For nearly a decade, IMAKEMADBEATS and the Unapologetic collective that he founded have been at the cutting-edge of music, reimagining what it means to be part of the Memphis music scene. However, as he has helped lead his company to newfound heights of public recognition, including high-profile collaborations with the Memphis Grizzlies and the PGA, MAD has often had to put his own music on the back-burner.

That all changes this Saturday, November 16th, when MAD will return to the stage for the first time since 2019 for an album release showcase that he’s calling “Masters of the Universe” at the Pink Palace Planetarium. Last month, we caught up with IMAKEMADBEATS at his Midtown studio Outerspace to learn more about the album and his upcoming live performance.

To set the stage a bit, MAD–née James Dukes–has been quietly managing a rare auto-immune disorder, which has often times made keeping up with his grueling schedule a near impossibility. This struggle, he says, was a primary inspiration for his new album.

“I was watching War of the Worlds recently, and I noted the fact that the humans could not defeat the aliens…the aliens were ultimately defeated by bacteria. Essentially, the strength of the aliens was undermined by one of the smallest things on earth. I started to feel like ‘Well, maybe I have this issue. Maybe my body wasn’t made to deal with earth’s atmosphere. Maybe I’m not from here…”

This idea birthed the concept for WANDS, his new (largely instrumental) concept album that begins with MAD leaving earth in search of his home, wherever in the cosmos that may be. “Everyone who knows me well knows that for the last 10 years or so I’ve been saying ‘One day I’m just gonna disappear.’ This album is the story of what happens when I finally disappear.”

Conceived as a movie score, WANDS is a soundtrack “for those daring to leave the familiar  behind, seeking solace and understanding in the vast expanse of the universe.” As such, there likely isn’t a more fitting place in the city to unveil it than at the Pink Palace, an organization that Unapologetic has already collaborated with for their ongoing Midnight Marauder series.

When I tell him that I find the budding relationship between Unapologetic and the Pink Palace as being beautifully serendipitous–-especially when considering Saturday night’s celestially-themed event–MAD is quick to correct me. 

“To quote V in V for Vendetta, ‘I don’t believe in coincidences, only the illusion of it.’ My life has been filled with instances that make you say ‘How the fuck did this happen at exactly the right time?’ I just lean into it at this point,” he explains. “As a matter of fact, when I first met [Pink Palace Executive Director] Kevin Thompson, he was like ‘Yeah man, I’m not sure if you’re into things like the planetarium’ and I had to stop him and say ‘Bro, you know my studio is called Outerspace right?!’”

This all brings up back to Saturday night’s “Masters of the  Universe” celebration, which will be held on MAD’s birthday. No coincidences, right? In addition to playing his new album, MAD will also be controlling the stars in the sky and unveiling new visuals, guiding the audience  through a mysterious interstellar journey.

“This is not just a performance,” reads the press release. “It is an odyssey where vulnerability becomes art, and  music becomes a portal to the magical realms beyond our world.” Honestly, we wouldn’t expect anything less.

Tickets for “Masters of the Universe” can be purchased here. The event begins at 7PM.

The post With His Upcoming “Masters of the Universe” Event, IMAKEMADBEATS Invites You to a Journey into the Cosmos appeared first on We Are Memphis.

The Song: Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.” (1993)

The Sample: The Charmel’s “As Long As I’ve Got You” (1967)

Widely considered one of the most iconic songs in hip-hop history, Wu-Tang’s timeless “C.R.E.A.M.” was instrumental in ushering in the era of grimy NYC street tales that would later be adopted by the likes of Nas, the Notorious B.I.G, and countless others. RZA, the group’s de facto leader and producer, built the song off of a sample from Memphis girl group the Charmels, who were signed to Stax Records. Although the group’s single “As Long As I’ve Got You” failed to gain much traction during its time, the song’s eerie instrumentals proved to be a perfect fit for Wu-Tang’s ominous and dusty sound.

The Song: Missy Elliot’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997)

The Sample: Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (1973)

Last week, Missy Elliot’s debut hit single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” was beamed 158 million miles to Venus by NASA, making it the first hip-hop song to ever be transmitted to space. Given how alien and otherworldly Missy was at the time of her introduction, this seems like a particularly appropriate choice. Produced by Timbaland, the song (and its iconic video) were unlike anything else happening in rap at the time and it helped to propel Missy into stardom. The song relies heavily on Ann Peebles’ signature hit “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” which John Lennon once called the greatest song ever made.

The Song: Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” (1991)

The Sample: Isaac Hayes’s “Hung Up on My Baby” (1974)

Although the South has been at the center of the hip-hop universe for nearly two decades at this point, a group of rappers from Texas was still seen as a novelty back in the early ’90s. Thankfully, Scarface and the Geto Boys quickly proved that the South had something to say with their breakout hit “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” a harrowing tale of PTSD, paranoia, and suicidal ideation. The song is built off of an Isaac Hayes sample from his soundtrack to the action film Three Tough Guys, which he also strarred in. Hayes, who was renown for his large and complex orchestrations, remains a favorite of hip-hop producers to this day.

The Song: Jay-Z’s “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” (2001)

The Sample: Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” (1974)

Although it was never released as a single, Jay-Z’s “Heart of the City” remains one of his finest songs from the era when he was rightfully hailed as the Best Rapper Alive. Produced by an up-and-coming Kanye West (who claims the beat was originally intended for DMX), “Heart of the City” expertly samples a classic Bobby “Blue” Bland tune  to drive home the song’s themes of jealousy and envy. For many people (including myself), the sample was their first introduction to the soulful blues of Bland, one of Memphis’ most underrated legends.

The Song: The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?” (1995)

The Sample: David Porter’s “(I’m Afraid) The Masquerade is Over” (1971)

Although Biggie’s 1995 track “Who Shot Ya?” was a respectable hit at the time of its release, the song has become the stuff of legend for helping to kick off one of the biggest (and most tragic) beefs in history. Widely considered to be a diss track against Tupac, the song was the opening salvo in what would become an all-out war against the East and West coasts. The song is built on a sample of David Porter’s strange and woozy “(I’m Afraid) The Masquerade is Over” from his epic soul opera Victim of the Joke? Best known as Isaac Haye’s writing partner at Stax Records, Porter’s solo career as a musician is filled with unheralded gems that have become a favorite of producers across the globe.

The post 5 Memphis Soul Songs That Shaped the Sound of Hip-Hop appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Photos c/o Spek Was Here

It’s raining when I arrive at the studio to meet Memphis trio Supa Glock Bros. Two of the three members, Spek Was Here and Dame Mufasa, are already there when I walk in. We start talking about anything and everything – the Kendrick vs. Drake beef, artists we’ve been heavy on, what’s new in Memphis – when the rain picks up and it starts to downpour. It’s suddenly the type of storm only a hot summer night recognizes, complete with thunder, lightning, and no visibility. “Hey, check on Co,” Dame suggests to Spek. “It’s crazy out there, I wanna make sure he’s good.” Spek replies that he’s already reached out to their third member (91’ Co) who confirmed he was safely on his way.

It’s an interaction that would stick out to me, not because of the overt display of consideration, but because I would later realize it was perfectly representative of who the trio were. Supa Glock Bros is more than three wildly talented musicians coming together for a fun side project. Supa Glock Bros is three wildly talented musicians who immensely respect each other both inside and outside the studio, which shines through in their art.

***

Spek, Dame, and Co each grew up immersed in music, though their introductions to this world were very different. “I got my start making music literally on Guitar Hero World Tour,” Spek recalls. “I’m not even joking. Like, playing Guitar Hero World Tour made me realize that, damn, music is actually fun.” As for Co, he was looking for an outlet growing up. “You start rapping as a way to find your voice before you actually find it,” he shares. “So, I found my voice through trying to find my voice rapping.”

Dame’s interest in music was formed by two things: his mom and writing. “My mom was a teen mom so as she grew up on rap, I grew up on rap. She listened to a lot of NWA, Tupac, DMX, Three 6 Mafia…but she also listened to like Nirvana, Prince, and Phil Collins so I was exposed to a lot of different styles thankfully,” Dame says. “I also always liked words. I just liked reading and trying to write short stories as a kid. Then in middle school, I discovered I could freestyle – I could rhyme and think of words really fast. People were impressed by my rapping but for me, it was just easy.”

Though their paths differed, the destination turned out to be the same. The three each found themselves heavily involved in the Memphis art community. By 2018, Spek and Dame had linked up and started working together under Spek’s former imprint, Studio 88 Recordings. Around the same time, Dame met Co at an art show at Crosstown for Co’s Paint Me Gold collective. “I liked his art so I got tapped into his music stuff as well. I thought it might be lame, because when you rap yourself, you think everyone else who raps is whack. But I was like, ‘oh shit, bro actually hard.’ I mentally added him to my list of people to keep an eye on – both to work with and competitively,” Dame laughs. 

After the three officially met, the music flowed almost instantly. Spek started creating beats specifically with Dame and Co in mind, and the two would spend their nights at the studio recording verses for his productions. Despite the seriousness they each took their art individually, there wasn’t a hesitation for any of them in collaborating. “We all respected each other,” Dame says frankly. “I knew Co was hard and I respected Spek as a creator. I’ve worked with a bunch of producers and engineers over the years and it was just always a different vibe with him. We’re different as a motherfucker, but we got the same taste artistically. It would be hard for me to find two guys who I vibe with so well and who I actually got this much respect for.”

Despite casually working together prior, it didn’t become a real project until the pandemic hit in 2020. Like most musicians at the time, the uncertainty of what the future held for artists forced them to grapple with some hard truths. “I was like legitimately going through an existential crisis,” Dame admits. “I felt that if I can’t create or perform, or if my music doesn’t matter…everything was different and I was like, what do I do?” Collectively, they all agreed that the one way to process everything and feel better was to record. Everything on the outside was changing, but the studio was still familiar. Among the safety of microphones and mix boards, Supa Glock Bros was born.

Speaking and spending time with Spek, Dame, and Co, it’s clear they are three very distinct individuals. When I ask how they blended their uniqueness into one unit as cohesive as Supa Glock Bros, I expected to hear about trials and tribulations or a difficult learning curve. Instead, they recount none of that. “I know in part of our core as a three-piece unit, there are things that we all identify with. That’s kind of, like, without question, right?” Spek explains. “We may have varying degrees of understanding or sentiments on these topics, lifestyle differences and similarities, but the one thing that draws us together is that we all share the common thing, and that is the Black experience. We live such entirely different lives from each other, but there’s always gonna be some varying degrees of overlap that’s gonna draw us back together.”

