Pay$oz

His name is pronounced "pesos," like the currency that embodies the Mexican economy. Lifting a bar from one of Jay-Z's rhymes, Pay$0z flipped the line and inflected it with his own style. "I was thinkin' of a verse Hov had said, 'Jay Hov/ 'bout to change my name to Jay Pesos." Since that day, I became Pay$0z.

Born in Haiti, a country still struggling with a tumultuous political fallout that rivals present-day Iraq, Jeff Chery (Pay$0z) migrated to the U.S. as a child. The turmoil of his native country continuously stays with him. "When you step off the plane it's hard to breathe already because the air is so thick. People walk around naked because they have no clothes, you see females taking showers in the street, animals out there walking and you see they're bones though their skin because they so hungry. My father brought me out there to see how the life is so I knew to get my mind focused."

Even though he has that "chill Brooklyn swagger", like a Jay-Z or a Fabolous, he's easily as comfortable flowing over bass-heavy, southern-fried beats as he is discussing world politics. Altered just like the spelling of his name, Pay$0z has a distinctive yet versatile style influenced by the rowdy party flair of the ATL, but the grit of Brooklyn's most thorough streets. Through the hardships and hope of his native Haiti, Pay$0z has evolved into artist with an enigmatic and unforgettable vibe.

Growing up in New York, a young Pay$0z got caught up in the all too typical truant lifestyle of many BK "young'ns". Eventually his antics caused his family to book him a ticket down south, away from the bright light and easy excitement of the city. During his stay on the outskirts of Atlanta, Pay$0z was easily able to focus on his craft.While he was always a star in the making, he inevitably was always captivating schoolyard fans with his coolly slick flows. Despite being active in the streets, Pay$0z maintained a stellar academic record and at the close of his high school career was accepted to St. John's University on a mathematics scholarship, where he planned to study Business Administration.

However, at the urging request of a close friend and future manager, Teks, Pay$0z took his street earnings to build a recording studio, thus marking the beginnings of conquering the recording industry. After recording scores of tracks, Pay$0z released the his first mix tape, Ahead Of The Game (2005) followed by, Last Of A Dying Breed (2006), which got shine on MTV's Mix tape Monday and a banging review from www.RapMullet.com. Pay$0z also consistently knocked down opponents on RapMullet.com's, indie battle section, "The Come Up" for five months. All this packed in at the ripe age of 19.

In December, 2007, he released his anticipated mix tape Cheating on New York, which is a collection of Pay$0z' signature New York rhymes over down-south beats. That album was a unique concept that united the grimy slickness of New York, hip hop's birthplace, with the rugged crunkness of the Southern sound which currently charts the rap game. Currently, he is avidly working on the next mix tape and consciously preparing for the first official Pay$0z album. Fans and supporters can also download his ring tones through Boost Mobile.

Pay$0z has that realness that can not be replicated or denied. Influenced by artists from Common to Biggie, Pay$0z is an emcee bringing more to the table than the average rapper. He's a fire-spitting hip hop mercenary with plans to conquer all of forms of media from music to acting to fashion. It's his hooks and swagger that will draw you in but it's his intelligence that will keep you coming back. As Pay$0z puts it, "my mind exceeds the box that everyone's trapped in."