Big Skipper is an artist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Raw Rise, a media and fashion brand that has grown to more than 320,000 followers and generated over 130 million views. Behind its bold imagery, creator features, and clothing collections is one person shaping the direction—from the accounts it spotlights to the designs it releases and the music that will soundtrack its next chapter.
Ask him what he does, and his introduction is simpler.
“I build businesses. I build systems.”
That instinct runs through his story: recognizing what people connect with, learning how to present it, and finding a way to turn an idea into something that supports itself.
Illinois roots, Columbus upbringing
Born November 3, 1997, in Kankakee, Illinois, Big Skipper moved to Columbus, Ohio, at eight years old. He grew up primarily on the city’s East Side, with Park Trails Apartments becoming the place he still identifies as his starting ground. He also lived on the North Side 161 areas, while regular trips to Chicago kept him connected to family.
Of Ghanaian and African American heritage, he was raised by his mother in a household where money was limited. Growing up in Section 8 housing, surrounded by both community and instability, made independence a necessity early on.
His upbringing shaped how he reads people, responds to pressure, and makes decisions. It also left him with a conviction that continues to guide his work: taking responsibility for his next move.
“I have to be the one to change my situation.”
His path eventually took him through Tampa, Florida, and Mississippi, including Hattiesburg and Biloxi. Those experiences widened his taste and added Southern influences on the Midwest foundation that runs through his music and style.
An artist before the platform
Music was part of Big Skipper’s life long before Raw Rise.
He explored instruments by ear and developed his approach to melodies and rapping through listening and practice. By 18, he was performing locally, with “Tweakin PT. 2” associated with Team 187, helping build his name in Columbus.
That period brought local radio play, performances for crowds of more than 300+, club appearances, and bookings on bills with Icewear Vezzo. His music also received two features from Say Cheese TV, bringing attention beyond his city and reach.
His relationship with music has included periods of concentrated work and periods away as he pursued business and navigated personal challenges. Through those changes, being an artist remained part of his identity.
Entrepreneurship followed a similarly uneven path. Before Raw Rise, he tried several ventures, made money, and encountered the limits of funding and resources. Each attempt gave him more experience with selling, presentation, and understanding what an audience wanted.
With Raw Rise, those skills found a more durable home.
Building Raw Rise
Raw Rise launched in May 2025, beginning with an existing music backup account of roughly 29,000 followers. Big Skipper started experimenting with a different direction for the page, watching the response and refining his approach.
The vision became clearer as he worked.
Some of its influences reached back to the Jet and Ebony magazines he remembered from childhood. Others came from his own interest in fashion, nightlife, and settings where women’s beauty and self-expression were openly celebrated.
He brought that taste into a platform centered on Black adult creators, developing the Ebony Queen Empire identity and giving the page a recognizable visual direction. By early 2026, the account had reached approximately 300,000 followers. The platform subsequently passed 320,000 followers and 130 million views.
Along the way, its posts received reposts and engagement from creators including Miss B Nasty, Jenise Hart, Gibby Clown, Ms London, Raven Thickness, Willow Ryder, Milli Luv, and many more + other rappers and influencers. Those interactions introduced Raw Rise to wider audiences and became meaningful milestones for its founder.
Behind the growth was ongoing, hands-on work. Big Skipper developed the brand’s websites, selected its featured creators, wrote captions, and directed its presentation. As Raw Rise expanded into apparel, he also took responsibility for collection concepts, designs, garment layouts, and production decisions. His creative preferences are direct: boldness, luxury, and a presence that makes an immediate impression.
“I don’t want to question it. I want to feel it.”
The person behind the direction
Big Skipper tends to introduce himself briefly, allowing the details to emerge through conversation. That restrained introduction gives way to a more expressive side when he talks about music, creating, or bringing people together.
What he wants people to experience is equally clear: enjoyment, confidence, and the freedom to be themselves while respecting others.
“I want people to feel empowered while being around others that feel empowered.”
That outlook connects his different pursuits. The clothing offers a way to wear the brand’s imagery. The media platform brings attention to creators. The music gives him another way to shape the atmosphere and bring people into the experience.
His name reflects how he sees his role. A skipper leads a ship, and he describes life and business in terms of movement: navigating rough stretches, keeping a direction, and bringing people along.
“I’m gonna get us through the storm.”
Creating the sound of Raw Rise
Big Skipper’s next musical chapter draws on the places and settings that shaped him: Midwest intensity alongside the bounce and nightlife energy he associates with the South.
He describes the direction as music for clubs, strip clubs, parties, and people ready to enjoy themselves. The emphasis is on movement, personality, and the reaction a record creates in a room.
“I’m just trying to be Big Skipper.”
Within Raw Rise, he sees that music becoming part of a larger creative experience—appearing in videos, reels, and collaborations that connect his sound with the people and fashion featured by the brand.
His plans for 2027 include creator merchandise collaborations, modeling opportunities, and more original video content across the platform’s social channels. He wants those projects to create additional ways for participating creators to reach audiences and earn through their own followings.
The ambition is shared growth: continuing to support established names while helping new faces find their audience.
For Big Skipper, the next chapter brings his work as an artist closer to the business he has built. The taste that shaped Raw Rise’s images and clothing will carry into its sound, with him leading that direction.
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