This is the foundation upon which all the other elements of the groups’ success rests on. With a shared vision, the group is able to create music, as they say, effortlessly. “Easily one of the favorite things about doing Supa Glock Bros is the fact that from jump street, this shit has been low effort -” Spek starts before both Dame and Co jump in to agree. “That’s the best part! It’s so fun and so easy, and that’s actually fire,” Dame adds.

Easiness and fun are two elements that are apparent when you listen to their music, but so is innate talent and natural chemistry. Spek’s mind creates beats made for Dame and Co to rap over. “Part of my homework is listening to these dudes rap, because I, being the engineer, should damn near know these songs better than they do, even though they’re the ones rapping on them,” he states. “So, I have to simply just listen and observe and connect the dots for certain lines. I have to be able to really take in the feelings of the emotions they’ve put on wax and either make a suggestion on how they can emphasize certain things better, or work the production to just make it even more expansive and dynamic than what it already is.”

For Dame and Co, working with each other as rappers only pushes their pens even harder. “It’s like being in a group project, and you don’t wanna be the one holding the group back,” Dame explains. “I know Co’s going to do what he needs to do, and if he doesn’t the first time, he won’t stop until he does. I’m the same way.” 

Just like in their songs, Co seamlessly picks up on Dame’s thoughts. “I think when you have somebody creating this amazing production and someone’s whose rapping ability is top tier it pushes you. It’s no longer ok to just rap real good,” Co says. “It’s a whole other thing now. I want to experiment with flow pockets. In Supa Glock Bros, we get to do that here AND rap really good at the same time.” 

Just because the journey with Supa Glock Bros has been refreshingly easy, doesn’t mean the trio have everything figured out. In fact, they humbly refute that. When we discuss their plans for the next year, they detail more music (follow-ups to their fantastic first projects, EP 1, EP 1.5 The Recoil, and EP 2), as well as more films and holiday-themed loosies, like the incredible recent drop “Spindependence Day Freestyle.”

Yet set among these plans, Spek offers another equally important element for the group’s future: patience. “We want to maintain this energy and consistency, while still continuing to be patient with ourselves. We’re gonna take time in just making the art and not rushing the process at all. I mean if we’re speaking on long term success, all long-term success takes time,” he muses. 

“There’s a level of patience with yourself and others that has to come with it,” he continues. “If the shit don’t work out right now, it doesn’t mean it’s not gonna ever work out. There’s always more to learn. And that’s not like insatiability. To almost counter, you can find satiation in there always being more knowledge to learn, right? Because that insatiability comes from, like, I’m never gonna be satisfied versus I’m satisfied with always being in a perpetual state of learning.”

As the three continue sharing stories about their mutual admiration for one another, I start to think back to when I first arrived at the studio and how they checked in on each other during the storm. It’s clear they respect each other, they support each other, and they deeply believe in each other. But they also genuinely care about each other. It’s something real, and this understanding and trust permeates into the fabric of their music. Separately as artists they’re incredibly good. But together? Fuck, they’re invincible. 

“I will put my money on this man’s production versus any producer in the entire city,” Dame says as he motions towards Spek. “And you not outrapping this man,” as he points to Co. “I just like quality and I understand quality. I feel like you can learn what good is, but when you naturally have ability and a taste level, you can’t settle,” he finishes. 

Spek nods and reinforces the sentiment by adding one simple, yet defining thought: “steel sharpens steel.”

The post Supa Glock Forever, Supa Glock Endeavors appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Last month, Memphis musician Rose Gold Jones released his newest album Beautiful Things Don’t Ask For Attention, which eludes traditional narratives of rap glamour to explore the complexities of self, strife, romance, and resilience. We caught up with the artist to discuss the album, his background, and much more.

1. First thing first, just give us a quick overview of your background and how you first got involved with music.

Music is my life! I’ve been performing since I was a child (3-4 years old). I was doing solo performances in church by 6 years old, so being on a stage and in front of people comes pretty naturally to me. That experience helped me make a name around Memphis for being a dynamic performer as I made the rounds doing a lot of underground shows. Early on, my music didn’t really connect with people as much as my energy and passion seemed to, but I was fortunate to have support. I grew into a better artist with the help and influence of many greats from the city, who saw some potential in me. Shout out to The Traphouse, Section 9 and Young Ave… these studios were fundamental to my artistic development.

I also spent some time in Los Angeles, working and learning on more of the industry side. That time was valuable because it showed me how things worked behind the scenes and at the top level. Coming back to Memphis, I wanted to bring something new to the current scene, so I spent the last 3 years making songs and figuring out who I am as an artist. The album title came to me around that time, which gave me the inspiration and direction I needed to build on musically.

Authenticity is important to me and I know how powerful great music can be, so I’m not going to put out bullsh*t. I never minded taking my time. I knew I wanted to release my album and grow it from the ground up right here in Memphis, though. I’ve kinda had a ‘most known unknown’ vibe (shout out to Three 6 Mafia) when it comes to my reputation around here, but I believe that will change soon!

2. You’ve been a frequent collaborator with several notable artists recently, including Jozzy and Crunchy Black. Tell us a bit about what you enjoy about working with other artists and the benefits of collaboration.

I love working with people because you never know what to expect. Other than performing in front of a crowd, I’d say the most fun you get to have as an artist is collaborating. For this album, I took more of an in-house approach with who I worked with, but outside of my own stuff, I’ve beencontacted to write and produce for some mainstream and local artists. It wasn’t something I was initially interested in, but opening up to new methods of creating has helped my own work exponentially, so I’m very grateful for those opportunities.

3. You recently released your new album Beautiful Things Don’t Ask for Attention, which we’ve been loving. Before we get deeper into the music, tell us a bit about what you wanted to accomplish with this one and who you worked with on it.

To elaborate from the last question, I got to work with some of my favorite people in the world on this album. Chris3000, Hotrod, and Peyton Hails, all from Memphis, set the tone(s) with their crazy production. The legendary Isaac Daniel (now at Stax) engineered and helped me develop my sound along with Kyle Javello, who also engineered, took on the role of executive producer, and was very influential to the overall sound. The only featured artist are CJ Tate and Janiece Myers on the song “Caught Up”. They killed it!

As far as what I was looking to accomplish, it was important to me to express a complete thought and a full album allowed me to go in depth, creatively. It’s psychological exploration. There’s a story element, lots of easter eggs, and call backs, but it’s all truth from the mind and universe of Rose Gold Jones.

For as much as this album is about the music, though, it’s just as much about setting the standard and foundation for what I represent as an artist. This is the official first release from my company, Product Of Karma Music. I want to set the bar high for what’s to be expected from Rose Gold Jones and Product Of Karma Music.

4. Beautiful Things is probably easiest to categorize as a hip-hop album, but you do a ton of singing as well throughout. Blending genres is obviously nothing new, but tell us about your personal approach and philosophy.

My approach was to be pure with myself and the music. Sometimes you don’t know how that’s going to come out. I don’t really have any musical influences, as far as artist or style, though I am a fan of everything. I would just consider myself a progressive minded person and I think there’s a sweet spot you can find in pushing boundaries and making something people can feel and relate to. I’m not quite there yet, but that is where I strive to be as an artist. It’s all about the feeling!

5. I know you’re still fresh off of the release, but do you have anything else we should keep our eyes peeled for in terms of videos, live performances, etc.?

Definitely! All of the above, and even more new music. Something I didn’t mention earlier, but I do all my own visuals, graphics, and merch, so I’m creating everyday. I’m going to spend the next couple of months going hard with Beautiful Things Don’t Ask For Attention. There’s a lot of layers to this project and I’m excited to tell the story. Along with that, continuing to grow the brand and make Product Of Karma a force for pushing new art and more creative ideas. Be on the look out for some official news with that this Fall, but for now, the summer is all about Beautiful Things!

The post 5 Questions w/ Rose Gold Jones appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Photo by Jackson Hendrix

“I am not you, bitch I am me,” is the resounding declaration made within the first 3 seconds of A Weirdo From Memphis’ single “Polo.” The statement and delivery is riveting, not just because of the boldness, but because you’re left with the unmistakable feeling that this is the truth and not some sort of superficial proclamation. The Memphis rapper is not you or me and truthfully, he never wants to be. A Weirdo From Memphis (AWFM) is wholly and unapologetically himself and this year he’s about to reintroduce you, dear listeners, to exactly who that is.

Music, and hip-hop specifically, has been a constant in AWFM’s life for as long as he can remember. “I’ve been into rap since I could talk. I was very lucky to have a mom that didn’t make us go to church or like listen to gospel all day. Back then, there were only two stations for rap on the radio. I remember being in the car seat and if I didn’t like the song on one station, I would ask my mom to switch it to the other station,” he recalls. “It’s funny, I think this is a good example of you should be very careful what you show your kids, because when you think they’re not absorbing, they are. Rap became a love for me,” he says laughing.

Despite the prominence of rap in AWFM’s life, it wasn’t something he felt comfortable sharing as he grew up. Confronted with the “aggressiveness of Memphis,” he often found himself being bullied in school. “The more I was pushed around, the more I started to, I guess, try to be as normal as possible, and just do whatever to be in the background. And normal wasn’t telling people you’re trying to be a rapper.”

Suppressing something meant to shine, however, can only last for so long. He enrolled at the University of Memphis for software engineering in 2010, still confident that rap was just a passion and not a career. But while in college, AWFM started going to more concerts, and each time he noticed something: a gnawing, growing discomfort. Instead of enjoying the show, he’d pace back and forth, back and forth. It was almost as if the more he surrounded himself with music, the more it became painfully clear – this was the life he was meant to have.

By 2013, his discontentedness was unmistakable. “I was really recognizing, like, yo, I am not meant to be an engineer. I took all of my money and I flew to go see Tyler, the Creator in Columbus. It wasn’t even his tour, he was the opening act for Kid Cudi,” AWFM tells me. It was here, at a baseball field turned venue in Ohio, that everything sort of aligned.

