Bizzle facts for kids

Mark Julian Felder (born July 21, 1983), known as Bizzle, is an American Christian hip hop artist and business owner.

In January 2010, Bizzle released a song called "You Got Some Explaining to Do". This song questioned some lyrics by rapper Jay-Z that mentioned Jesus and Christianity. Soon after, Bizzle released his first mixtape, The Messenger, in March 2010. He then started his own record company, God Over Money Records, in Houston, Texas.

Bizzle's first album, Tough Love & Parables, came out on June 21, 2011. It reached No. 15 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. His next album, The Good Fight, was released on May 7, 2013. It did very well, reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Gospel Albums chart, No. 7 on Christian Albums, and No. 11 on Top Rap Albums. In 2013, Bizzle won several Kingdom Choice Awards for his music.

Bizzle also gained attention in 2014 for his song "Same Love (A Response)". This song was released after another song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis called "Same Love". Bizzle's song shared his views on certain social topics, which led to discussions.

Life and career

Early life

Mark Felder grew up mostly with his mother in Los Angeles, California. His family was quite poor when he was a child.

Mark was about thirteen years old when he first went into a music studio. He started to show a talent for writing rhymes. He noticed that his songs often sounded like the music he listened to.

After finishing school, Mark released five mixtapes. He shared them in malls, clubs, and radio stations. He even got to perform before famous artists like Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana. He also opened for Lil Boosie. While trying to make his music known, he faced tough times. He once said that his "financial situation got so bad he was sleeping on a friend's floor."

Early music and record deals

Between 2004 and 2008, Bizzle released several mixtapes. These included L.A.V. Mixtapes Volumes 1–5 in Southern California. He also released Dirty West Mixtapes with J. Sin and 360 Records in Houston, Texas.

In 2005, he was offered a record deal by 360 Records but chose not to sign. Two years later, he was offered another deal by Barry Hankerson to join Blackground/Universal. He also turned down that offer. Bizzle spent three years getting his first album, Grind Pays, ready. Many of his songs became popular online, getting over 500,000 plays on Myspace.

Christian music and success

Bizzle's Christian faith and his experiences in the music world made him think about the messages in some hip hop songs. On January 17, 2010, he released "You Got Some Explaining to Do". This song was about Jay-Z and his lyrics that mentioned Jesus. People started calling Bizzle the "Christian Rapper that dissed Jay Z".

Because of the positive feedback, Mark decided to make music that shared the message of the Bible. He also wanted to show what he saw as wrong in the music industry. He released his first Christian mixtape, The Messenger, on March 30, 2010. It was downloaded over 1 million times. He then released The Messenger 2: Delivered and The Messenger 3: Truth Music in 2010 and 2011.

On June 21, 2011, Bizzle released his first full album, Tough Love & Parables.

Working with Boi-1da and more albums

On February 7, 2012, Bizzle and Willie Moore, Jr. released Best of Both Worlds: The Album. It reached No. 5 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap Chart.

On May 7, 2013, Bizzle released his second album, The Good Fight. This album included songs produced by the Grammy-winning producer Boi-1da. The first song from the album, "Soldier", came out on January 26, 2013. It featured No Malice and had a music video. Other popular songs were "Dear Hip-Hop" and "My Confession". The album reached No. 11 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart.

Bizzle said that Boi-1da contacted him online. Boi-1da shared his own Christian beliefs and respect for Bizzle's music. He even worked for free. Their teamwork was featured in the September 2012 issue of XXL magazine.

Personal life

Bizzle became a Christian in 2008.

After recording music in Los Angeles for 18 years, Bizzle moved to Houston, Texas. As of 2014, he lives in Houston with his wife and two children.

Discography

Albums

• 2011: Tough Love & Parables
• 2012: Best of Both Worlds: The Album (with Willie 'P-Dub' Moore Jr.)
• 2013: The Good Fight
• 2014: Well Wishes
• 2015: Surrender
• 2016: Crowns and Crosses
• 2018: Light Work (EP)
• 2019: Light Work 2: Bars & Melodies
• 2020: The Messenger 4
• 2021: Soul Therapy (EP)
• 2023: Light Work 3

Mixtapes

• 2010: The Messenger
• 2010: The Messenger 2: Delivered
• 2010: Best of Both Worlds: The Mixtape
• 2011: The Messenger 3: Truth Music
• 2012: Martyrs In the Making (Bizzle and Bumps INF)
• 2013: Martyrs In the Making 2 (Bizzle, Bumps INF, Flo and Selah the Corner)

Additional label releases

• 2010: Who is Mark James? (Bumps INF mixtape project)
• 2011: Who is Mark James 2? (Bumps INF re-release)
• 2012: Pain in Paragraphs (Bumps INF debut album)

See also

• Andy Mineo