Bryshere Yazuan Gray (born November 28, 1993), also known by the stage name Yazz The Greatest or simply Yazz, is an American actor and rapper, best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon in the Fox primetime musical drama television series Empire. He is also known for his portrayal as Michael Bivins in the 2017 BET miniseries The New Edition Story. 　　Early life 　　Gray was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His family moved to West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania due to his parents’ divorce. Gray played football at Overbrook High School, but he switched to music after getting injured when he was 16 years old. He began to use his talent as a street performer to earn money and help his single mother afford their living expenses. His efforts eventually led to a partnership with manager Charlie Mack. 　　Career 　　Since 2013, Gray has performed at a variety of music festivals in the Philadelphia area, including Jay Z's Made in America Festival, The Roots' Picnic Festival, and Power 99FM's Powerhouse concert. He also has been the opening act for rappers such as Fabolous and 2 Chainz. His debut single "Respect" was released in the same year. In 2015, Gray began his first acting role as Hakeem Lyon on the Fox drama TV series Empire, with co-stars Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, and Jussie Smollett. In March 2015, it was confirmed that both Smollett and Gray had been signed on with Columbia Records as solo acts. In April 2016, Gray was cast alongside Elijah Kelley, Luke James, Algee Smith, Keith Powers and Woody McClain in the BET miniseries about R&B boy band, New Edition which debuted in January 2017. Gray signed on to portray co-founding member, Michael Bivins. In April 2018 Gray co starred with Teyana Taylor in Honey: Rise Up and Dance as Tyrell.