Prior to EMPIRE, Bryshere Y. Gray, aka rapper Yazz the Greatest, played high school football and worked at a Pizza Hut. His role on the show has led him to land a record deal with Columbia Records.
 
Gray performed at Jay-Z’s 2013 Made in America Festival, Sunoco’s Welcome America 4th of July Celebration, the annual Roots Picnic Festival, Philadelphia’s signature annual Odunde Celebration and Power 99’s 2013 Powerhouse concert. He also has opened for rappers Fabolous and 2 Chainz. He performed at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards and TEEN CHOICE 2015, and was nominated, along with his EMPIRE cast members, for a TEEN CHOICE 2015 Award in the category of Choice TV: Chemistry.
For his role on EMPIRE, Gray was nominated for two individual 2016 NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Additionally, he was nominated for a TEEN CHOICE 2016 Award in the category of Choice R&B/Hip Hop Song for “Chasing The Sky.”
 
In the cable miniseries “The New Edition Story,” Gray starred as Michael Bivins, one of the original remaining members of the band. He also is set to star in the indie film “Canal Street,” a thriller set in Chicago, which tells the story of a teen trying to get by in an unwelcoming world. 
 
Gray resides in his hometown of Philadelphia.