Stephen Goss (born March 15, 1992), known professionally as Cousin Stizz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is from Dorchester, Massachusetts, and signed to RCA Records.
Early life Stephen Goss was born on March 15, 1992, in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Dorchester. A childhood friend gave him the nickname "Cousin Stizz" when he was 12. After a close friend was shot to death, he began to behave recklessly. He attended Reading Memorial High School, graduating in 2010.
Career In his late teens, he began freestyling with friends in a local cypher series and released music as part of the group Pilot Nation later that year. A boost to his drive to turn rapping into a full-time career came in 2013 with the early success of friend and fellow Boston rapper Michael Christmas. In 2014 after months of recording, Stizz released his first official single as a solo artist, "Shoutout."Tara Mahadevan, "Cousin Stizz Is the Hypnotic Rapper Giving Boston a Shout Out", Noisey, August 21, 2015, retrieved February 26, 2017Nina Corcoran, "Cousin Stizz: How a Dorchester Rapper Built Boston Back Up", DigBoston, July 13, 2017, retrieved February 26, 2017
His debut mixtape as a solo artist, Suffolk County, released June 1, 2015, received over 12 million listens on SoundCloud. Wide notice also came with the release on the internet of a video of Drake playing Stizz's single "Shoutout" at the star's birthday party.Martín Caballero, "Dorchester's Cousin Stizz takes the spotlight, quietly", Boston Globe, September 4, 2015, retrieved February 26, 2017Alex Frandsen, "Can Cousin Stizz put his hometown on the hip-hop map?", Boston Globe, May 19, 2017, retrieved February 26, 2017 His next mixtape, MONDA, released in the summer of 2016, was named one of DigBoston's Best Local Albums of 2016.
He signed a record deal with RCA Records in late 2016, and his third release and first on RCA, One Night Only, came out on July 12, 2017. It includes features from Offset (of Migos), G-Eazy, Big Leano, and Buddy, and production credits from Tee-WaTT, Tedd Boyd, Vinylz, FrancisGotHeat, Smash David, WondaGurl, and Dave Sava6e.Lindsey India, "Listen to Cousin Stizz's New Project 'One Night Only'", XXL, July 12, 2017, retrieved February 26, 2017 Three weeks after the album's release, the single "Headlock" (feat. Offset) had been streamed over 11.3 million times on Spotify, reaching No. 12 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart, while viewers on YouTube had watched Stizz's videos (combined) over 8 million times. Author Shea Serrano of The Ringer is an active fan of the rapper and also his No. 1 fan in the entire world, calling his music inspiring.Shea Serrano, "The Inspirational Rap of Cousin Stizz', The Ringer, November 28, 2017, retrieved April 8, 2018
In December 2018, he was crowned "Artist of the Year" at the Boston Music Awards. With his victory, Stizz became the first hip-hop musician to receive the awards ceremony's highest honor.
Discography
Studio albums + List of albums, with selected details Title Details One Night Only Released: July 12, 2017 Label: RCA Format: Digital download, streaming Trying to Find My Next Thrill Released: August 14, 2019 Label: RCA Format: Digital download, streaming Just For You Released: February 11, 2022 Label: Stizz Music Inc. Format: Digital download, streaming GABOS (Game Ain't Based on Sympathy) Released: July 26, 2024 Label: Stizz Music Inc. Format: Digital download, streaming
Mixtapes + List of mixtapes, with selected details Title Details Suffolk County Released: June 2, 2015 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Monda Released: July 15, 2016 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming
Extended plays + List of EPs, with selected details Title Details All Adds Up Released: August 17, 2018 Label: RCA Format: Digital download, streaming Cold Times Released: September 20, 2018 Label: RCA Format: Digital download, streaming
References
External links Cousin Stizz's Soundcloud Official website