Today we’d like to introduce you to Lewiee Blaze
Hi Lewiee, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born into a life of music. My father, Miki L Lewis was a blues musician and leader of a band. I remember growing up watching them rehearse and play concerts for the neighborhood outside. My first instrument was the drums. I performed with my father’s band when I was five years old. Little did I know this will propel me to become a performer of my own. In 2011 I lost my father to a heart attack. My mother was raising 4 boys on her own. She is the one who introduced me to the Hip-Hop culture. We would watch music videos every morning together. We would never miss an award show. I remember being a little boy watching Bow Wow perform. That was the moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life. My mother shared documentaries about Tupac Shakur with me. He inspires me still to this day. When I was in fifth grade, I completed a computer program that allowed me to have a mac computer and bring it home. That’s where I taught myself how to use garage band. I began making eats and recording freestyles. My uncle, who was rapping at the time pulled me to the side and said I should start writing. So at the age of 12 I began writing rap lyrics. I would fill notebooks all the way to the end. In 8th grade I got to tour a music studio for the first time at MTS High School. I attended the high school next year and began recording & producing music with some friends. This gave me the experience of using pro tools and understanding how the recording process works. I was balancing my aspiration to become a rapper and also being a star basketball player. In my junior year of High School, I got into some trouble and found myself in Juvenile Detention Center. This pushed me away from basketball and inspired me to dive into music. So I transferred to the High School for Recording Arts. From there I became a certified engineer and began traveling the country to perform and speak at national conferences. I released my first studio project in 2016. It was a mixtape of me rapping over some of my favorite songs. The following year of 2017 I released my first original project titled Young Black & Gifted. I began getting some recognition on a local level and got to perform at local venues and community events. I graduated High School for Recording Arts with a sense of knowing what I wanted to do in the future. In 2018 I became a community activist leading project work for my old high school in helping change the narrative of black males. This birthed my first business, N4, which stands for New Mindsets, New Media, New Leadership, and New Narratives. We successfully produced podcasts, TV shows, media campaigns, and help curate a number of community empowerment events. I began balancing a career in music and community engagement. In 2019, I won a national award from Major League Baseball for remixing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. Still navigating homelessness at the time because my mother lost herself to addiction. It was truly tough times. She lost custody of my little brothers to CPS. We all were devastated. My mission since then has been to reunite my mother with my little brothers. We needed a home that was up the states requirements for her to get her kids back. My response to the 2020 civil unrest got me more recognized as an activist. We were active at protests and providing emergency care to those who were affected by the burning of grocery stores. As the founder of N4, I was able to mentor 20 young people and share resources to help birth over 15 new businesses. Now N4 is a wide network of individuals who provide resources to communities in need. I put my pain into music and created my next studio album “Freedom Fighter Reloaded”. My hit single “Freedom Fighter” featuring Myon Burrell and Kevin Reese became a smash hit and still plays on the radio to this day. In 2021 we launched a racial justice & healing imitative called We Will Breathe. This is a book club program that pays young adults from the ages of 18-25 to practice self care, focus on healing from trauma and personal development. We base the work on a book I co-authored with my God Dad Todd Barnes titled “The Deconstruction Zone – Losing your physic pounds and rebooting who you are”. In 2022, I suffered the tragic loss of my mother as she was killed. Our relationship was growing stronger as she became sober again and we made a plan to get her children out the system. Unfortunately, she was taken away before we accomplished this goal. That same year I published my first book with Todd and I got my first house ever. Me and my brothers reunited after years of separation. In 2023, I won a Mcknight Fellowship Award. It helped me produce my next studio project, the Heart of a Champion EP. With my music career growing and my community engagement work growing, I have been able to make a name for myself in the Twin Cities. In 2024 I released a number of singles and another EP titled “STOP THE CAP”. My music has always been viewed as political. So I made it a mission to prove to the world that I am a versatile rap artist who can create any vibe and mood. My debut Hip Hop album “ONE OF ONE” is released on a direct to consumer platform titled Even. I’ve released over 100 songs across all platforms and a number of music videos on YouTube. My biggest track to this day is Freedom Fighter. I quit my job in February of 2024 to become a full time Artist & Entrepreneur. I also sit on the MN Coalition for Youth Justice and an advisory council for Minneapolis Foundation. My God Dad, mentor, Co-Author, and business partner passed away in April of 2024. Since then I have inherited his company Equity News Network. We are working with Minnesota Department of Health under contract until the year of 2026. We specialize in Health Recovery, Multimedia, and Community Engagement. I am a proud family and business man. I represent resiliency. I hope my story and living testimony can show others that in spite of the trauma and hurt we endure, that we still have the duty of showing up for ourselves and those around us. Through all the trials, tribulations, and grief, if we still are blessed enough to be alive, then we should make the most out of the time that we have.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all. My first struggle was growing up without my father present in my life. I was searching for a male role model and turned to idolization of Superstars in Sports & Entertainment. I watched my mom struggle raising four boys by herself and eventually losing herself to addiction. I stared doing things on the street to make fast money. This risk led me to the system. I was on EJJ Probation from the ages of 16-21. I spent an extra year in High School to make up for the time I skipped out. Since then, my struggles have been working in community and staying away from self-interest non profit leaders, fake activist, and people who play politricks. Struggles in the music scene is being a socially conscious artist in a world that is filled with negativity. Personal struggles have been learning to properly grieve losing family to violence and incarceration. I put the pain in the music to help express these emotions and how I feel inside.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Music Artist. I specialize in songwriting, producing, and performing. I am known for my high level lyricism and fearlessness as a person who doesn’t shy away from adversity. Rather it’s making a diss track calling out the police or weak rappers. I have grown a reputation of being a disrupter. Something that sets me apart from other rappers in this state is that I often perform with a live band. Mixing the Minneapolis sound with the spirit of Hip-Hop.
I am also a published author. We use my book as a learning tool in a racial justice & healing program titled We Will Breathe. We have successfully completed 6 cohorts and graduated over 50 young adults from our program. I am most proud of my work at We Will Breathe. My community engagement also sets me apart from other musicians and artists. I pride myself on being known as someone who doesn’t just rap and make music but also someone who is creating a real impact in community on a day to day basis and not just in write off charity events.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Support my New album “ONE OF ONE” out now & available for any price you set! http://even.biz/releases/one-of-one
My official website is www.lewieeblaze.com and you can text the word “Blaze” to the number 33777 to have exclusive access to updates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lewieeblaze.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewieeblaze/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofly.mccaleb/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewiee-blaze-6729a315a
- Twitter: https://x.com/lewieeblaze?mx=2
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrweEJyOj7Y