“I’m just looking at this baseball field full of kids who listen to the same stuff as me, who know the same obscure rappers as me…normally I only see and feel these things looking through the box that is my phone, so it was completely different to experience this in person. Even though I had never seen these people, it just felt like being amongst some sort of family. It was like we were sharing souls for a second and in the midst of that I realized ‘oh, I don’t want to be down HERE, I want to be up THERE.’”

AWFM returned to Memphis following this experience reinvigorated, albeit broke (“I spent all my money on that concert. Man, what an outrageous decision” he says laughing). He jumped headfirst into rapping, initially writing over MF DOOM instrumentals and recording in friends’ makeshift studios. Eventually after a few years of this, he met a producer named Skip Fearless who wanted to introduce AWFM to another local producer. “He was like, ‘I just booked time with this very dope producer named IMAKEMADBEATS, you should come through and we can record the song you’ve been working on.’”

@gduffiephoto

Instantly, AWFM felt a comfortability with Unapologetic that he hadn’t at other studios before. “This is my first time in a place that felt professional and where everybody was serious. Everybody wasn’t, like, smoked out and drunk. It just felt like people who get it and people who want a lot more for themselves.” Once immersed in this world, AWFM didn’t want to leave. With the blessing of IMAKEMADBEATS, he started booking sessions all the time, even if he didn’t have a song written. “I would pull up to the studio six hours early and park around the corner and write, just to make sure I had something to go in with,” he recounts.

Once officially joining Unapologetic, things flowed for AWFM until the entire world essentially stopped at the top of 2020. Right before the pandemic hit, AWFM quit his 9-5 job in IT to make music full time. He was set to go on tour around the US and drop a string of new releases, but Covid changed all of that. The shows were cancelled and his music was put on hold. “That moment was traumatizing. I put everything on the line for that, and then absolutely nothing came from it. So, what really changed my art was the lack of resources after.”

In the wake of the pandemic, it became increasingly difficult for AWFM to find a “traditional” job to replace the one he had left prior. Instead, he took to other forms of revenue like Door Dash or Uber Eats. “I was really unable to get corporate work anymore. I’m out here in the streets delivering food and that’s where I start seeing people get murdered every other week. I came face to face with mortality and I came face to face with failure. It’s not like the homeless people are 15, you know, they’re 46. They have glory days they reminisce on, and then whatever went wrong went wrong and it never went right again. There were moments where it definitely felt like I was headed down the same path.”

It’s a profound sentiment, but this level of cognizance isn’t new for AWFM. If you delve into his lyrics, you see he presents his personal world (and the world at large) with the acute awareness that other artists dream of. There is no sugarcoating in his songs and honestly, thank God for that. Instead, his music is something more important: his music is reality. Just like life, his music is at times dark and depressing, and other times it’s triumphant and celebratory. And he’s able to seamlessly tell all these different stories because, like we’ve already established, at his core AWFM is not you or me – he is completely AWFM.

“I feel like focusing so much on curation will have you never releasing anything at all, you know?” he tells me when we talk about his plans for 2024. So far this year he’s already released two massive singles, the aforementioned “Polo” and his latest, the RXKNephew-assisted “Hysteria.” Both tracks feature menacing production courtesy of Unapologetic producer CmaJor over which AWFM layers his signature “ugly truth.” In addition to the new music, AWFM is also dropping new t-shirts and other merchandise through Unapologetic’s Garments division. Oh yea, and he’s also going on a multi-city tour with fellow Unapologetic artists PreauXX, CmaJor, and Kid Maestro dubbed The Weirdly LuXXurious Tour.

He’s got a lot of things in the pipeline for 2024, because after everything he’s been through, he knows one thing to be true of his music: “I can’t keep waiting for the right moment to release something, because that may never come. I feel like now I have to put out art because I don’t know how long I’m gonna be here.” It might sound morbid, but it’s real. Where most artists try to put a filter on these dark, uncomfortable thoughts in an effort to make them prettier, AWFM doesn’t. It’s what makes him a once in a lifetime type of artist that I hope everyone has the chance to listen to.

As I leave the studio after our interview, AWFM throws one last curveball my way. “Oh also, I’m halfway done with a gospel EP,” he says nonchalantly. “It’ll of course be my version of gospel.” I don’t doubt for a second that if there’s one artist to make gospel music their own, it’ll be A Weirdo From Memphis.

The post The Year of Weird(o) appeared first on We Are Memphis.

MonoNeon ft. George Clinton – “Quilted!”

One thing’s for sure, there’s no shortage of funk in musician MonoNeon’s music. But if y’all had any doubts, he kicked it up a WHOLE notch by enlisting none other than funk legend George Clinton for his latest single, “Quilted”. The duo are just as fly as you’d imagine, trading catchy verses over a groovy bassline. The best part? The hook goes “Look at me mane!” and that’s Memphis as fuck.

Bartholomew Jones ft. PreauXX and AWFM – “Gold On Me”

In last month’s “WAMM In Rotation,” I wrote, “what’s better than one Memphis powerhouse on a track? Two.” and I’m here to admit, I was wrong. Because the only thing that’s better than one Memphis powerhouse on a track isn’t two – it’s three. Case in point: “Gold On Me.” The track finds musician (and Cxffeeblack founder) Bartholomew Jones linking up with fellow Memphis rappers PreauXX and A Weirdo From Memphis and together they create an unstoppable, play-this-at-full-volume anthem. “Gold On Me” has been on repeat since it came out, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.

Mulherin – “Blue Moon”

It’s been two years since Memphis duo Mulherin has released new music, but lucky for us the short hiatus is over. This month (thankfully!) they returned with their infectious new single, “Blue Moon.” The track features bouncy, dance-ready production over which the brothers layer their perfectly harmonious vocals. If the rest of their new music is as strong as this one, then the two year wait was absolutely worth it.

Rose Gold Jones – “Beautiful Things Don’t Ask For Attention”

Earlier this month, musician Rose Gold Jones dropped a mysterious trailer for his new album. It was the perfect teaser, intriguing enough to make you pay attention without giving away what’s to come on the actual LP. But now Jones has released the full project and it definitely lives up to the hype. Beautiful Things Don’t Ask For Attention is an impressive collection, featuring vibed out, surreptitious production and Jones’ effortlessly flowing verses. Beautiful Things Don’t Ask For Attention is his debut album on his self-founded independent label, so it’s safe to say this is only the beginning of promising releases from the Memphis musician.

Aaron James – “The Last Day of the Cold”

Allow me to paint a picture for you. It’s a beautiful sunny day; warm but with a cooling breeze so it’s not too muggy. You’re laying on a blanket in a park with your headphones on, fully relaxed and unbothered. What song are you listening to? If your answer is anything other than Aaron James’ “The Last Day of the Cold,” I hate to tell ya but, you’re wrong. The Memphis songwriter’s latest single is the perfect soundtrack to this exact scenario: beautifully light, airy, and carefree. It’s a must-add to your summer playlist.

The post WAMM in Rotation: 5 Songs for May ’24 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

May 23: Playa Fly- “Movin On’”

Like nearly all of the artists featured in the “Lo-Fi in Hi-Fi” series, Playa Fly never managed to fully break out of the underground, yet his influence continues to permeate the culture. An early affiliate of Three 6 Mafia before a notoriously hostile falling out, Playa Fly established himself as one of the city’s breakout stars in the 1990s. Movin’ On, his 1998 sophomore album, remains a Memphis rap classic and features the beloved regional singles “Nobody Needs Nobody” and “I-B-N.”

June 27: Tommy Wright III- “On the Run”

While Tommy Wright III will likely never receive his proper accolades for being a progenitor of Memphis rap–and therefore a godfather of crunk, trap, and all of its many other offshoots–it has been heartening to see the OG finally receive at least some of his flowers in recent years, including a production credit on Beyonce’s massive Renaissance album. Nowhere is Tommy’s influence more clear than on his 1996 magnum opus On the Run, a lo-fi masterpiece that still sounds ahead of its time.

July 25: Gangsta Pat- “Deadly Verses”

An early master of the triplet flow and one of the pioneers of horrorcore, Gangsta Pat is amongst Memphis’ most important artists of the 1990s. His 1995 album Deadly Verses found the rapper exhibiting a newfound maturity–both stylistically and in terms of subject matter–over some of the best beats of the era. Clocking in at a succinct 45 minutes, Deadly Verses is the definition of “all killer, no filler.”

August 22: La Chat- “Murder She Spoke”

Alongside the late, great Gangsta Boo, La Chat helped to smash through Memphis rap’s glass ceiling and pave the way for other women such as Trina, GloRilla, and Megan Thee Stallion. Best known for her association with the Hypnotize Minds, La Chat first broke into the public consciousness with her star-making guest feature on Project Pat’s classic “Chickenheads.” The following year, she released her debut album Murder She Spoke, which proved that she could be just as ruthless and nasty as any of the men in her camp.

September 26: Gangsta Blac- “74 Minutes of Bump”

If you were lucky enough to be in Memphis during the summer of 1999, you can probably remember the absolute chokehold that his regional hit “S.O.U.T.H. Parkway” had on the radio waves. The breakout hit from his classic 74 Minutes of Bump led many new fans to discover the Memphis rap O.G., who has already been in the game for years. As the title promises, Blac does indeed deliver over an hour of “bump” in this essential project.

October 24: Kingpin Skinny Pimp- “King of Da Playaz Ball”

First making waves as a frequent guest throughout Three 6 Mafia’s debut album Mystic Stylez, Kingpin Skinny Pimp was one of the city’s biggest underground stars throughout the 1990s. His 1996 debut King of Da Playaz Ball, which features some of DJ Paul’s finest production work, proved that he could shine as a solo artist and remains one of the defining projects of its era.

To learn more about the series and for a list of special guest speakers, visit https://www.memphislofiinhifi.com/.

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Last month, Memphis rapper Bleu Levees dropped his latest project The LSD Tapes Vol 1. The experimental EP spans 3 tracks – all of which impressively showcase his growing stylistic range while still maintaining a cohesive narrative. This duality is no happy accident. To say Bleu Levees is an intentional artist would be an understatement. Every note, every word, every visual is crafted with purpose. We sat down with the rapper to discuss his creative process, becoming a father, and what other projects he has in store for 2024.

