RALPHIE
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in January De’Shawn “Ralphie” Massey began Writing his first Rhymes at that age of 12 Years Old (2006). Raised On Cleveland’s East Side, Life Was Never Easy, St. Claire Is A Rough Neighborhood & Can Make Or Break A Child. At The Age Of 12 Ralphie Got Accepted Into Miller South School Of Visual & Performing Arts In Akron , & Decided To Make The Move With His Father To A Smaller City. Its No Wonder He Often References His Artistic Abilities In His Versatile Delivery When He Has So Many Visual Art Awards Under His Belt . Upon Completing Middle School At Miller South, He Decided To Continue With Art & Audition For The Cleveland School Of Visual & Performing Arts. Moving Back To Cleveland After Being Gone For 3 Years Was The Start Of It All. It Wasn’t The Same, People Moved Out The Hood, Police Raided People Out The Hood, 79th & St. Claire Wasn’t The Same Anymore So He Stayed Focused In School.
In 2012 Ralphie & Jizzy Flexx Linked Up With Recording Engineers Matt & Josh Maunus Of Top Of The World Studio. After 6 Hours In A Professional Studio For The Very First Time The Rap Duo Known As Team North Recorded 9 Songs Which Could Easily Be Considered 9 Hit Songs. Ralphie Sent The Songs To Slip N Slide Records & In 2 Days They Replied Wanting More From The Two Local Cleveland Artists. After Numerous Back & Forth Discussions Team North Decided To Remain Unsigned & Build Their Underground Fan Base In Solidify Their Position On The Hip Hop Scene. In Late July Ralphie’s Cousin La’Taevia Was Shot Outside Her Birthday Party & Then A Few Months Later On December 13th ‘ 2012 , Ralphie & Jizzy’s Childhood Friend “Skibee” Was Shot In The Head During A Drive By Shooting And Died, Followed By An Incident At Ralphie’s Birthday Party On January 4th’ His Cousin Troy Was Shot in The Leg Following An Altercation At The Door. As The City Of Cleveland & Its People Stand Still And Shocked By The Gun Violence Team North Decided To Be The Voice Of The Young People.
Numerous Deaths Convinced The Teens To Turn To What They Do Best To Cope With Their Current Situation. Team North Recorded A Single Titled ” Above The Clouds” In Memory Of The Victims Of Gun Violence. The Song Went Viral With In Minutes Of Uploading. Several People Heard The Song And Requested It On The Z107.9 Radio Station In Cleveland & Sure Enough One Monday Night They Played The Song On The Station. As Weeks Went By They Played The Song More Often & The Song Made It Easier For People To Celebrate The Lives Of Their Loved Ones. That’s How Ralphie & Jizzy started . How Team North Began Its Up rise. Now The Duo Are Both Working On Solo Mix tapes As Well As A Group Mix tape. Ralphie’s Mix tape Is Set To Debut Winter 2014 Titled “Only Getting Older” .
