Born in the Riggs Park section of Washington, DC, Lyriciss (ne’ Rob Bailey) was raised between DC and the Prince George’s County, MD suburbs. Citing DJ EZ Rock & Rob Base’s “It Takes Two” as his earliest memory of hip-hop, he started writing rhymes at the age of 9 after hearing The LOX’s “Money, Power, Respect” and being amazed by the song. Soon after, he gained a reputation early, tearing down ciphers and battles while only in middle school, rhyming under the alias of “Knawlege”. This continued in high school, which was a constant distraction from studies, yet trained him to be sharper for his certain future in hip-hop. It was during this period that he met other DMV hip-hop artists like X.O., Pro’Verb, Wale, etc.
Now, at the age of 23, he’s already developed the mind of a businessman, focusing on the growth and future of his career. In 2009, he went under the wing of DC-based Inner Loop Media Group. He has also been inducted into a group of elite musicians with URB Magazine’s Next 1000 Program and has built a strong presence as an up-and-coming force, being posted consistently on the world’s most credible music blogs and websites, including 2dopeboyz.com, illroots.com, and many more. After residing in Brooklyn, NY for nearly a year, he returned to the DMV area with the region on his shoulders, vowing his progress will advance the strides of his hometown.
With the recent surge of attention brought on to the DMV hip-hop scene, Lyriciss is asked if he feels any competition in the race to get signed. “None at all”, he replies. “Why? Because one, I know where my skills are with the lyrics… I know it, the people that hear the music know it, and that’s the end of that. Two, because anyone in this area trying to make it and have true love for the music, I show love to them and I consider them family. So competition isn’t even an issue to me. Hell, I’m not even worried about getting on, so much as getting my message heard. I have something to say, something that NEEDS to be heard. And when that happens, the world WILL listen.”