Why don’t you start by telling us about your background. How did you start making music?

I’m originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, but I grew up with both the Memphis and New Orleans cultures because my mom’s from Memphis and my dad’s from New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit, my family and I left the city and moved to Memphis. I was around 11 at the time. 

I didn’t really start doing music until, like, maybe tenth or eleventh grade. I actually first started with poetry. I would write poetry in the back of the class because I was kind of the quiet, shy kid in class. Then I met Berry (shoutout my boy BerryThaGoat) and he really got me into actually expressing myself as an artist. 

So, it kind of took someone else to bring you out of your shell and believe in your talent.

Yea, it took others to kind of bring out my, I guess, creative side and just be more vocal. I feel like with music in general, it allowed me to kind of have a voice outside of having to speak to people to express myself. 

Berry was known as a rapper, but I would kind of play around. I had maybe two pages of poetry and raps written. Out of nowhere, he looks at me and was like, “don’t you rap a little too? You should come spit something,” but I was too nervous so I just gave him my poetry to read and walked away. I actually nervously walked around the school (laughs).

When I came back, I was kind of expecting him to be laughing at my writing, but he was like, “oh this is GOOD.” And we just started hanging out. I would come over to his house and practice writing music. I would watch him create so I could learn how. I think that entire summer after tenth grade I would just be over at his house and we would be writing and releasing music.

How did you come up with the name Bleu Levees?

I actually released my first album under my real name, Michael. I didn’t change my name until like 2017 when I decided to put my music on Spotify in a more professional way.

Bleu Levees came about because I just kind of played on kind of where I’m from and where I wanted to go. I call myself Blue, just like an ode to New Orleans, and like that side of myself. Also, the levees – if the levee didn’t break I wouldn’t be here.

I also wanted to be like a mental levee for people listening to my music – they can kind of chill and not feel all the pressure. Blue I also correlated with Memphis for the Blues and the blue color with Memphis. So, I kind of feel like that all mixed together really nicely.

You touched on the mix of cultures and influences you grew up with, which makes sense because your music really is a blend of different sounds and genres. I’m guessing you have a wide range of artists that inspired you. What are some of your main musical influences?

Honestly, I was a big nu metal fan. I get bored easily so I really moved away from what was “mainstream” or on the radio. I would be listening to Linkin Park, Korn, Gorillaz – Gorillaz is a big influence on me visually and sonically. Then I would say hip-hop wise for sure Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar.

I was also around people who were schooling me on the real history of Memphis rap. So, I got really into like Tommy Wright III, Lord Infamous, Project Pat, Juicy J, Three 6 Mafia, all of that as well.

You also have a very carefully curated artistic aesthetic. It’s clear that you have a specific idea for the visuals that go along with your music. How important is that whole package to you?

I’m a real cinema head (laughs). I just love movies and I love the weird, like underground movies. I love Japanese movies or horror movies – those are probably some of my favorite genres. But I would watch movies and pay attention to what music they paired with each scene, so I guess that correlation was there from the jump. Even when I was younger, I would listen to music and come up with videos in my head so now I write music and already have a visual in my head. I really feel like I’m slick writing music to my own movie. 

Do you want to write your own movie?

Yea, I’m working on scripts now actually – just like a movie and TV series. It’s kind of hard to balance everything out time-wise, you know? To do music professionally, plus the business side and then these other creative things. But it is something I wanna definitely do.

You recently announced that you’re expecting your first child. How do you think that might change you as an artist?

I think it’s already kind of changing me. It’s making me a lot more comfortable being myself. I feel like it’s gonna make me more vulnerable too, which I’m happy for, and I actually want. I think it would be great for my music and my creativity in general. 

I think, too, since I am having a baby girl, it will make me a little bit more aware of what I’m saying and doing, because I know she’ll be listening to my music. So, now I’ll be thinking, “how will she interpret this?” 

I know you’re the type of artist that’s constantly working. Who have you been linking up with lately?

I’ve been working with a producer named EMPEE, he’s a producer for a Memphis group Iron Mic Coalition – they’re like the Memphis Wu-Tang, they’ve been around for the longest. He’s one of those old school producers who just has records and records all around his house and because of that, he introduced me to some completely new artists and new sounds. Like I just watch him work on different samples…I really don’t know anybody that has beats like him. He’s kinda like my superpower.

I’m also working with my boy, AClef Vibes. He’s more, I would say, Memphis trap rap. So, I have this duality in my music because EMPEE does more a boom bap style, like a dark boom bap style, and AClef does more the trap style. Oh, and I can’t forget my boy, Spek. He’s heavy on my album. He’s crazy, his stuff is just crazy.

That’s super dope. Do you have any other Memphis artists that you’ve been working with or want to work with?

Producer wise, IMAKEMADBEATS and I have been working together – we actually got something else that’s coming out. 

Artist wise, I definitely want to work with PreauXX, for sure. I’d love to work with Goldie Rebel, he’s hard. He’s got like a Larry June, Premo Rice type of vibe. I’d love to link up with my boy Coffey…he’s very experimental and I love that. There’s a million others in my head too (laughs).

Let’s talk about your new project, The LSD Tapes Vol 1. This EP feels much more confident and experimental than your last album, A Shade of Bleu. What influenced this project and how did your creative process differ from before?

The LSD Tapes was really made when I was over at my boy EMPEE’s house and he was just playing a bunch of different stuff. I think we were watching this movie. I like to do that – play music, and then I’ll just put a visual or something from YouTube on. 

There’s a full movie on YouTube called The Trip with Peter Fonda from, like, the sixties. It’s about a director that takes LSD for the first time because he’s depressed while going through a divorce. So, he’s playing music and we’re watching this and I’m like “oh what if we do like a tape like that.” So that was our concept and he would just send me beats and I would play around with them and really experiment. LSD is an experience and that’s what I wanted to craft – I wanted it to sound like a full experience without necessarily having to take anything.

Also, this came around a time where it felt like a lot of things in my life were like dying, but in a good way. Situations were ending and I was starting a new chapter. In this sense, the LSD actually stands for Lovely Sorted Death – where it’s all about letting go of things and having a, like, rebirth.

What else can we expect from you this year?

I’m working on my actual album now, it’s gonna be called The Way of the Cat. But in the meantime, while working on The Way of the Cat, I want to put more music out. I want to do more for the LSD Tapes series. My vision is that this project is just volume 1 of 3. I like to work in threes.

I also want to do more shows at art galleries or even kind of a secret, invitation only type night. A secret show. I just want to make it more of an experience because, you know, music is an experience. With me, just expect the unexpected.

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Uni’q – “Ain’t No Sleepin”

One thing about the Unapologetic crew is that they are ALWAYS working. Their output is unreal not only because of the volume, but because of the quality. Uni’q’s new single “Ain’t No Sleepin” is just the latest example of this. Over soulful yet poppy production by SunnyDizzle, the Memphis songstress showcases her undeniable vocal prowess. The track was also mixed by industry powerhouse Ari Morris, so you know it’s something special. Listen to a snippet below and download the UnApologetic World app to hear it in full.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1477743696204118 

Kendrick P – Prelude EP

Is there anyone out there smoother than Kendrick P? No, for real though. Anything that the Memphis singer puts out, elevates and redefines our idea of sensual R&B. Don’t believe me? Just hit play on his latest project, Prelude. The three track EP is a hypnotizing listen, complete with melodic production and Kendrick’s velvety vocals. It’s an excellent offering, proving Kendrick’s own lyrics: “Let’s be honest, I been on it. Who fucking with me? Please show me my opponent”

K Carbon ft. Mello Buckzz and Big30 – “Un Huh”

There’s absolutely no messing with female rappers these days. These ladies are unstoppable with each new song better than the last. On “Un Huh”, Memphis rapper K. Carbon links up with rising Chicago artist Mello Buckzz and together they create a bouncy and utterly infectious anthem. Joining them is fellow rapper Big30, who nicely adds just a lil’ extra Memphis to the track. All three provide solid verses, but it’s the ladies that truly standout and take this song to the next level. 

Supa Glock Bros – “St. Gatrick’s Day Freestyle”

Leave it to Supa Glock Bros to turn a lame (sorry but it’s true) holiday into something so much cooler. The Memphis trio, who have all been busy working on their solo endeavors, link back up for the much welcomed “St. Gatrick’s Day Freestyle.” Here, they seamlessly blend their unique styles on the track to create one cohesive output. It’s what makes Supa Glock Bros so good – they understand how to maintain their individuality while still functioning as a group. St. Gatrick’s Day >>> St. Patrick’s Day.

Lukah ft. Real Bad Man – “The Facilitator” 

Memphis rapper Lukah is set to drop his new album Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace, and to give us a preview of what to expect he’s shared the first two singles off the upcoming project. The latest is “The Facilitator,” which finds Lukah operating at his very best: impeccable delivery, poignant lyricism, and flawless technique. “This project is about the community or the village,” Lukah told us when we spoke to him about the LP last week. “I have a lot of shit in my head that I just have to get out.” If the rest of the album mirrors the magnitude of “The Facilitator,” we’re lucky to hear his thoughts.

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Photos by Shane Smith

Lukah, the South Memphis rapper with a rapidly growing profile, seems to take the idiom “strike while the iron’s hot” as a personal mantra, releasing an astounding 5 full-length albums over the past three years. “I want to see a change in the way that hip-hop has been trending. There’s a lack of balance right now, and I’m driven to help bring that back. People’s attention spans are so fucking short, you’re almost forced to keep going and going and going. I have a lot of shit in my head that I just have to get out.”

Lukah (born Timothy Love Jr.) is certainly an anomaly in today’s rap scene, an old soul with a sound that harkens back to hip-hop’s vaunted “Golden Age.” Raised in a deeply musical family of women, Lukah seemed prime for a life in entertainment from the beginning. “Everybody had their talent in my house and there was always music playing-Michael Jackson, Prince, the Temptation, Al Green-I grew up listening to everything, and I first got into music by singing.” Rapping came soon after, and there was no turning back. “I remember I was at a sock hop in elementary school and Crucial Conflict’s ‘Hay’ came on. I saw the way that we all reacted and I said to myself ‘I want to do this.’”

