a hobby. Being a perfectionist it took me a very long time to find the professional sound I needed to put out this project. In between me doing that and taking care of my family Dom-G found an artist. He went by Rambo Flacko! After going over his music a couple of times and Dom-G insisting he should be with our group. He became apart of it as well. From there we built together and helped push each other to get projects done and out.
Which led me to work with artists like Vee Tha Rula and Waldo from AGO to add on the EP. 2017 is when I finally got my project all the way done and out. It was a first for me on pretty much everything as far as exclusive beats, distribution, promotion and everything else that comes with pushing a project. On it, me and my son Tisey Tise have a song called (letter to you). Being that it was his first time making or recording any music ever I was even more excited for him to perform it. At the EP release party, we did just that. We performed with the group and people absolutely loved him. At the time of getting the promotion and shows set up for the EP my road manager and I who is also one of my best friends took a visit to Atlanta to set up a show with up and coming artist James Lewis who is like a relative to me.
After being there for a couple of days we negotiated a booking at Aisle 5 in Little 5 Points. This is what brought us to begin enjoying the Atlanta culture and underground music scene. In between the time of us getting ready to go back to Atlanta I found out my cousin B Garber could rap. Was actually good and was serious about it. So we made him apart of the group and that completed our rap puzzle. When we came back to do the show (5 months later) I brought my son Tisey Tise as well as the whole group and some family. As I knew it would happen they showed us so much love and again my son stuck out! He did something I or the group could not do by ourselves. At that moment I knew he had to come with us everywhere we performed and he did.
Pushing the EP along with projects from members of the group we did more and more shows. Opening for artists like Lil Wayne up to one of our most recent 21 Savage. The EP has carried me a long way. Even further than I expected. Which I am very thankful for but its time for some new music. So with that being said, I teamed up with a great producer out of Grand Rapids Michigan by the name of Seventh who is also a member of well-known group AGO to create my next project ALL STATE which will be out early next year!
Until then you can expect more Atlanta shows, videos, group functions, and super good vibes from me, my son, and everybody in my BMG family! I appreciate you taking interest and the time out to reach me and hear my story. Thanks again!
Has it been a smooth road?
No road is smooth. Especially to success. So for me, a smooth road would be the last thing I would call the road I’ve been on. It has been getting better as of late being that a have more knowledge on how to carry my career now. In the beginning, we couldn’t find studios. Didn’t know where to look for videographers. Barely pushed our music and for sure didn’t get any shows. With getting more serious about my craft people took me more serious. Which put me in the position I am in now. To be able to reach out to any of my friends and get in the studio, get beats made, get a good mix, get videos done and last but not least throw and book my own shows!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cheeze Weez – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My stage name is Cheeze Weez. My group is Block Mafia Gang or BMG for short. I personally am an artist of all sorts but my main thing is rapping and selling shoes. I own a Resell shop called FineLine Boutique. Where we buy, sell, and trade new and used sneakers as well as apparel. I opened it Jan 1st of this year. It is located in Grand Rapids Michigan and is currently doing great! A lot of people know me for performing.
Mostly with my son Tisey Tise and fashion. Before I bought the store I started a clothing line so a lot of people who didn’t know me for music knew me from the merch I sold. So music and fashion have always gone hand and hand for me. I also represent my group to the best of my ability. So if you mention BMG around our area I may pop up in conversation.
What makes me most proud about myself and my group is the quality we give and the way we conduct business. Every business move is treated with the most care and executed in the most professional way. Every show is performed like its a million people in front us even if there is only two. Paid show or not. We rock them the same. I love that about us.
What sets me apart from other artist is the sound that I bring and the messages I put out in my music. What sets the group apart from everyone else is the ability to be able to move as a collective but everyone still have individual fan bases. That one thing right there makes us unique as a group and I’m very proud of that!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like most about Atlanta is the culture. You can feel it throughout the city. From the paint on the walls to the food and people around. Its like Atlanta sings its own song! What I like least about the city is the high aids population.
I feel the signs they put up exposing the high amounts of numbers of people that have aided in the city is kind of scary and honestly, they should have more assistance or programs trying to bring the numbers down or in a way to a holt if ever possible. Besides that, I love Atlanta like home. It reminds me of Michigan. Just way bigger.
Contact Info:
- Address: 510 28th St SE STE B
Grand Rapids, Mi 49548 - Phone: (616) 308-6363
- Email: bmgcheezeweez@gmail.com
- Instagram: Cheezeweez600
- Facebook: Cheeze Weez
- Twitter: CheezeWeez600
Image Credit:
Nate Radowski, Marcus Foster, & Lourdes Sukari
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