Rafael Reyes is an American singer, painter, author, restaurateur, and former gang banger. He is widely attributed as the founder of the Chologoth genre of music. His paintings and art forms are a mix of the occult style.
Wiki/Biography
Rafael Reyes aka Leafar Seyer aka Nite Ritual was born on Saturday, 2 August 1975 (age 47 years; as of 2022) in Cotija, Michoacan, Mexico. At the age of four, he illegally came to San Diego, California, U.S.A. with his family and was granted amnesty along with a permanent green card. He studied at Pacific Beach High School where he was particularly interested in arts since childhood.
A childhood photo of Rafael Reyes with his family
When his father got into a scuffle with local gang members who had teased his sister earlier, he became a gang member of Sherman 27th Street Grant Hill Park gang when he was in his teens.
Rafael Reyes (centre) with other members of Sherman 27th Street Grant Hill Park gang
At the age of eighteen, he opened San Diego’s first vegan/vegetarian Mexican restaurant with his father after completing his schooling and named it Pokez. He operated the restaurant for 18 years; however, when his father died in 2005, he sold the restaurant to his younger brother.
A photo of Rafael Reyes (second from right) with his friends
He went to prison in 2010 for six months on the charges of assault and was given two strikes under California’s three-strike law, which meant that he would be sentenced for decades or life if he again assaulted anyone. He later started doing paintings and music.
Rafael Reyes during his early days in the entertainment industry
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Bald
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He belongs to a Catholic Christian family. [1]Vice
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name was Alphonso Alvarez Reyes who passed away on 22 December 2005.
Rafael Reyes with his father, Alphonso Alvarez Reyes
His mother used to support him and always encouraged him to follow his musical passion. His father was of Jewish descent, and his mother was of native descent.
A photo of Rafael Reyes’s mother
He has a brother named Carlos Reyes and a twin sister named Lupita Reyes.
Rafael Reyes with his twin sister, Lupita Reyes
Rafael Reyes’s younger brother, Carlos Reyes
Wife & Children
He got married to American tattoo artist Kat Von D on 2 February 2018. In December 2018, the couple welcomed a son named Leafar Von D Reyes.
Rafael Reyes with his wife, Kat Von D, and son, Leafar Von D Reyes
Rafael also has a daughter named Pamela from his earlier relationship; however, the name of her mother is not known.
Rafael Reyes with his daughter, Pamela
Relationships/Affairs
He dated Kat Von D for a brief period of time before getting married to her in 2018. They met each other for the first time in 2016 when she obliged his request to appear in a video of one of his songs.
Career
Music
Rafael Reyes formed his first band Baptism of Thieves. He later formed Vampire, and when both brands broke up, he formed the Prayers brand with Dave Parley, a former Tijuana resident, and adopted the name, Leafer Seyer.
Bandmates of Rafael Reyes’s former band Vampire
He also started forming individually with the name Nite Ritual. His lyrics are often based on gang activities and street life. His band Prayers released their first album D Killwave in 2013 and released an EP titled Gothic Summer in 2014. Rafael experimented with Goth, Electronic, Chicano rock, and Hip Hop music genres. Prayers brand later released two albums, Young Gods Never Die and Chologoth, in 2022.
Poster of Rafael Reyes’s album Chologoth
Arts
Rafael Reyes is known for mixing Western esotericism with Olmec beliefs. He developed a group of old gang members as an outlet to leave gang life and work in the field of art and music and named it Diamond Dogs.
A tattoo of Diamond Dogs, a music and arts group, on Rafael Reyes, its founder
In 2015, his art was showcased in the LA Art Show ‘Dark Progressivism: Metropolis Rising.’ He made a sculpture named Southland which debuted at Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) in 2017 as part of ‘Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment.’
A photo of a structure made by Rafael Reyes
Car Collection
He owns a 1958 Chevrolet Apache.
Tattoos
Rafael Reyes has multiple tattoos inked on his body including From Dog to God, flowers on his neck, For the Love of You on his chest, 1913 on his stomach, Born Free on his head, his wife Kat Von D on his shoulder, and Cold Fire on his fingers.
Rafael Reyes’s tattoo of his wife, Kat Von D
Born Free tattoo on Rafael Reyes’s head
Piercings
He has got his both ears and nose pierced.
Facts/Trivia
- His favourite taco is the tofu potato mushroom (TPM) taco which is available at his former restaurant, Pokez.
- Apart from letting his vocals, he can also play guitar, synthesiser, and keyboard.
- Allegedly, his daughter had a sexual relationship with his friends. When he came to know about it, he became very angry and fought his friends due to which he was sent to jail in 2010. [2]Vice
Rafael Reyes with his daughter, Pamela
- When he came out of prison, he wrote a book titled Living Dangerously which depicted stories from his childhood struggles and gang life. His book was later added to Cornell University Library’s Architecture and Planning Special Collections.
Rafael Reyes (centre) with his friends, showing his book, Living Dangerously
- He became a gang member to save his family from the harassment by gang members; however, his father despised him for joining the gang. His father used to tell him that he came to the U.S. from Mexico in the hope of a better life, which Rafael broke.
Rafael Reyes with his father, Alphonso Alvarez Reyes
- His music name Leafar Seyer is the reversed version of his real name Rafael Reyes.
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