Arif Zahir

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Arif Zahir Lopés-Thrower[1] (born April 15, 1994[2]) is an American actor, rapper, singer, songwriter, voice impressionist, and Internet personality also known by his online alias Azerrz and his stage name 4rif.[3][4] His channel features voice impressions of a plethora of celebrities and cartoon characters and he has 6+ million subscribers.[5][6][7] He is most notable for voicing Cleveland Brown on Family Guy after Mike Henry (voice actor).[8][9][10][11]

Arif Zahir
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Born (1994-04-15) April 15, 1994 (age 30)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma materHussian School of Art
Occupation
  • Actor
  • rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • voice impressionist
  • internet personality
Years active2007–present
Musical career
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Genres
  • Hip hop music
Instruments
  • Vocals
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2007–present
Genre
  • Gaming
  • sketch comedy
  • comedy music
Subscribers
  • 6.51 million (Azerrz)
  • 169K (4rif)
Total views
  • 679.5 million (Azerrz)
  • 5.8 million (4rif)
Last updated: December 15, 2020

Early life and education

Zahir is an African-American of Cape Verdean descent and was born on April 15, 1994 in Berkeley, California. He was partially raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he attended Nativity Preparatory School and Keith Middle School before moving back to California in 2007.[12] He was raised by his mother alongside his older sister, Aaliyah.

Zahir began doing voice impressions in middle school to impress his classmates. He originally made a YouTube channel in 2007 which focused on performing magic tricks.[13] Zahir was urged to make a YouTube channel focused on voice impressions by his friends and family.[14] After doing so and finding success he started attending Hussian School of Art campus in Los Angeles. He later dropped out to spend more time focusing on his YouTube career.[15]

Career

Zahir created his YouTube channel in 2012 but posted his first video in 2013.[3] He started out by posting comedic sketches, gaming videos, and videos of himself performing voice impressions of both cartoon characters and real celebrities.[8][16][17] Zahir garnered initial success through his voice impressions which he started doing in 2011.[18][19][20] One of the first voices Zahir did was of Cleveland Brown who he would go on to voice several years later.[21][22][23]

Zahir landed his first acting role playing a character named Arif in the short film No One But Lydia.[24] Starting in 2018 he became a recurring cast member on How It Should Have Ended voicing Black Panther (character) / T'Challa.[25] Through community challenges and his first viral hit with "Ted Plays Call of Duty" (which has over 20M+ views), Arif quickly grew his channel to over 6.5+ million subscribers and 650+ million views.[26]

He is also a rapper and singer and releases music under the moniker 4rif.[27][4] He released his debut album At Last Sight on August 30, 2019.[28] He followed it up with an Extended play Go Gadget/Blues Clues which was released on April 29, 2020 in collaboration with rapper DLNQNT.[29]

On June 26, 2020, Mike Henry (voice actor), who had voiced Cleveland Brown since 1999, announced he was stepping down and believed a person of color should voice the role.[30][31][32] On September 25, 2020 it was announced that Zahir would be voicing Cleveland starting in Family Guy (season 19).[33][34][35][36]

Filmography

Film roles

Year Title Role Notes
2014 No One But Lydia[24] Arif Short film; credited as Arif Lopes
2016 Eraser[37] Death Short film; credited as Arif Lopes
The Invisible Shadow[38] The Bagged Man Short film; credited as Arif Lopes
2017 Everyone But Me[39] Andre[40] Short film
Hues and Hidden Kings[41] A Hidden King Short film
2019 The Golden Realm: An American Larping Experience[42] Peter, Kalthor Short film

Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Cliffhanger[43] Ted 3 episodes
2018 G.P.A.[44] Xander Holland[45] 4 episodes[46][47][48][49]
2018-present How It Should Have Ended[50] Black Panther / T'Challa 3 episodes; voice role[51][52][53][54]
2019 Internet Rich[55] Himself[56] 1 episode
2020-present Party Chat[57] Arif[58] Web series; also producer[59]
2020 VENN: Arcade Live[60] Himself Episode "Voice Impressions with Azerrz + WWE Superstar Zelina Vega Throw Down"[61]
2020–present Family Guy[62][63][64] Cleveland Brown[65][66][67] Replaced Mike Henry (voice actor) after he stepped down[9][8][68]
2021 Rocky[69] Clubber[70] Upcoming; voice role
Robot Chicken TBA Upcoming

Video game roles

Year Title Role Notes
2018[71] No Way Out - A Dead Realm Tale[72] Edgar, William Huxley, Librarian, Clown Voice roles

Music video roles

Year Song Artist Role Director
2018 Down the Line[73] Lokl Yokl The Bartender Ryan Rosenblum
Drunk With You[74] Joe Thomas Carter featuring 4rif Himself Zane Morrow
2019 August[75] 4rif Fowluh
Gimme Ya Lovin'[76] Joe Thomas Carter featuring 4rif Christina Xing
2020 At Last Sight/Kids[28] 4rif[77]
The Window[78] Ryan Rosenblum

Discography

Albums

List of albums
Title Details
At Last Sight
  • Released: August 30, 2019[28]
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
TBA
  • Releasing: 2021[79]
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

List of extended plays
Title EP details
Go Gadget/Blues Clues (with DLNQNT)
  • Released: April 29, 2020[80][81]
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist

Title Year Album
“August”[75] 2018 At Last Sight
“Summers End”[82] 2019 non-album single
“Wonderful Miracles”[83] At Last Sight
“Channel Lovely”[84]
“Go Gadget” (with DLNQNT)[85] 2020 Go Gadget/Blues Clues[86]
“Blues Clues” (with DLNQNT)[87]
“Favorite Girl”[88] TBA
“Ignore Me”[89] TBA

As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist

Title Year Album
"Hope County" (NerdOut featuring 4rif and Legiqn)[90] 2018 Year 3
"Drunk With You" (Joe Thomas Carter featuring 4rif)[74] non-album single
"Gimme Ya Lovin'" (Joe Thomas Carter featuring 4rif)[76] 2019 non-album single
"G League" (DLNQNT featuring 4rif)[91] DZJNTD Vol. 1 – DNT PLY

