Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He first saw mainstream recognition for his 2019 single "Big Drip", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned a remix featuring Lil Baby and Quavo. That same year, he signed with fellow New York rapper Mase's RichFish Records, in a joint venture with Columbia Records.[2][3][4]

Fivio Foreign
Fivio Foreign in 2023
Fivio Foreign in 2023
Background information
Birth nameMaxie Lee Ryles III
Also known asLite Fivio
Born (1990-03-29) March 29, 1990 (age 34)[1]
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2011–present
Labels
Children3
Websitefivioforeign.com

Ryles saw his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100 for his guest appearances on the 2020 songs "Demons" by Drake and "Zoo York" by Lil Tjay—alongside Pop Smoke. He saw his furthest recognition for his appearance alongside Playboi Carti on Kanye West's 2021 single "Off the Grid", which peaked at number 11 on the chart and remains his highest charting song. His debut studio album, B.I.B.L.E. (2022) was met with generally positive critical reception and peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, supported by the lead single "City of Gods" (with Kanye West and Alicia Keys).

Ryles was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2022 BET Awards.

Early life

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Ryles was born and raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. In his youth, he was sent to Connecticut during the summer as part of the Fresh Air Fund.[5] He started rapping under the name "Lite Fivio" in 2011. In 2013, he changed his name to Fivio Foreign and formed a music collective with his friends under the name 800 Foreign Side.[6]

After Ryles's mother died, Ryles lived on the streets or with some friends and family members.

Career

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Ryles first gained attention following the release of his single "Big Drip". The song received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was included on his extended plays Pain and Love (2019) and 800 B.C. (2020). In November 2019, he signed to hometown native rapper Mase's record label RichFish Records, following a US$5,000 cash advance brought forth by the rapper.[7][3][5] The deal was in a joint venture with Columbia Records.

In May 2020, Ryles earned his first two Billboard Hot 100 entries with his guest appearances on "Demons" by Drake and "Zoo York" by Lil Tjay. The same month, Ryles launched the non-profit organization Foreignside Foundation, "geared towards providing beneficial resources and programs for at-risk youth, the homeless, current and former gang-affiliated individuals, incarcerated individuals".[8]

On August 11, 2020, Ryles was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class.[9] Throughout the rest 2020, he appeared on a number of songs by other artists, including Nas' "Spicy", DreamDoll's “Ah Ah Ah”, Tory Lanez's "K Lo K", French Montana's "That's a Fact (Remix)", and King Von's "I Am What I Am".[10] In November 2020, he released the single "Trust".[10] He also released the Christmas song "Baddie on My Wish List" on December 3, as part of Apple Music's holiday project Carols Covered.[10]

In 2021, he guest performed alongside Playboi Carti on Kanye West's single "Off the Grid", from the latter's tenth album Donda.[11]

On February 11, 2022, he released the lead single for his debut album B.I.B.L.E.: "City of Gods" (with Kanye West and Alicia Keys), which was dedicated to his late friend T-Dott Woo.[12] On the same day, the release date for his album B.I.B.L.E. was revealed to be March 25, 2022, but was eventually pushed back to April 8, 2022.[12] On March 18, he released the second single for the album, "Magic City" (featuring Quavo). On April 8, B.I.B.L.E. was released and debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, with 29,000 equivalent album units derived from 37.75 million streams, but only 1,000 pure album sales. The album contained guest appearances from A$AP Rocky, Polo G, Lil Yachty, Quavo, DJ Khaled, Ne-Yo, Queen Naija, and Lil Tjay, among others. Ryles and fellow Brooklyn rapper 6ix9ine took to social media, comparing Ryles's B.I.B.L.E. with 6ix9ine's TattleTales album from 2020, which hit number four on the same chart but dropped to number 60 the next week.[13] Later that year, the album spawned the single "Paris to Tokyo" (with the Kid Laroi).[14] In December 2023, released the single "Teach Me How to Drill" (with Lil Mabu).[15]

He co-wrote the track "Hoodrat" from ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign) album Vultures 1, released on 10 February 2024.