In addition to his musical upbringing, Lukah was also surrounded by family members with radical and revolutionary political beliefs, a fact that should be unsurprising to anyone familiar with his art. “My grandfather is an influential community activist and an advocate for Black people, but I was also raised in a neighborhood where I was exposed to the trials and tribulations of the streets. I say it best in a song… ‘all my life I was torn between gangsters and freedom fighters.’ I grew up in a loving family, but once I was off the porch, I was on my own.”

In middle school, Lukah briefly relocated to Chicago to live with his aunt and uncle. It was there that he first began to really dig into the rich history of hip-hop. “My uncle told me ‘if you’re really serious about this rap thing, then you need to learn where this shit came from, where it’s going, and where it’s at.’” Nas and his unparalleled ability for observational street narratives became especially influential and provided a blueprint for the type of music that Lukah hoped to one day make. “His words and storytelling really spoke to me, man. It’s like ‘this guy is me, I’m just in Memphis.’”

All of these factors–musical, political, and societal–all play key roles in Lukah’s ever-expanding discography, perhaps most notably on last year’s excellent Permanently Blackface (The 1st Expression), a bleakly honest concept album focused on systemic racism and its many grotesque iterations. “At its core, all my music is about breaking the chains of this passed-down trauma and bringing awareness to not just Black people, but white people as well. Because of our shared history in this goddamn country, it’s very hard to get over shit and move forward. Whether that’s right or wrong, I’m not sure, but it’s true and deserves to be discussed.”

Just six months later, the prolific rapper is back with Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. As with all of his albums, the title gives you a clear indication of its underlying themes and concept. “I think the title is relatively self-explanatory, but there are some double entendres there as well. For example, temple can mean body, while water represents knowledge. I came up with that because I genuinely feel that that’s what the world needs at this time.” Produced entirely by L.A.’s Real Bad Man, a kindred hip-hop classicist who was first connected to Lukah from their mutual collaborator Boldy James, Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. is in many ways a response to the embittered and dark Permanently Blackface. 

“It’s largely about people getting back to the roots of nature and realizing what a gift the earth is, and how much you can learn by reconnecting. I’ve been thinking a lot about the circle of life, which of course includes death. My favorite song is called ‘Burial,’ which features Talibah Safiya, and it’s about burying my old self. There’s a line on there where I say ‘this is my higher self, I put the lower in the burial/ Beautiful ceremonial, on to the next embryo.’ As we talked about earlier, that line is really about trying to bury the fucked-up trauma so as not to pass it down to my kids,” he says. 

In this season of rebirth and renewal, it’s a welcomed sentiment and yet another example of the artist’s depth and wisdom. “This project is about the community, or the village. As long as you offer something–and I’m not talking about money–but whatever it is you can bring to the table, you’re welcome to participate and help this thing thrive.”

Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. will be available for streaming on March 29th. Physical copies are expected to be released sometime after. Follow https://lukah.bandcamp.com for more information.

The post On New Album “Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace,” Memphis Rapper Lukah Finds Peace Through Nature and Community appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Life’s Luckii and I are sitting at a table in Crosstown one afternoon. In the middle of our conversation a man approaches us. “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you a rapper?” he asks Luckii. She nods. “Do you go by Life’s Luckii?” he continues. She laughs and nods again. “Wow, this is so cool. I’m also a musician and I got some things I’d love for you to hear when you’re done,” he says. The two make plans to link up later and Luckii and I resume talking. “Don’t worry, that doesn’t happen often,” she says laughing.

Life’s Luckii might be joking but after spending time with her, I don’t believe in the rarity of that occurrence. There’s something about the Memphis artist that is instantly infectious. Her energy is electric. Her spirit is contagious. The phrase “she lights up a room” is corny and overplayed, but for Luckii, it’s true – she makes any space she enters brighter and more exciting. 

“I was always that person people came to when they were going through shitty days,” she tells me. “I just really realized there’s nothing good in coming off miserable. I smile even through there are those painful days.” It’s an inspirational mentality forged from overcoming past hardships. “I’ve always had asthma really badly. Then my brother passed when he was 17 from an actual, like, asthma attack. After that, it kind of like forced me to see everything differently. It forced me to not live in those shitty moments so much.”

When you meet Luckii in real life, this positivity is palpable, but when you listen to her music, it becomes transformative. Over any style beat (seriously, any style – there’s not a beat she can’t conquer), Life’s Luckii delivers her motivational message with a fierceness that commands your attention. Her flow is relentless, her delivery is impactful, and her technique is undeniable. She can make some of the most complex bars look effortless.

“I feel like I’m walking in my purpose,” Luckii tells me about her music. Which makes sense considering how important art has been to her throughout her life. During school, Life’s Luckii wrote poetry before she moved into songwriting. “I always read when I was young. I did poetry, like, heavy when I was young. Even when I first started rapping, I went by Life’s Poet,” she recalls. Despite freestyling at the lunch table, it wasn’t until her Dad’s friend recorded her poems over beats that she formally switched gears to rapping and making music. 

When Luckii details her background to me, she makes one thing very clear: she raps, but she’s not only a rapper. “I don’t fit into a box,” she tells me adamantly. And I agree. Luckii has the unique ability to seamlessly shift between R&B, hip-hop, pop, soul, or blues. “I don’t really feel like I’m in one category. I’m telling you, I pretty much can catch anything, any beat, any vibe. As long as it’s something I can feel, I can do it.”

The confidence she has in her innate talent isn’t just clear to her listeners, it’s also clear to other artists. This past year, Life’s Luckii teamed up with fellow Memphis musician Glockianna for the explosive single “Star.”  “I actually did something with A.R. The Mermaid too. Hopefully that’ll be out this summer,” she adds. 

In addition to these collaborations, Luckii’s working on her own material. “I have a LOT of songs that I’ve written that are just waiting in the bank. I don’t know if I’m going to do an album or just an EP yet, but I have enough for a full album. We definitely working, we got some hits,” she tells me, and when she lists off some of the producers she’s working with, I’m sure she does. “I was just in the studio with C Major. I got some songs with Red On The Beat too,” she reveals. Damn. Sounds like some big moves coming in 2024.

Life’s Luckii’s special not only because of what she’s already created, but also because of her unbridled potential. She’s got all the makings for success and you can sense it when you’re around her. “You know, every time I am allowed to step on a stage or the moment I step in a space, people see me. I’m seen and heard. I’m blessed for that. People are always just kind of like, ‘dang, this girl is dope! She’s a real diamond in the rough.’” Life’s Luckii likens herself to a diamond in the rough, but that’s not necessarily what I’d call her. To me, she encapsulates the rarity and promise of finding say…oh I don’t know…a four leaf clover?

The post Armed with Infectious Optimism and an Eclectic Range, Life’s Luckii is Ready for the Limelight appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Talibah Safiya – Black Magic EP

We’ve been anxiously awaiting Memphis songstress Talibah Safiya’s new EP and lucky for us, the wait is over. Black Magic is a spellbinding collection of songs that takes listeners on a journey through the history of Southern music. The production and sound of the project is incredible but it’s Safiya who truly operates in her element as she masterfully moves between bluesy rock, soulful R&B, and every other classic Southern style. It’s a must-listen, because this type of magic doesn’t come around often.

Dame Mufasa – HENNY HENDRIXXX 2 : Project XXX

The first time I listened to Memphis rapper Dame Mufasa’s new project, I thought to myself “yea, this is really good.” But after listening through a few more times, I was like “Oh this is GOOOOOD good.” HENNY HENDRIXXX 2 : Project XXX is a ridiculously smooth experience with Mufasa perfectly pairing his deep, contemplative vocals over melodic R&B production. It’s an excellent follow-up to his first HENNY HENDRIXXX project, proving once again that Mufasa keeps getting better and better with each new release.

Cyrena Wages – “Carried Away”

Memphis singer-songwriter Cyrena Wages is readying the release of her debut album Vanity Project, and recently she released the first single from the upcoming project. “Carried Away” is a light and catchy track that highlights Wages unique ability to seamlessly blend old and new influences in her music. If the rest of Vanity Project follows suit, it’s sure to be a supremely fun listen.

Lawrence Matthews – “Limelight Honey”

I could write a thesis on how incredible Lawrence Matthews’ first single, “Limelight Honey,” and the accompanying visuals are, but I don’t have much space here so I’m going to get right to the point. The song is a triumph. The video is a masterpiece. It makes you feel, it makes you reflect, it makes you celebrate, it makes you mourn. It represents the power and beauty of music, and I can’t wait for more.

Glockianna – The Vault

Theatrical album roll-outs are exciting but there’s something to be said for when artists are just like, “fuck it – enjoy!” and gift us an unexpected drop. That’s how Memphis rapper Glockianna delivered her debut EP, The Vault, a few days ago. The project spans 6 songs and not for one second of those 6 songs does Glockianna slow down or let up. Over booming production, she’s an explosion of energy that commands your attention. But then again, would we expect anything different from Glockianna?

The post WAMM in Rotation: 5 New Songs for February ’24 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

MonoNeon – “Church of Your Heart”

Bassist extraordinaire (and all around badass musician) MonoNeon is set to release a new album this year, and to give us a taste of what’s to come, he recently shared the first single off the upcoming project. “Church of Your Heart” is an upbeat and profoundly inspirational track that perfectly pairs MonoNeon’s soulful vocals over his signature funky production. The highlight of the song though is the message, which reminds us that no matter how hopeless we may feel, we all possess a powerful inner strength. Yea, there’s truly no one cooler than MonoNeon. 

An official video for “Church of Your Heart” is scheduled to be released on January 28, but here’s a sneak peek for all you impatient folks…

91′ Co. – Drmst8 2 

Memphis rapper 91’ Co is one third of rap supergroup Supa Glock Bros, but on his latest release we see him return back to his solo venture. Drmst8 2 is an ambitious yet undeniably impressive project that features hazy, vibed out beats and 91’ Co’s sharp delivery. The album also nicely showcases his deep artistic range as tracks like “WORK TO DO” and “Like Skrt” find 91’ Co effortlessly switching between rapping and singing. If Drmst8 2 is any indication of what else he has in store for the year, 2024 is about to be big.

