IceWear Vezzo is an American rapper, actor, and record executive best known for his Clarity mixtape series and his Rich Off Pints trilogy, which put Detroit’s street rap sound on a national stage.
Born and raised on the east side of Detroit, he founded his own independent label, Iced Up Records, and later signed a partnership deal with Quality Control Music in 2022.
Who is IceWear Vezzo?
IceWear Vezzo is an American rapper, director, actor, and record executive from Detroit, Michigan. His real name is Chivez Smith, and he performs under the stage name Icewear Vezzo.
He built his reputation through a long run of mixtapes and projects rooted in the sounds and stories of Detroit’s 6 Mile neighborhood.
His Clarity series and Rich Off Pints trilogy brought him national recognition, with the latter entering Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.
In 2022, Axios Detroit named him to its inaugural Power Players list of the city’s most influential figures.
Beyond music, he founded Iced Up Records and built a business portfolio covering film, food and beverage, and cannabis retail.
He has collaborated with artists including Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Babyface Ray, Sada Baby, Future, Kodak Black, and DaBaby, among others.
Early Life of IceWear Vezzo
IceWear Vezzo was born Chivez Smith on October 31, 1990. He moved to Detroit from Minnesota at age five when his mother married his stepfather, who was from Detroit and could not leave the state of Michigan due to parole conditions.
The family initially settled on Seven Mile Road on the west side before relocating east to Mt. Elliott Street and Gratiot Avenue.
They ultimately settled on Six Mile Road and Gunston Street on the east side of Detroit, in the 6 Mile neighborhood where Vezzo would grow up and later draw his artistic identity from.
Some of his close relatives and siblings remained in Minnesota, where they formed the rap group Green Guyz.
Vezzo ran his own Detroit-based version of Green Guyz with the blessing of the original crew, giving him his first experience as part of an organized rap act.
As a preteen, he recorded songs off the radio to memorize the lyrics. His introduction to rap came through Jay-Z: the first song he ever learned was “Jigga What.”
By age 12, he had started writing his own raps.By the time he was 16, he had begun performing under the name Young Vez.
He later switched to Icewear Vezzo after releasing the mixtape Young Vez Presents Icewear Vol. 1.
IceWear Vezzo Age / Birthday
IceWear Vezzo is 35 years old as of 2026, born on October 31, 1990. His zodiac sign is Scorpio, a sign often associated with intensity, determination, and resilience.
He has been active in the Detroit rap scene for over a decade.
IceWear Vezzo Ethnicity and Nationality
IceWear Vezzo is American by nationality, born and raised in the United States. His ethnicity is African-American.
His upbringing in Detroit’s 6 Mile neighborhood on the east side shaped both his sound and his entrepreneurial outlook.
IceWear Vezzo Height and Weight
IceWear Vezzo stands at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 meters) tall. His weight is reported to be around 81 kg (approximately 178 lbs).
He carries a lean, athletic build that suits his high-energy performance style.
IceWear Vezzo Musical Style and Influences
IceWear Vezzo raps in a staccato, choppy delivery that draws frequent comparisons to 2 Chainz.
His lyrics pull directly from the streets of Detroit’s 6 Mile area, covering themes of street survival, entrepreneurship, and the city’s hip-hop culture.
His earliest influence was Jay-Z, whose rapid-fire cadence on “Jigga What” first inspired Vezzo to memorize and eventually write rap lyrics.
Over time, he developed a style that publications like The New York Times, Pitchfork, HYPEBEAST, and XXL have covered as a defining voice in the Michigan rap scene.
He draws on Detroit’s rich musical heritage while pushing his own distinct street rap aesthetic forward.
IceWear Vezzo Education
IceWear Vezzo attended Romulus Senior High School for his early education. He later enrolled at the University of Detroit Mercy for higher education.
It was during his high school years that he met the woman who would later become his wife.
IceWear Vezzo Career
IceWear Vezzo began his career as a member of the rap group Green Guyz before going solo in 2012.
He signed with the Los Angeles-based talent agency Bloc LA early in his career, giving him commercial access alongside his independent music work.
His path to becoming a full-time recording artist was not straightforward. Before music, he ran a restaurant, a carwash, and a medical marijuana dispensary while releasing mixtapes.
Those businesses eventually collapsed when legal trouble pulled him off the streets and out of the studio.
Early Career and Mixtape Run (2012–2017)
Vezzo released his debut mixtape, The Clarity, in 2012 under his independent Iced Up Records imprint.
The project launched a series that would define his career for years. In 2013, he released Clarity 2: Can’t Stop the Count, and in 2014, Clarity 3: Fully Blown landed on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.
By 2015, he put out Clarity 4: I Can’t Fall Off, cementing a reputation for consistent street-level output.
Detroit DJ Ill Will championed his records from strip club speakers across the city, helping the projects spread organically.
In April 2016, Vezzo pleaded guilty to a felony firearms charge and served 18 months in federal prison.
Before turning himself in, he released Price Goin Up, a full-length album. While he was incarcerated, his manager kept his name alive by compiling and releasing material.
