Illyboy Pope

Ryan Pope, known professionally as Illyboy Pope is an American rapper based out of Tallahassee, Florida. Tha Illyboyz —Thatz Illy ENT is a group formed through Andrew (Dru) Williams, also known professionally as Dru4rumThaIllyboyz, Pope’s older brother.
As a child, Pope was born deaf and was unable to hear for the first two years of his life, which left him with a speech impediment. As a result, he was pushed away from making music and began to express himself inwardly through poetry. However, once he entered high school, he was approached by his friends who happened to be rappers. When he was in the 10th grade, they would frequently ask him to freestyle, and one day he decided to put away his insecurities and start participating in cyphers. By his 11th grade year he was established enough to start performing. By 12th grade he had an established artist name and hosted a locally famous cypher called "Freestyle Friday.”
Pope’s love for music was sown by Williams. His main influences of his rapping abilities are 2pac, Jay-z, Gucci Mane, Kanye West, Eminem and Curren$y. He claims to be a lover of eclectic beats and eccentric flows. Pope pulls inspiration from so many forms of music and art. He listens to anything, from grunge to classical. He especially loves video game and anime OST’s (original soundtracks).  He even dabbles in ancient tribal music, culture and dance. As most artists should, he loves expanding the mind and experiencing new aspects of creativity.