Personal life

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In 2016, Ryles's mother died from a stroke.[16]

Ryles has two children with his ex-girlfriend and an additional son with another woman.[17][18]

Ryles was friends with the late Pop Smoke and King Von who were both murdered in 2020. He was also close friends with T-Dott Woo, who was murdered on February 1, 2022. Ryles would post a memorial to on instagram following his passing.[19][20]

In 2022, a Florida rapper known as Mellow Rackz revealed that Fivio and herself are in a romantic relationship just weeks after Fivio’s separation with his longtime girlfriend Jasmine.[21]

Ryles endorsed Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, releasing the single "ONBOA47RD" with Florida rapper Kodak Black in support of the former President.[22][23]

Discography

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Studio albums

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for Fivio Foreign
Organization Year Award Work Result Ref.
BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 Best New Hip Hop Artist Himself Nominated [24]
Impact Track "City of Gods" Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Fivio Foreign Arrested for Assault". October 12, 2020. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Fivio Foreign Talks Issues with Mase, Says He Was 'Hurt' DJ Khaled Didn't Ask Him to be on Album in New Song". Complex Networks.
  3. ^ a b "Fivio Foreign Sets the Record Straight About His Deal With Mase". Complex. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "50 Cent Accuses Mase of Signing Fivio Foreign to a Predatory Deal". Okayplayer. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Chamberlain, Claudia (May 14, 2000). "THE FRESH AIR FUND; Friendship Blooms in the Summer Sun". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Fivio Foreign Interview: Always Viral". Complex. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "Fivio Foreign Discusses Signing to Mase and Receiving A $5,000 Advance". July 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "Fivio Foreign Launches Non-Profit Organization, Foreignside Foundation". The Source. May 20, 2020. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Cline, Georgette (August 11, 2020). "XXL 2020 Freshman Class Revealed". XXL. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Cho, Regina (December 3, 2020). "Fivio Foreign drops new "Baddie On My Wish List" song". Revolt. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "Soulja Boy Tells Kanye West 'Don't Hit My Phone No More' After Apparently Being Left off Donda". Billboard. August 30, 2021. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "First Impressions of Fivio Foreign, Kanye West, and Alicia Keys' "City of Gods"". Complex. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Price, Joe (April 18, 2022). "Fivio Foreign Hits Back After 6ix9ine Blasts First-Week Numbers for Debut Album and Tries Claiming King of NY Title". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  14. ^ II, C. Vernon Coleman IIC Vernon Coleman (July 25, 2022). "Fivio Foreign Claims He Only Got a $5,000 Advance From His Record Deal With Mase". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (January 12, 2024). "Lil Mabu and Fivio Foreign's "Teach Me How to Drill" Is Viral Rap at Its Most Shameless". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Fivio Foreign Wants to Make New York's Rap Scene Fun Again". VICE. April 27, 2020. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  17. ^ Price, Joe (October 13, 2020). "Fivio Foreign Denies Allegation He Assaulted His Pregnant Girlfriend". Complex. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Fivio Foreign Details Making Of Kanye West 'Donda' Collab & Speaks On Relationship With Pop Smoke, September 10, 2021, archived from the original on September 12, 2021, retrieved September 12, 2021
  19. ^ "Fivio Foreign on the late Pop Smoke: 'I learned everything from him'". NME. April 24, 2020. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Zaru, Deena (February 3, 2022). "Rising Brooklyn rapper TDott Woo fatally shot as gun violence plagues hip-hop community". ABC News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  21. ^ "Mellow Rackz Reveals She's Dating Fivio Foreign (Photo)". The Shade Room. July 29, 2022. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.[better source needed]
  22. ^ Gee, Andre (August 16, 2024). "Fivio Foreign and Kodak Black's Embarrassing Trump-Endorsement Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  23. ^ Boykin-Patterson, Eboni (August 16, 2024). "Donald Trump Makes His Rap Music Debut in Kodak Black and Fivio Foreign Song". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "BET Hip Hop Awards 2022: The Complete Winners List". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved October 5, 2022.