Kid Maestro – “Tajin Tapes Vol. II”

Kid Maestro is one of the creative masterminds behind Memphis collective Unapologetic., but he doesn’t step into the spotlight himself very often. In fact, you’ll most likely find Kid locked in his studio in Outerspace, cooking up his next mind-blowing production. Luckily for us though, he’s starting 2024 by sharing his work in a new series called the Tajin Tapes. Each week, he’s hand delivering a collection of beats and so far, each beat is absolute fire. Listen to what he’s shared so far in the Unapologetic World App and keep an eye out for what’s next. Based on these first offerings, you won’t want to miss a note.

Life’s Luckii – “Ugly Beautiful Life”

I’m gonna say this right now – Life’s Luckii is special. Her delivery is ferocious. Her words are impactful and poignant. She controls any and all beats with an expertise that would make the most seasoned of artists jealous. She possesses the makings of a truly gifted artist and proves it yet again with her newest single, “Ugly Beautiful Life.” Over melodic production, Luckii muses about the inevitable high highs and low lows of life. However, she’s quick to remind us that the most beautiful aspect of this journey is the growth we experience as a result. This one will be on repeat for the foreseeable future, please DND.

HitKidd ft. GloRilla, Gloss Up, Aleza, Slimeroni, and K Carbon – Renegade

While everyone was busy getting their tree up and Christmas gifts wrapped, HitKidd quietly released Renegade, a collaborative album featuring Memphis’ hottest female MCs: GloRilla, Gloss Up, Aleza, Slimeroni, and K Carbon. Spanning 17 tracks, the project features some singles we’ve heard before (like smash hits “F.N.F” and “Shabooya”) and some standout brand new tracks like the menacing “Luv A” or the hypnotic “No Comment”. HitKidd’s production is nothing to play with, but the stars of the project are (unsurprisingly) the women, who yet again show that while they’re formidable apart they’re even better together.

The post WAMM in Rotation: 5 New Songs for January ’24 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Cover photo by Ahmad George

In September 2022, Lawrence Matthews performed his last public show as his musical alter-ego, Don Lifted. It wasn’t a small show, either (a headlining event at the iconic Overton Park Shell) and it didn’t come during some lull in his career. In fact, at this time Matthews was still riding the huge success of his critically acclaimed album, 325i. He had every reason to stay in the spotlight, but he didn’t. 

After the performance, Lawrence Matthews disappeared. 

When I say disappeared, I don’t mean that Matthews relocated to some remote cabin in Alaska where no one could reach him. Rather, I mean that the persona that Matthews had carefully crafted and nurtured for the last 10 years essentially no longer existed. “I had done such a good job of commodifying what the quote-unquote ‘Don Lifted experience’ was, that people started to project that experience back onto my artistic process,” he states. “You set the rules, then you share these rules for so long and so consistently that now people can’t see you outside of that. I wanted to do more. I wanna play more. I wanna try more. I want to experiment more.”

Which makes sense. Matthews created the idea of Don Lifted when he was still a teenager. He had long outgrown the songs he wrote at this time. 325i is a stunning collection of ambient-rap love songs, but that wasn’t reflective of who Matthews was anymore as an artist or a person. “I no longer had any direct connection to what those songs were. I was growing and learning things. Singing about some of the experiences that I had when I was 16 and 17 was fine, but the ones that are more specific started to feel a little icky. I realized like, dang, what is the future of this?” So, in order to explore what could be, Matthews had to close the chapter on what was. Don Lifted had to die.

Photo by Sam Leathers

Like most necessary endings, this one too spawned a new beginning. With the dissolution of Don Lifted, Matthews has been able to properly explore his full artistic potential without anyone’s preconceived notions. “The only rule I followed when I started writing new music was not to sound like or do anything I’ve done before,” he says. It’s a mentality that’s proved fruitful – Matthews tells me he has not one, but two new projects completed, with the first set to drop later this year.

Which brings us to now. On Friday ,January 26, Matthews will make his long-awaited return to the stage at the Green Room at Crosstown Arts – this time as just simply himself. When I ask him why he chose to come back now, Matthews–without hesitation–has his answer. “The only reason I felt the need to do it is because I felt like nobody was speaking to what the fuck was happening. I saw how people were feeling in the world and in Memphis specifically. This is the reason why I’m doing the show. I’m not doing the show to really even promote the music per se, or myself or any of that. I felt it was time for me to say something,” Matthews declares. 

It appears he’s not the only one who felt this way. The show has already sold out with a formidable waitlist, prompting him to do a second performance following the original one.

With a message as important as this, Matthews’s vision for bringing it to life is gripping in its simplicity. “I just need a microphone and a stool. That’s it. I don’t need anything else. I’m not trying to do all this visual shit that you all have known me for. It’s just gonna be me, because I have something to say and I have something to express. That should be at the forefront.”

Despite the minimalistic nature of his idea, it’s incredibly ambitious. Not only has Matthews been away from the stage for a year and a half, but he’s also introducing fans to someone entirely different – himself and only himself. No frills, no extras, no reliance on what has been. It’s raw, it’s vulnerable, but most importantly, it’s real. That’s what Matthews hopes fans take away from this. “I hope that when people walk out of it, they feel heard and seen and loved on. I hope they have gotten out their aggression or their frustration. I hope after they can look forward to something that is speaking to what they are actually feeling.”

Having been lucky enough to hear Matthews’ new project, I know this to be true. There’s a lot more I want to say about what he has planned, but instead, I’ll leave you with this: if you haven’t gotten tickets yet, buy them. Now. You may think you’ve heard Don Lifted before, but I promise you – you’ve never heard Lawrence Matthews before.

*As of publishing, tickets are still available for the second 9PM show, which are available here. 

The post “I Felt It Was Time For Me To Say Something”: Lawrence Matthews on His Return To the Stage, His New Music, and the End of Don Lifted appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Preauxx

“2023 Was The Most Successful Year Of My Career. I’m Every Way, But It Was The Most Stressful Year. A Lot Of Wins And More Lessons Along The Way. I Never Do A Good Job Of Reflecting..But I’m Extremely Grateful For This Year. 2024 I’m Just Focused On The Re$ults. I Didn’t Get A Chance To Drop Any New Projects. I Was Touring The World, Modeling, And Getting To A Bag All Year At The Same Time. But I Got Plenty To Talk About Now. Thanks To All On This Journey With Me. 2024 Is Already Looking Fruitful.”

Lawrence Matthews

“In terms of 2023, this has been the first full year after retiring the Don Lifted name and gearing up to move forward as myself Lawrence Matthews. At the end of 2022 I thought I had a really good idea of what that would look like but I had no idea how that very personal journey would reflect into how I presented myself artistically. I never stopped making music, it’s been a very prolific year in that way. It’s been a year of getting to know this me within public context. What’s the context for me and these stories? I didn’t do any shows but I rehearsed all year. I just fine tuned everything. Spent time exploring what do I want to do, how, when? A lot of little tests.

In 2024 I’m going to be very active. Active exercising all my new found understanding in myself and my craft. A long way to say a lot of music is coming.”

Supa Glock Bros

“2023 didn’t really begin for us as Supa Glock Bros until the top of September where we conceptualized and committed to the idea of making “Supa Glocktober” happen. The goal for us was to compound interest over time. The music, the storyboarding, and the planning part was easy money for us…but the real work began when it came time to shoot/edit the content and commit to the schedule. The process was mostly done in house between us 3 and we were not mad at the results and reception that we received in just 31 days, special thanks to fellow Memphian R.J. Powell (aka ibreathemusicallday on IG) for having shown both of our recent EPs love on his platform via his recommended list of releases, which helped boost our visibility to new fans organically.

The plan for us in 2024 is to continue where we left off in “Supa Glocktober” with consistent visual content for both EPs, new music, and seamless cross-promotion, connecting and expanding what we call the “SGU (Supa Glock Universe)” with our individual works as Spek Was Here, Dame Mufasa, & 91’ Co and, to quote Dame on our track “305 Jamaica House”, turn pennies into zeros.”

Uni’q

“2023 has been a ride. Thinking about all the things that I’ve done and accomplished from the end of December 2022 to now the end of December 2023 is wild. From performing with my friend Cameron Bethany, to performing and headlining for Noname, writing lullabies for a company with IMAKEMADBEATS, to going back and doing more stuff with the Grizzlies and writing a song for the Grizzlies mascot…I’m like dang! There has been so much this year.

Next year, I’m looking forward to new beginnings within myself. I’m looking to be more of an influence, not only in other people’s lives, but in my son’s life and in my life. Just continuing to be a strong, single mother. Shit gets hard, you know life be lifing, but it’s alright. You know it’s gonna be OK.

I’m looking forward to producing more. I’m looking forward to getting to work with other like-minded artists and producers and being able to collaborate with them. I’m planning on releasing my EP on May 1. It’s a project that I produced, I wrote, I arranged, I sang on, and I’m directing the visual that’s gonna come behind it (but I won’t talk too much about that because it’s still at the ground zero phase). It’s crazy because I’ve never recorded on my own stuff before. Like, this is the very first time that I’ve taken the time to actually record my own music that I produced. I’ve always felt better recording on other peoples tracks. I don’t know why…maybe the confidence in myself wasn’t there yet but that’s changed. Mad kind of pushed me to do it and I appreciate Mad for that. Mad pushes me to limits I never thought I could go to and when I finally cross that hurdle, I’m always like, “Wow that was easy. What was I waiting on?” I was pretty much just waiting on myself. That’s what this next coming year is gonna be about: not waiting anymore. I’m just gonna do it. I’m a doer. Period.”

AWFM

“I spent most of 2023 either touring and meeting new people around the country, or making new tracks, and specifically paying attention to the variety of different headspaces I’ve been in while creating. I think it’s easy to ignore what unique stuff you have on your mind in order to prioritize making stuff that feels interesting for everybody. In 2024 I plan to drop way more than 2023 with higher quantity and quality, but I feel like what I have to give and what I have to say will be a lot more “if you get it cool, if you don’t, I don’t care.” I don’t know how that will go.. but we will see.”

Talibah Safiya

“2023 was an incredible year for my career. It really helped me expand my idea of what’s possible. I had my first chance to get in the writers room and write for TV shows as well as other artists. One of my favorite things I did in 2023 was release my first live album, which was called Love Spells (Live). It was a really special offering to my audience.

Another amazing thing I did in 2023 was being able to write some music for HBO Max’s Rap Shit, which was such a cool experience to work with all these new artists I had never met before, and just have a bunch of fun with these folks.

