Hailing straight from Akron, Ohio, 16-year-old 23zay is on a mission to put his city on the map. With a fresh deal through Blimpcity Records and the global muscle of Universal Music Group behind him, the buzz is real. But for 23zay, this is just the beginning of the plan. The name 23zay reps his squad, Two Three, a collective of young hustlers chasing dreams and getting to the bag. Don’t box him in, though. His sound is as versatile as it gets, sliding from gritty drill to soulful samples with ease, a skill he put on full display in his project Veratiligence. This ain’t just music for the headphones; it’s for the people. His tracks are the ones that blow up on the ‘Gram, that they play at the big school games, and that you can actually relate to. Inspired by his dad’s time in the booth and fueled by the sounds of Rio da Yung Og and Chicken P, 23zay started crafting his own hits at 14 and never slowed down. He carries the lessons from his hood in Akron but moves with a smarter...