In Khayree Salahuddin’s world, he was always destined to become a music star. At 8 years old, he would get dressed up to perform in the mirror and rap on top of his mother’s car. When he was 14, he started recording songs with a $50 microphone and dove head-first into making music.
Salahuddin, most known by his artist name La Reezy, is still rapping on top of cars, but now the cars are featured in music videos with more than 200,000 views on Instagram. La Reezy is a 20-year-old self-taught New Orleans-based music artist, producer and composer. His old soul permeates through the wisdom embedded in his lyrics, the nostalgic boom-bap beats and his self-assuredness and reverence for life. He has the confidence of, one of his musical influences, Kanye West and the stage presence of, another of his influences, Tyler the Creator.
“I can’t afford to waste a song,” La Reezy said. “Every song might be the last song someone hears. I don’t know what that person is going through. This song needs to be the song that could help change something.”
The title of his 2024 album “We All Need Help,” co-produced by New York producer and rapper JBoogz, was inspired by a conversation with a friend about people needing and accepting help. The vulnerable and inspiring 8-track album radiates themes of mental health, self-improvement, acceptance, healing, seeking help and breaking generational cycles.
The Gen-Z artist has built a growing fanbase on social media with vibrant and authentic storytelling music videos that have gained more than two million views on Instagram. He has performed at the Essence Festival and shared the stage with chart-topping artists like Wale and LaRussell.
La Reezy declares 2025 will be his year. He is working on another album and plans to perform at more shows. He also wants to document his life more, giving his audience a closer look at his process.
“It was projected for me to just be a regular kid,” he said. “I decided I didn’t want to do that. Why settle for mediocrity when you can be extravagant? There’s a 14-year-old kid that’s on the path to being regular. And that’s why they need to see me so they can make a detour. It’s bigger than rap music, rap music is just the outlet.” lareezy.com