In 2024, I’ll be releasing my project Black Magic, in collaboration with the University of Memphis, which I’m so excited about. I have some other secret things that I’m working on – including writing for more TV shows and some new music that I’ve been working on with Ari Morris.

So Black Magic is coming, and then new magic is coming. I’m so excited to continue to express music in these different genres that speak to my soul. And I’m so excited to see what other Memphis musicians are up to in 2024 as well.

Spek Was Here

“2023 for me was BUSY, as both a creative journey and a learning experience. It was my first year fully leaning into the role of leadership and everything that comes with it after having departed from Studio 88 a year prior, as well as my first year under a new moniker (f.k.a. Spekulate the Philosopher). I made a promise to myself to always remain a student of my craft and maintain creative flow by always being open and curious to new ideas and approaches to music, which yielded some great results for me in my production and audio engineering. My only regret from this year was that I didn’t get to release more of my own work aside from my 2-piece “Ruff Luv” back in February.

As a newborn leader, working with multiple personalities so closely day by day presented some personal challenges for me (as an introvert) but showed promise, because I believe wholeheartedly that the artists in my crew are some of the best artists I’ve ever worked with and they inspire me to learn more and do more to be better. My standouts this year were from: Ash Léon (co-founder of iNGud Co), Austin Crui$e, and MAFIA 9.

In 2024, I look forward to releasing more music as Spek Was Here (cause trust, I have plenty) and breaking new ground with my team at iNGud Co. through all forms of our art as a collective and individual artists; especially from Starbunny, TheGoddessie, & Rose A.”

Graham Winchester

“2023 was a year of musical-life highs and some personal lows. I lost my grandmother and one of my best friends, which made trying to celebrate the good times feel sort of juxtaposed and strange. Nevertheless, I’m happy I was able to achieve some major goals in 2023 and push the music forward. And thankfully, music is the best medicine anyways. I released my solo record “Nobody Waters the Flowers” this past year. I recorded and produced it in my home studio, Cheyenne Marrs heard it and hit me up, asking me to produce/record his debut solo album “Everybody Wants to Go Home.” It was an amazing process to get in the studio with him, and I’m super stoked that both of our records are now being picked up by Red Curtain Records, a new Memphis label being run through Memphis Magnetic Recording studio.

Recording myself and Cheyenne led to others asking me to record/produce tracks at the home studio, including Spacer, Magik Hours, Dandelion Williams, Screamer, Oakwalker, Jeff Hulett, Jacob Church, JD Westmoreland, Orion Overstreet, Frank McLallen, Eli Wilson, and more. Some of these recordings have been released, and some are upcoming in 2024! In September, I was able to tour Europe with my band Turnstyles (Seth Moody and I). On past Europe tours, I’ve been there supporting Jack Oblivian, but this was the first time to “fly solo” with a band of my own. It was an amazing experience; we made lots of new friends, and we are going to return in 2024. I was also able to start playing with hero Alicja Trout in her band Sweet Knives in 2023, and we embarked on a super fun Midwest tour in July.

All through 2023, I was able to continue my weekly SongSwap at DKDC featuring songwriters in the round, and we were able to keep 18 years of weekly gigs going with Devil Train at B-Side, every Thursday at 10PM. In other continuing annual traditions, we played DKDC Thanksgiving and Christmas night with The Sheiks and Jack Oblivian, and The MD’s (my Booker T and the MG’s tribute band) played the Booker T. Xmas album at Stax for the 8th year in a row. The Tennessee Screamers gigged all year long and did the annual Dolly Parton show at Wiseacre again (coming up yet again this January).

A few years ago I started a local record label called Blast Habit Records with Jared and Lori McStay. Jared also owned the record shop Shangri-La Records. Sadly, we lost Jared to cancer this year, and his passing has had a huge impact on both myself and the community. Shangri-La records remains in good hands as one of the greatest shops on the planet. Lori and I are going to continue Blast Habit, and plan to continue putting out vinyl for bands we love! So Gung Ho, a band I had with Jared, played its last show on my birthday back in April. I will miss playing with that group!

Moving into 2024, I want to make Jared proud. I want to go to OTHER people’s shows more, and celebrate the successes of our entire music scene like he did. I look forward to thr Europe return with Turnstyles, and I’m pumped to represent Memphis at Folk Alliance in Kansas City this February, performing as a solo artist. I’m going to keep producing and recording other people, and gonna keep having songwriting sessions with friends. Also, this year I’m debuting my country band The Silver Broncos, playing some of my original music as well as songs by all the country greats (as if I needed another band). I’m stoked to play more shows with Coco & the Hitmen, a punk band fronted by my friend Coco Moody who beat cancer last year. She’s back with bells on. Overall, I just want to enjoy every moment with my friends and bandmates in 2024. Soak it all up and be thankful.”

The post Memphis Musicians Reflect on ’23, Look Ahead to ’24 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Talibah Safiya ft. MadameFraankie – “Papa Please”

When we talked to singer Talibah Safiya back in October, she told us that she was readying a new 5 song project titled “Black Magic”. While the full EP hasn’t dropped, Safiya did share the first single off the upcoming record. “Papa Please” finds Safiya soulfully crooning over crunchy, gritty guitar courtesy of MadameFraankie. It’s the perfect teaser – just enough to wet our appetites while making us that much more excited for what’s next.

A Weirdo From Memphis – “Officer Tenpenny”

Over the past year, Memphis rapper A Weirdo From Memphis has been busy performing alongside Unapologetic labelmates PreauXX, CmaJor, and Kid Maestro on their Weirdly LuXXurious tour. Luckily, his schedule hasn’t stopped him from creating and sharing new material. In between traveling, AWFM has been gifting his Instagram followers some standout loosies and freestyles. His latest, “Officer Tenpenny,” is yet another next level offering. Over production by CmaJor, AWFM showcases his impeccable delivery and lyrical prowess with lines like, “lack of wings never stopped me from my failed attempts at flyin.” Damn. If these are just the loosies, imagine what he has in store for his next official release.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzXDvHPvavk/  

Brandon Lewis – Frozen Hearts EP

When Memphis singer Brandon Lewis shared his new EP, Frozen Hearts, he posted the project alongside one singular lyric: “Started reflecting on all the rejection my heart accepted…” It’s this broken-hearted feeling that drives the narrative for his new 4-song project. Lewis expertly layers his smooth, emotive vocals over lush yet melancholy production, as he muses about the aftermath of a love lost. The EP is an intimate journey, one that by the end will have you asking if that chill you feel is from the seasons changing or Lewis’ palpable heartache.

A.R. The Mermaid – “Mama Raised A Savage”

When I tell you that the female rappers coming out of Memphis are nothing to play with, whew, I mean it. A.R. The Mermaid went viral a while back with her effortless freestyle abilities, and here we get to see her showcase those once again. “Mama Raised A Savage” is a minute and a half of the rapper confidently talking her shit over a vibed out, laidback beat. A personal highlight? When she dropped the line “Yea I know I’m 5’1” but my heart 6’4”” because as someone who is also 5’1”, I felt that deep.

Marco Alexander, CmaJor, and The Jackson Symphony – “Reimagined Requiem”

Earlier this month, The Jackson Symphony put on a special performance called “Reimagined Requiem.” For this, they invited Memphis musician (and principal double bass in the orchestra) Marco Alexander to take the Mozart classic, rearrange it, and put his own unique take on it. The result is breathtaking. I keep trying to describe it but nothing I write can do it justice. This is one you have to hear and feel. Music is magical and this…this is something special.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzMz0KEr31-/ 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzQB8xrsyPx/ 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/7061017727295346

The post 5 Songs in Rotation for November ’23 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Slimeroni – “Freak Like Me”

You’re probably familiar with Slimeroni for her standout verses on hit songs like “Shabooya” or “Wrong One”, where she raps alongside her crew of fellow formidable female artists. But Slime has all the makings of solo stardom and “Freak Like Me” is another example of why. Set over dance ready production courtesy of Ayoza, Slime once again showcases her lyrical skills and sharp delivery. The single was also mixed by Memphis hip hop go-to Ari Morris, so you know it’s a next level release.

Qemist ft. Marcella Simien – “Daytime Dreams”

It’s always cool to see two artists from different genres team up together on a song to make something new, but it’s even more exciting when the result is something as fucking good as “Daytime Dreams” is. DJ/producer Qemist pairs his hypnotic, pulsating production with Marcella Simien’s signature soulful vocals to create this rich ethereal musical landscape. It’s both gorgeous and totally vibed out – the perfect type of song to get completely lost in.

Glockianna – “Motion”

We’ve been fans of 16 year old rising Memphis rapper Glockianna for a minute now, and no matter what she drops, she never disappoints. On “Motion,” Glockianna energetically flows over bouncy production as she addresses her haters both IRL and URL. The best part? She got her Mom to come in and open the track, a resounding “fuck you” to those that question “but…where are her parents?” in her comments. So, now that that’s settled – any other questions?

Fred again.. ft Jozzy – “ten”

Ok ok, Jozzy isn’t necessarily a “local” artist anymore (I mean, she’s signed to Diddy’s label and regularly hangs with Pharrell!) but she is FROM Memphis, which puts her on our playlist for this month. Here she links up with British DJ/producer/singer/etc Fred again.. on “ten”, a laid back yet contemplative new track. Jozzy’s velvety smooth vocals are a perfect accompaniment to the nostalgic vibe of the song. The production of “ten” is a noticeable departure from some of Jozzy’s prior songs, proving she can masterfully handle any style she’s given.

Supa Glock Bros – “EP 1.5 (The Recoil)”

Supa Glock Bros have dubbed October as “Supa Glocktober ” and rightfully so. This month the trio is sharing a short film they created, have a handful of performances slated, AND released a new project, EP 1.5 (The Recoil). The EP spans 5 songs and features 3 new songs plus 2 remixes. The 3 tracks finds Supa Glock Bros doing what they do best – effortlessly trading verses and catchy AF hooks over grimey, menacing production. Catch them on 10/27 at the Hi-Tone for Memphist Fest and 10/28 for TONE’s Black October.

To submit a song for consideration, email ezrawheeler.1@gmail.com!