References

  1. ↑ "VENN | GUESTS | AZERRZ". www.venn.tv. Retrieved 2020-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Zahir, Arif (2020-04-15). "Happy birthday babyyyy @Azerrz". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-09-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Azerrz's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) – Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "4rif's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) – Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  5. ↑ Schneider, Michael (2020-09-25). "'Family Guy' Casts YouTube Star Arif Zahir as the New Voice of Cleveland Brown". Variety. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  6. ↑ Moore, Camille (2020-10-02). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Arif Zahir". TVOvermind. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  7. ↑ "Family Guy Finds New Cleveland Voice Actor with YouTube Star Arif Zahri". Collider. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Schneider, Michael; Schneider, Michael (2020-09-25). "'Family Guy' Casts YouTube Star Arif Zahir as the New Voice of Cleveland Brown". Variety. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 CNN, Leah Asmelash. "'Family Guy' finds new voice for Cleveland Brown". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-25. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ "'Family Guy' casts YouTube star Arif Zahir as Cleveland Brown". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  11. ↑ "YouTuber Arif Zahir Cast as Cleveland's New Voice on 'Family Guy'". TMZ. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  12. ↑ "New Bedford Native the New Voice of Cleveland Brown [PHIL-OSOPHY]". 1420 WBSM. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  13. ↑ "Arif Lopes's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  14. ↑ Sarner, Lauren (2020-10-08). "Meet Arif Zahir, the new Cleveland on 'Family Guy'". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  15. ↑ Schneider, Michael; Schneider, Michael (2020-10-14). "How 'Family Guy' Newcomer Arif Zahir Landed His Big Break as the New Cleveland Brown". Variety. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  16. ↑ Hale, James (2020-09-28). "YouTuber Arif Zahir To Voice Cleveland Brown On 'Family Guy'". tubefilter. Retrieved 2020-10-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ↑ "YouTuber Arif Zahir is the new voice of Cleveland on Family Guy". News. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  18. ↑ "Watch: This is Wakanda — A hilarious Black Panther parody of Childish Gambino's powerful music video - Entertainment News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  19. ↑ "Arif Zahir Breaks Out as the New Cleveland Brown on 'Family Guy'". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  20. ↑ "Family Guy and The Simpsons Recast Major Black Characters". IGN Southeast Asia. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  21. ↑ Young, Julius (2020-09-25). "'Family Guy's Cleveland Brown to be voiced by YouTube star Arif Zahir". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  22. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (2020-09-25). "Cleveland on 'Family Guy' to Be Voiced by Arif Zahir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  23. ↑ "Arif Zahir Replaces Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown on Family Guy". ComingSoon.net. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 No One But Lydia (2014) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  25. ↑ "How Black Panther Should Have Ended". ScreenRant. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  26. ↑ forCreators.com (2020-10-19). "Spotlight on Arif Zahir: Unconventional Ways To Land An Acting Gig". forCreators.com - Create, Learn, Earn. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  27. ↑ "4rif". Genius. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "At Last Sight by 4rif". Genius. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  29. ↑ HIP-HOP, SHOW OUT (2020-04-29). "DLNQNT AND 4RIF DROP "GO GADGET/ BLUES CLUES" EP". Show Out Hip-Hop. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  30. ↑ "White Actor Who Voiced Black 'Family Guy' Character Steps Down". TMZ. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  31. ↑ CNN, Leah Asmelash. "Mike Henry will no longer voice Cleveland on 'Family Guy'". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-26. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  32. ↑ "5 White Voice Actors Who Gave Up Roles as Characters of Color (Photos)". TheWrap. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  33. ↑ Atad, Corey (2020-09-25). "'Family Guy' Casts YouTuber Arif Zahir As The New Voice Of Cleveland". ET Canada. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  34. ↑ Celebretainment, By. "Family Guy finds a new Cleveland Brown: Arif Zahir to replace Mike Henry". Northwest 50 Plus. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  35. ↑ cnn (2020-09-25). "'Family Guy' finds a new voice for Cleveland Brown in YouTuber Arif Zahir, known for his voice impressions". KESQ. Retrieved 2020-09-26. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  36. ↑ "'Family Guy' Finds a New Voice for Cleveland Brown, But You Won't Hear Him This Season". /Film. 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  37. ↑ Eraser (2016) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-26
