Lebanese-American rapper/singer RIZ LA VIE has announced his new EP, Feed., slated to arrive on May 7 via AWAL. Today, Riz shared the video for the EP's first single "Tesla." The video is also embedded in the new Tesla Whip video game, which is out now on iOS + Google Play. Fans can play an exclusive level set on 'Saturn's Moon' via Riz's website here. After previewing material off Feed. at this year's SXSW, Riz will play a headlining show in New York City on April 7 before heading out on tour in support of Two Feet from April 28 to May 13. See all dates below.
Feed. is about the energy it takes to move forward-charging oneself among the world around us, turning the gritty, exciting, and even sad moments turning into our fuel. It's about engaging the mind, body, and spirit, about freeing, fulfilling, and healing while finding one's place in the world. Through his unique, genre-blending sonic approach and his thoughtful lyricism, Riz is bringing something new to the table on Feed.
Discussing the inspiration for "Tesla" and the Tesla Cybertruck game, Riz states, "I've always been a fan of the scientist/inventor Nikola Tesla, best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current 'AC' electric supply system. What he did was the most perplexing and beautiful thing. The song 'Tesla' is the current. The song is the charge. Charging your life force. Speaking out and bringing thoughts, dreams, and visions into existence. I'm inspired by the desire to create, and the things that have charged me with the ability to do that. When I started seeing the Tesla Roadster around, I, of course, became a fan, and I told my mom I would get her one, one day."
The 25-year-old Lebanese musician was raised by a family of women in Sparta, New Jersey, an upbringing that had a profound influence on who Riz is as a young man. He spent a significant amount of his formative years in the nearby city of Paterson, absorbing the world through the music he was introduced to-music of every genre and style. Riz discovered his calling after hearing Lil Wayne's No Ceilings mixtape for the first time. "It was my favorite thing I'd ever heard," he exclaims.
Over the last several years, Riz has built a large, ever-growing following through string of heat-making singles and EPs, drawing from musical influences that range from Mac Miller to Spooky Black, Nirvana to Lorde, and Young Thug to Miles Davis. Feed. though it comes from a place of following intuition by way of personal growth and creating something uniquely his own. "I want to come to fruition as a human being, and I am working to unlock that self," Riz states while discussing his thematic intentions behind the EP. "I made it a mission to make projects that clear my chakras, the pools of energy that flow throughout our bodies. It's for the throat chakra-the connection between head and heart. I really believe in divine timing, and this project has been the epitome of that."
Tour Dates:
03/17 - Austin, TX @ The Parish (SXSW)
04/07 - New York, NY @ Lola
04/28 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo ^
04/30 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom ^
05/02 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^
05/03 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom ^
05/05 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell ^
05/09 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^
05/10 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace ^
05/12 - Austin, TX @ Emos ^
05/13 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues ^
^ Two Feet
