Graves started by making melodic rap songs for the college crowd, filling his music with references from fraternity culture, dorm life, and young adulthood. He also compiled several mixtapes, one of which–EGO: The Black & White Mixtape–propelled his popularity in the Fall of 2010. After officially founding Team Yizzo, and several mixtapes from the collective (including T.O.Y.S and Champloo),Von began gigging at different colleges around the area.
Establishing a loyal local fan base, he graduated and released FWBs, in the summer of 2014–an experimental record exploring a darker side of his artistry. His group dissolved soon after, and he began focusing on his own brand, and purpose for his music.
My mission is to inspire, empower, and influence entire generations through music, business, and education.”
Graves’ career as a solo artist officially began later that year with the September release of The EP on his SoundCloud which consisted of him remixing and rapping over popular songs at that time. Two more singles, “Came Up Came Down” and “Crash” (featuring Chrystian Lehr) followed in 2015, airing on the local radio station, and served as a prelude to his first independent studio album, A Fearless LP. To fund his studio sessions for the album Von picked up a warehouse job through a temp. agency, and a part-time job at Journey’s in one of the most popular malls in Columbus in order to network with shoppers and solicit his music.
In the midst of making his album, Graves’ mother and father separated, leaving him isolated and burdened with the shadow of a broken family. Feeling like he had nothing to lose at that point, he quit his job(s) and began pursuing his music career full-time. (Continured on page 30).