Rasquiz Alfred Johnson (born January 27, 1995), better known by his stage name, Raz Fresco, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Brampton, Ontario. He is a member of the hip hop collective Bakersclub, with whom he has released four mixtapes. Raz is currently working on his "Magneto Was Right" project that is currently on its ninth issue.
Raz Fresco has worked with popular artists such as Raekwon, Bishop Nehru, Tyga, Big Sean, B.o.B, Wale, French Montana, and Mac Miller.
Life and career
Early life and musical beginnings
Raz Fresco was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican parents Sandra Charlton and William Johnson. He moved to Mississauga, Ontario shortly after his dad was deported and then moved to Brampton, Ontario, where he attended St. Marguerite D'Youville. He is the nephew of dub and roots reggae artist Earl Zero. When Raz was in the 2nd grade he began to write rap lyrics to beats he would find online. Raz began producing his own beats in the 7th grade.3
2010-2011: Laced Up and MCMXCV
After the release of Welcome To The Bakersclub, Raz was flown out to Atlanta, Georgia to sign a management contract with The Commission. Later in 2010, Raz released his second mixtape Laced Up. In June 2011, Raz released his third mixtape MCMXCV which was hosted by Don Cannon. The mixtape was well received generating over 15,000 downloads within the first week.
2012-present: CakeyPocket$, No Hookz, The Popcorn Tape, & Pablo/Frescobar
Shortly after the release of MCMXCV Fresco began CakeyPocket$, his first entirely self-produced project. A consistent visual campaign of 8 videos gained Raz more notoriety on popular hip hop sites and news outlets such as Complex, Noisey, Vibe and XXL. The mixtape was also nominated for Artist Mixtape of The Year at the 2012 Stylus Awards. In the winter of 2012 Raz dropped No Hookz with Bakersclub artist Chill Will. This served as a prelude to their full length collaborative project The Popcorn Tape which was released in January 2013. In the winter of 2013 Raz produced Bishop Nehru's Mobb Dizzle for the NBA Live 14 soundtrack. Raz's debut album entitled Pablo Frescobar4567 was released in 2015.
Personal life
Fresco is a member of the Five-Percent Nation and goes by the name I Power Allah.
His journey from Toronto to Mississauga and finally Brampton, where he attended St. Marguerite D'Youville Secondary School, coincided with a phase of intellectual awakening. It was during these formative years that he stumbled upon the Five Percent Nation’s teachings, a movement predicated on the notion that Black people are the original "Gods" and "Earths" of the planet, with only five percent of humanity possessing the knowledge to enlighten the masses—contrasted against the ten percent who exploit and the eighty-five percent who remain in ignorance. For a young Raz, who had been scribbling rhymes since second grade, this philosophy offered a framework that aligned with his burgeoning desire to infuse his music with substance beyond mere entertainment.
The turning point arrived in 2014 when Raz encountered Born King, his educator within the Five Percent Nation, a mentor who would shepherd him into the fold of this profound ideology. Unlike a casual adoption of cultural trappings, Raz’s path was one of deliberate immersion. He didn’t rush to join but maintained a steady dialogue with Born King, dedicating himself to studying the Nation’s lessons—Supreme Mathematics, the Supreme Alphabet, and a sweeping historical narrative that reframed Black identity as the foundation of civilization. This period of self-education culminated in his formal entry into the Nation, a process he detailed in a 2016 VICE essay accompanying the premiere of his "Godbody" video, a track from his debut album Pablo Frescobar (2015). The essay and song together served as a public declaration of his alignment with the Five Percent ethos, articulating how it dovetailed with his artistic ambitions.
Raz Fresco on Joining the Five Percent Nation
Discography
Discography
- Welcome To The Bakers Club (2010)
- Laced Up (2010)
- MCMXCV (2011)
- CakeyPocket$ (2012)
- No Hookz (with ChillxWill) (2012)
- The Popcorn Tape (with ChillxWill) (2013)
- The Screwface Tape (2014)
- Pablo Frescobar (2015)
- How U Survive Through Life Everyday (H.U.S.T.L.E.) (2017)
- God Made Devil - EP (2018)
- 410 North (2018)
- No Deal Peel (2019)
- Deluxe Hilfiger Regalia (2019)
- Brother From Another (w/ The 6th Letter) (2019)
- Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction (w/ BriskInTheHouse) (2019)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #1 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #2 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #3 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #4 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #5 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #6 (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #7 (2020)
- Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen (w/ Future Wave) (2020)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #8 (2021)
- Magneto Was Right Issue #9 (2021)
- SUNray (2021)
- Alkmy (2021)
- Secret Wars (w/ Dibia$e) (2021)
- Boulangerie (2022)
- Pocket Operations (2022)
- Arm Leg Leg Arm Head = ALLAH (2022)
- Magnetic (2022)
- Northside (w/ Daniel Son) (2024)
- The Eternal Now (w/ DJ Muggs) (2024)
Production discography
- Tyga – Black Thoughts (2009)
- Mac Miller (2010)
- French Montana – Mister 16: Casino Life (2011)
- DJ Holiday (2011)
- Bishop Nehru - Nehruvia (2013)
- The 6th Letter - NorthernPlayalisticGetHighMuzik Vol. 1
External links
References
"French Montana - Mister 16: Casino Life Hosted by DJ Holiday // Free Mixtape @ DatPiff.com". DatPiff February 15, 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://www.datpiff.com/French-Montana-Mister-16-Casino-Life-mixtape.198802.html ↩
"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: RAZ FRESCO TALKS PRODUCING FOR MAC MILLER, BIG SEAN, HIGH SCHOOL, AIR JORDAN COMMERCIALS, BAKERS CLUB & MORE". Respect. January 15, 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131211171223/http://respect-mag.com/exclusive-interview-raz-fresco-talks-producing-for-mac-miller-big-sean-high-school-air-jordan-commercials-bakers-club-more/ ↩
"Raz Fresco Interview". ThisIsWalder January 28, 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://thisiswalder.com/2013/01/exclusive-raz-fresco-interview-with-walder-video/ ↩
"The Break Presents: Raz Fresco". XXL February 18, 2013. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/the-break/2013/02/the-break-presents-raz-fresco/ ↩
"Q&A: Raz Fresco on corny 'hip-pop' and his viral attack". CBC Music February 26, 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2013/2/QA-Raz-Fresco-on-corny-hip-pop-and-his-viral-attack ↩
"Raz Fresco Interview". Exclaim! April 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/raz_fresco ↩
"Raz Fresco Interview". ThisIsWalder January 28, 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013. http://thisiswalder.com/2013/01/exclusive-raz-fresco-interview-with-walder-video/ ↩