  38. ↑ The Invisible Shadow (2016) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  39. ↑ Everyone But Me (2017) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  40. ↑ "EVERYONE BUT ME | Narrative Music Video (feat. Azerrz) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  41. ↑ Hues and Hidden Kings (2017) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  42. ↑ The Golden Realm: An American Larping Experience - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  43. ↑ Cliffhanger (TV Series 2015– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  44. ↑ G.P.A. (TV Mini-Series 2018) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-26
  45. ↑ "G.P.A. Official Trailer - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  46. ↑ "G.P.A. Episode 1 | "The Team" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  47. ↑ "G.P.A. Episode 2 | "The Plan" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  48. ↑ "G.P.A. Episode 3 | "The Heist" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  49. ↑ "G.P.A. Episode 4 | "The End?" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  50. ↑ "How Black Panther Should Have Ended". ScreenRant. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  51. ↑ How It Should Have Ended (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-26
  52. ↑ "How Black Panther Should Have Ended - Animated Parody - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  53. ↑ "How Avengers Infinity War Should Have Ended - Animated Parody - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  54. ↑ "HISHE Dubs - Avengers Infinity War (Comedy Recap) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  55. ↑ Internet Rich (TV Series 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  56. ↑ "Internet Rich" Azerrz (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-13
  57. ↑ "New YouTube show, "Party Chat," is "The League meets Call of Duty: Warzone" | | Marijuanapy The World News". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  58. ↑ ""Babe Blocked Me!" (Party Chat - Episode 1) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  59. ↑ Duwe, Scott (2020-07-13). "New YouTube show, "Party Chat," is "The League meets Call of Duty: Warzone"". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  60. ↑ "Azerrz Episodes | VENN". www.venn.tv. Retrieved 2020-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  61. ↑ "Voice Impressions with Azerrz + WWE Superstar Zelina Vega Throw Down | VENN Arcade Live | Episode 11 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  62. ↑ Jensen, Erin. "'Family Guy': Arif Zahir takes over Cleveland Brown role from white actor Mike Henry". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  63. ↑ "'Family Guy' Taps Arif Zahir As The New Voice Of Cleveland Brown". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  64. ↑ "Voice Artists Of Color Join Casts Of 'The Simpsons' And 'Family Guy,' Replacing White Actors". Cartoon Brew. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  65. ↑ "'Family Guy' finds new voice for Cleveland Brown in YouTuber Arif Zahir". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  66. ↑ CNN, Leah Asmelash. "'Family Guy' finds a new voice for Cleveland Brown in YouTuber Arif Zahir, known for his voice impressions". Jackson Progress-Argus. Retrieved 2020-09-26. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  67. ↑ "Family Guy Casts Arif Zahir as Its New Cleveland". TV Shows. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  68. ↑ Haring, Bruce; Haring, Bruce (2020-06-26). "'Family Guy' Voice Actor Mike Henry Stepping Down From 'Cleveland Brown' Role". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  69. ↑ Rocky (TV Series) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-20
  70. ↑ "ROCKY - Animated Series - Trailer! - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  71. ↑ "No Way Out - A Dead Realm Tale on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  72. ↑ "No Way Out - A Dead Realm Tale (Video Game 2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  73. ↑ Down the Line: A Lokl Yokl Music Video (2018) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 Joe Thomas Carter: Drunk With You Ft. Arif (2018) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-12-01
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 4rif – August, retrieved 2020-09-26
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 "Gimme Ya Lovin': Christina Xing's homage to Chaplin for Joe Thomas Carter's new music video". www.adolescent.net. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  77. ↑ 4rif – At Last Sight/Kids, retrieved 2020-12-06
  78. ↑ 4rif – The Window, retrieved 2020-12-06
  79. ↑ ""@Azerrz where's the next album/EP bro? I'm listening to roses and I'm getting hype for the next release!🔥🔥" "2021"". Twitter. December 10–11, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  80. ↑ "Go Gadget/Blues Clues by DLNQNT & 4rif". Genius. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  81. ↑ Vandergast, Amelia (2020-04-29). "DLNQNT & 4rif are due to drop their smooth grooving feat of Hip Hop "Go Gadget"". A&R Factory. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  82. ↑ 4rif – Summers End, retrieved 2020-09-26
  83. ↑ 4rif – Wonderful Miracles, retrieved 2020-09-26
  84. ↑ 4rif – Channel Lovely, retrieved 2020-09-26
  85. ↑ DLNQNT & 4rif (Ft. 4rif & DLNQNT) – Go Gadget, retrieved 2020-09-26
  86. ↑ "DLNQNT & 4rif Release New 2-Track EP". OnThaRizeMag. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  87. ↑ DLNQNT & 4rif (Ft. 4rif & DLNQNT) – Blues Clues, retrieved 2020-09-26
  88. ↑ 4rif – Favorite Girl, retrieved 2020-09-26
  89. ↑ 4rif – Ignore Me, retrieved 2020-09-26
  90. ↑ "Hope County (feat. Azerrz & Legiqn) by NerdOut". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  91. ↑ DLNQNT (Ft. 4rif) – G League, retrieved 2020-09-26

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