Vezzo later reflected on his time inside in a 2021 interview with REVOLT, saying “Prison was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Motown Deal and Breakthrough (2018–2021)
Upon his release, Vezzo signed with Motown Records in November 2018, becoming the first Detroit hip-hop artist to join the historic label.
That December, he released Clarity 6 through the Motown deal. The signing gave him access to the label’s industry infrastructure while he learned the business from the inside.
He eventually parted from Motown on good terms, with CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam granting him a smooth exit.
Back independently, Vezzo released his Rich Off Pints series. Rich Off Pints dropped in May 2021 and featured contributions from Trippie Redd, Lil Yachty, EST Gee, BIG 30, and Detroit artists Rio Da Yung OG, Peezy, and Louie Ray.
That same August, he released “Know The Difference” with Lil Baby, one of his highest-profile collaborations to date.
In September 2021, Rich Off Pints 2 followed, featuring Lil Baby again and broadening his national footprint.
Quality Control Era and Recent Work (2022–Present)
In August 2022, Pierre “P” Thomas, CEO of Quality Control Music, presented Vezzo with a diamond-encrusted QC chain onstage at Pine Knob Music Theater in Detroit during a Chris Brown and Lil Baby concert.
The moment served as his official welcome to the label roster, joining Migos, Lil Baby, and City Girls.
His first QC release was Paint The City, a Gangsta Grillz mixtape hosted by DJ Drama. Rich Off Pints 3 followed, featuring a collaboration with Kodak Black on “It’s All On U.”
In February 2024, he released Live From The 6 via Iced Up Records and Quality Control Music.
The album featured DaBaby on the trending single “Perfect,” Babyface Ray, and YTB Fatt, with production from Detroit producers B Wolf and Max Beats.
Pitchfork reviewed the album, writing that “his latest project basks in the idea that an album this regionally specific can still have nationwide appeal.”
Vezzo also co-directed the “Class of 2024” music video himself. His music remained active into 2026, with new releases continuing through the spring of that year.
IceWear Vezzo Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Clarity | Iced Up Records |
| 2013 | Clarity 2: Can’t Stop the Count | Iced Up Records |
| 2014 | Clarity 3: Fully Blown | Iced Up Records |
| 2015 | Clarity 4: I Can’t Fall Off | Iced Up Records |
| 2016 | Price Goin Up | Iced Up Records |
| 2018 | Clarity 6 | Motown / Iced Up |
| 2021 | Rich Off Pints | Iced Up Records |
| 2021 | Rich Off Pints 2 | Iced Up Records |
| 2022 | Paint The City (Gangsta Grillz) | Iced Up / QC |
| 2022 | Rich Off Pints 3 | Iced Up / QC |
| 2024 | Live From The 6 | Iced Up / QC |
IceWear Vezzo Awards and Recognition
- Named to Axios Detroit’s inaugural Power Players list of the city’s most influential figures (2022)
- Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart entry for Clarity 3: Fully Blown (2014)
IceWear Vezzo Wife
IceWear Vezzo married Kiara Marie on October 23, 2016. The two met as high school students and dated for roughly a decade before getting married.
Kiara Marie is a social media influencer and businesswoman in her own right. She owns the juice brand Fresh And Pressed Juice and authored a book titled “Our Love Is.”
In most of his interviews, Vezzo has spoken about her role as a stabilizing force during the difficult years of his career.
The couple has remained together through his time in federal prison and throughout his rise to national prominence in the music industry.
IceWear Vezzo Children
IceWear Vezzo and Kiara Marie have two children together: a daughter named Navy Smith and a son named Vito Smith.
Vezzo has spoken openly in interviews about losing “absolutely everything” at one point while still having to perform to provide for his family, describing the pressure of raising children through lean years before his career took off.
IceWear Vezzo Net Worth
IceWear Vezzo’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. His income comes from music releases, live performances, his Iced Up Records label, and business ventures including food and beverage and cannabis retail.
His partnership with Quality Control Music beginning in 2022 expanded his income opportunities by giving Iced Up Records the distribution and label infrastructure of one of hip-hop’s premier imprints.
Vezzo has retained ownership of his own imprint throughout the deal, which means income from his catalog flows back to his label.
His live performance revenue has grown steadily with his national profile. He appeared at Pine Knob Music Theater in Detroit in 2022 and had a show booked at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit in August 2026.
His songs including “Champions” with Babyface Ray, “Know The Difference” with Lil Baby, and “Up The Sco” with Lil Durk have accumulated millions of streams, generating ongoing royalty income.
Beyond music, Vezzo has described a portfolio that spans the restaurant business, a car wash, cannabis retail, and film production work.
He serves as a director and executive producer in addition to his role as a recording artist.
IceWear Vezzo Social Media
IceWear Vezzo is active across multiple platforms. He posts on Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube, where he shares music videos, behind-the-scenes content, and updates from Detroit. His official website is www.icewearvezzo.com.
Conclusion
Icewear Vezzo built one of Detroit rap’s most durable careers through more than a decade of consistent releases, a federal prison sentence, a Motown deal, and an independent resurgence that landed him at Quality Control Music.
His album Live From The 6 is the clearest statement yet of what he has always represented: a 6 Mile native who turned the block into a brand.