Morris Wayne Ricks II, more popularly known as King Mez , goes about his life with a professional attitude. With this attitude, he’s trying to redefine the impression of a career in rapping, by “going against the grain,” with professionalism and punctuality.
Unlike many personalities in hip-hop, Mez shows up early for business.
“That’s rapper time,” Mez said. “Specifically rappers are late for everything by like an hour, or two hours. I love to be punctual, I set my day up like that too–with a schedule. I had something to do before this and I have something to do right after as well.”
King Mez takes his career seriously, which may explain how he’s climbed to be one of the most recognized players in the local hip-hop scene. Mez decided not to to move to Raleigh and launch his rap career until he left college to take care of his little brother, shortly after his mother’s death in August of 2010. The unexpected sequence of events launched Mez’s childhood passion to rap into the pursuit of a career. Since then, his following and popularity has multiplied rapidly.
“I’m supposed to be a senior right now, but my mom passed away last year, so I had to take care of my brother by myself. I was going to school at North Carolina A&T, but my little brother went to Garner High School, so I had to move back to be there for him,” Mez said.
King Mez considers himself as a self-made artist. Growing up with a father who was musical as well, Mez wasted no time dedicating himself to the industry after his mother’s passing, making him the autodidact rapper he is today.
“I work so hard. Right after my mom passed I was like, ‘This is what I wanna do,’ and my little brother was in school all day. So I basically got up early, sat at home and I studied the blogs, I studied the Internet, I tried to figure out how everything worked. That’s all I did all day everyday. I treated it like a nine to five job.”
Mez jumped into the cultural blog scene to publicize himself, and now is reaping the benefits. With no one but himself he has managed to establish connections with 2dopeboyz , Nah Right, XXL Magazine, Vibe Magazine and The Source Magazine, to list a few. He considers his success from his point of not trying to break the mold—otherwise it wouldn’t be genuine. He notes this is what has increasingly grown to be more addictive to listeners.
“I’m just plain, simple and normal. A lot of these rappers come out like ‘Yo , I wanna come to the game and have this that and a third to set me apart,’ but to be 100 percent honest with you, I want my talent to set me apart. I don’t want to have to dance all funny on a stage or have my hair real crazy or have the most insane subject content known to man. I just want to relate to people, and myself coming from a relatable standpoint. It seems so different now people are surprised I’m not talking about murdering nobody or anything crazy, and now normalness is out of the norm. How about I just come out rapping—how about that?”
Raleigh has not been the home base for hip-hop artists in the past. But for rappers like King Mez and other emcees in the underground of Wake County, the area has been known to be the stomping grounds for upcoming careers. From this region Mez has learned from other artists who have come and gone.
“I came up preforming with Kooley High when I was around like 18-years-old at like Ruckus Pizza. They showed me the ropes as far as doing college shows. I came up as a sponge. That’s how I am whenever I build relationships with people I ask a whole lot of questions. That’s how I’ve grown so quickly. This time last year I was aloof to everything. So from then to now I’ve moved so fast, and that’s how I want it to be this time next year, just an exponential jump.”
This next year is looking promising for young Mez . Already with companies like Stussy and 10 Deep taking care of his wardrobe, and going to Portland, Ore. to not only preform, but meet with people at Nike.
But Mez said he never expected to be at this point before he considered hip-hop.
“It’s crazy how far I’ve come,” Mez said.
King Mez has brought himself to a point of being self-sufficient enough that he is able to continue his career without the help of a brand or a label. With offers from Major and Indie record labels alike, and numerous management opportunities, Mez believes he’s doing fine for now.
“Last year, I was a 20-year-old rapper. I got myself on MTV, in SPIN magazine, so what if you’re a record label? I do it by myself. As long as I have a squad of people, it’s not special to be signed to a label anymore, only if you know what you need. It’s unnecessary. The only time you bring people into your circle is when they bring in things you don’t have.”
The only thing released previously by Mez that has shot him to his growing fame is his 6-song EP release last February. With the expected release of his first full-length album with rumor of listing 15 new tracks, King Mez is letting the plans unfold themselves and says that failure is not on his mind.
“There’s no other option, I don’t believe that. I work on my craft all day everyday, building relationships, establishing connections. This has to work. I feel like if you work on your plan A and your plan B at the same time, then your plan A is only but so strong. I don’t look at obstacles in the same form and fashion as most people do cause honestly,” Mez said. “I just don’t care.”
