IzzyMoney1008 Is Quietly Changing the Sound of Baltimore

Photo by @is0Shots

Every once in a while, an artist pops up that makes you double back like—hold up, who is this? That’s exactly what happened when our VA SHIFT production head, Chucky, kept telling me about a kid out of Baltimore named IzzyMoney1008. For weeks, he was saying, “Bro, you gotta tap in. He’s bringing a new sound to the city.”

One night after a Live Mic shoot, Chucky threw on Izzy’s project Young Rich Junkie—and from the first few tracks, I knew it was different. I instantly saved the whole thing to my phone. Been running it back ever since.

Here’s the thing: when you play most Baltimore artists, you can usually tell off rip—it’s that signature bounce, that gritty 808 pocket. But with Izzy, it’s not that obvious. He’s got Baltimore DNA, no question—but his sound travels. It’s got that Detroit/Milwaukee bounce, mixed with his own sharp, clean delivery. He keeps it simple on the beat but punches through with slick, quotable lines—straight Instagram caption energy.

What really stood out to me was how polished his sound is. There’s confidence there, but not forced. Every bar lands like he’s been doing this for years.

After running through the album, we knew we had to get him on our Gameday Live Mic Series. He pulled up, performed an unreleased joint, and—no surprise—did not disappoint.

Standouts for me? “Drug Run,” “Hood Poetry,” “The Coach (Doc Rivers),” and “The Biggest.” Each one shows a different side of what makes Izzy a problem.

If you’re tapped in with that Detroit wave or artists like 448Riq, you’ll definitely have IzzyMoney1008 on your radar soon—if he’s not already there.

Check out Young Rich Junkie below and let us know what you think. Baltimore might have just found its next star.