The post 5 Hot Songs in Rotation for October ’23 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

When I walk into the studio that R.U.D.Y is working in, there’s a rare moment of stillness. Everyone is seated around one of the computers quietly immersed in their own world. Then a beat starts playing. It’s subtle at first, but grows louder, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing and pay attention. R.U.D.Y stands and nods along to the twinkling production. “It’s kind of crazy how the fear go away when I hear the 808,” he raps off the cuff to the beat. He repeats the line a few times then he turns to me. “Ok, now I’m ready. Let’s go.”

This is the type of artist R.U.D.Y is. He has the blessing (and the curse) of a brain that never shuts off. His work ethic is relentless. He’s in a constant cycle of reflecting, writing, and creating. He’d live at the studio if he could and when he’s not there, he’s doing something to better himself for when he’s back. He exists simultaneously between the project he’s currently working on, and the next 50 projects he plans to do.

His hustle might sound motivating, but R.U.D.Y would disagree. “I just really wanna inspire more. Inspire, not motivate, because motivation is bullshit,” he says. I ask him to tell me more. “It’s like when you’re motivated after watching a video about exercising and you can’t wait to go on a jog. Then you put on your shoes, and you open the door, and it’s way hotter than you thought it was gonna be. That motivation is gone. You’re gonna sit right back down on the couch. But when you’re inspired, you go through whatever the fuck you gotta go through to come out the other side and get the goal you want. That’s why inspiration is way more powerful than motivation.”

It’s a belief that’s central to R.U.D.Y, honed in part by his life experiences and in part by his family and upbringing. The son of a preacher and a deacon (his mom, a preacher and his dad, a deacon), R.U.D.Y was raised in a church. His earliest memory of music is singing in the church choir when he was three. Coincidentally, church would also be R.U.D.Y’s first introduction to writing raps.

“It was a Christian based after school program. They made us write raps, like they forced us. Whether you wanted to or not you gotta write a rap and it’s gotta be based on Christianity. I remember the first bar I wrote. It said ‘Jesus Christ is our Lord and our savior, he can even save a pimp and a player’. I was in third grade. I wrote that,” he tells me laughing.

The bar was memorable for more than just the obvious comical reason. Following that, one of the program leaders called R.U.D.Y into his office. Like most kids, he immediately thought he was in trouble for the lyrics. To his surprise, the leader was impressed. “He was like, there’s no way a kid should be able to write this good. You have a talent man, a REAL talent for writing that isn’t normal for a kid your age.” So, R.U.D.Y kept writing.

His talents paid off again in high school. In 2012, R.U.D.Y became part of a hip-hop theater program. It was his first time on stage since rapping in the after school program in third grade. “We had this little cipher to start the show off. I was next to last, and whenever I would finish my verse, I would get a huge response. Like, when everybody else finished theirs, they would get a little applause but when I finished mine, it would be a very noticeable difference. I remember being like, oh shit. I think I really got something.”

Since then, R.U.D.Y’s been working. To be clear, when I say working I don’t mean just making music here and there. Sure he’s released countless EPs and mixtapes, but more than that, R.U.D.Y has been actively and consistently bettering himself. His day job requires him to be outside in the Memphis heat all day but he doesn’t mind because he spends the time listening to self-improvement podcasts, books on tape or the Bible (oh, and of course his own music). He spends hours in the gym purely to build muscle and stamina for live shows. He’s a lifelong learner and every little bit of new information he absorbs somehow presents itself in his music. It’s a fascinating dedication that is increasingly rare in an industry that often values immediacy over quality.

R.U.D.Y sums this up in one word: perseverance. It’s the theme for his music, but more so his life. “With my music, I wanna teach people to persevere through whatever the fuck you’re going through, to make it through to the other side. I want to teach people how to change their mentality because I realized that with the change of mentality comes a change in everything else,” he explains.

“I remember I told myself this is the last job I’ll ever have. After this, I’m going to be a successful artist. I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care how good the job is, this is the last one. And I might look crazy to people because I got a whole ass degree, but I’m building a business and brand with this. Every single day when I go to work, I don’t wanna be comfortable. I’ve learned to become comfortable inside of discomfort. That’s perseverance.”

You hear this idea in his latest single, “Show Improvement.” In it, R.U.D.Y raps about overcoming all life dealt him in order to succeed. Over masterful production by TP 808s, Leemvrs, and Doc Playboi, he confidently drops lines like “I’ve been down so long all I can see is up” and “Those losses turned to lessons, turned to blessings, don’t believe in luck,” before arriving at the song’s triumphant hook “I’m not just gonna fix it bitch, I’m gonna make improvements.” The song is powerful, inspirational, but also just really fucking good.

When I ask what more musically R.U.D.Y has in store, he smiles really big, almost as if he’s still in disbelief of the names he’s about to drop. (No, I can’t disclose specifics, but I can say big things are happening). He’s excited about the now, but as always, he’s more focused on the future. He might be sitting across from me physically, but mentally he’s recording his next project, filming his next music video, and prepping for his next live show. R.U.D.Y is unstoppable because he’s not afraid of failure and he welcomes challenges. His mindset is just different.

“When young artists ask me what advice I have to give them, I say ‘you gotta be ready to make a hit record every day or make the best song that ever existed, every day…and for no one to give a fuck. And that’s okay,” he tells me laughing as he lights his blunt. “I’m at a point where I wanna do this exactly how I wanna do this unapologetically. And if we fail, who gives a fuck?”

The post Rapper R.U.D.Y Aims to Change Your Mindset with New Single “Show Improvement” appeared first on We Are Memphis.

You wouldn’t know it at all from looking at her, but Glockianna is nervous. It’s September 2022 and the rapper is backstage at Rolling Loud waiting to perform alongside her new labelmate Duke Deuce during his set. From her viewpoint, she can see the crowd: a pulsating mass of excitement and energy that seems to grow stronger and bigger by the second. It’s an intimidating situation for even the most seasoned performers, but especially for Glockianna, because she’s about to take the stage and perform for hundreds of thousands of fans, and she’s only 15 years old.

So how did a teenager from Memphis end up performing at the world’s largest hip-hop festival? Unlike what most kids her age would say, Glockianna’s reason for rapping isn’t for fame and money. Instead, it’s something much more intimate and personal to her, but something that also makes her art that much more relatable. Glockianna uses music as a coping mechanism, a therapeutic roadmap for how to deal with life. She tackles issues in her lyrics that extend well beyond her age, yet she approaches them with an impressive maturity and honesty. Her delivery is an explosion of confidence and charisma. At such a young age, she is unapologetically herself and if you don’t vibe with that, she truthfully doesn’t give a fuck.

Glockianna was born and raised in Riverside, South Memphis by her grandma and grandpa. It’s here where her journey into music starts. “I was exposed to a lot of violence, fighting, and stuff like that,” Glockianna tells me. “My family tried to protect me, but I was still somehow seeing people fighting or hearing gunshots, so I used to be violent a lot myself. I fought a lot and my grandmomma told me I had to stop and find something else to do instead.” 

At first, Glockianna tried channeling her feelings into playing various sports. She played basketball, volleyball, and ran track, but regardless of what she did, the behavior consisted. Then, she found music. “Once I found music, everything became peaceful. My music is how I cope. I can put all my anger and whatever I’m going through into my music. I ain’t gonna lie.. before the music, I was making some choices and decisions that could’ve taken me from this world. I could’ve lost my life doing what I was doing. Once music happened to me, everything changed. It’s like I just got blessed.” 

Like most contemporary artists, Glockianna first began sharing her music on social media. She posted videos of her songs and freestyles on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and they quickly blew up. To date, her Famous Animal TV freestyle has over 75,000 views and 216 comments – all of which are some version of “WOW she bodied that” or “yea she’s next up for sure.” 

It didn’t take long for more and more people to start paying attention to what she was doing. One of these people was fellow Memphis rapper Duke Deuce. “I saw a notification that popped up on my phone that said, ‘Duke Deuce liked your post’ and at first, I thought it was a fake page. Then I realized it was really him and I was so excited. Two days later he inboxed me and was like, ‘You trying to work? I’m trying to get you on this song. I see so much in you. Send me your number and we’ll make something happen.’”

She sent him her number and within two weeks, Glockianna was in a meeting with Deuce and his team. “I was so starstruck when I met him,” she says laughing. “I kept it cool the whole time, even when we signed the paperwork. But when we left? We were cutting up in the car! We were so live in the car!” An extremely appropriate reaction, but one that also reminds us that despite how grown she may present herself, Glockianna is still very much a teenager.

When we talk about what it’s like to be both in high school and a rising star, Glockianna gets vulnerable. “I struggle with anything your average teenager struggles with. I struggle with temptations, I struggle with a lot of hate,” she discloses. “People started saying I was walking around like I thought I was better than other people or I wasn’t humble.” I ask her how she deals with that because honestly, I can’t imagine the weight of it during such an impressionable period of your life. “I used to care about what they were saying. I used to come home and tell my grandmomma how I felt and I used to get into a lot of stuff because I cared about what they said about me,” Glockianna explains. She then pauses, thinks for a second, and continues on. “Then I realized there ain’t no point. I mean, people talked about Jesus, they’re gonna talk about you.” Amen. 

Listening to Glockianna’s music, there are certain influences or comparisons you can pick out. She draws from other powerful female rappers like Gangsta Boo, La Chat, GloRilla, TiaCorine, Rico Nasty, and Cardi B, but if you listen closely to her songs, there’s more. Much like Glockianna as a person, her music is layered and multi-dimensional. She often uses samples from older soul or blues artists she was introduced to by her Grandpa. 

“I love Jay Morris Group. I like J Wonn, Pokey Bear,” Glockianna stops and starts singing some of their songs. “I like blues music. If I was on my deathbed and someone was asking me what my final wish was, no offense grandmomma and grandaddy, but it would be to see a Jay Morris Group concert,” she says laughing. “It’s just something about their spirit I relate to so much! You can feel where they’re coming from.” It’s clear this is an ideology that fuels Glockianna’s own music as well.

Towards the end of our time together, I ask Glockianna where she sees herself in five years expecting a detailed plan of how she’s going to be music’s next superstar. Instead, she shakes her head and says defiantly “I ain’t rapping in 5 years. I’m not trying to be rapping my whole life. Rapping was a gift God gave me. I wanna go to school for social work.” It was a statement that at first caught me off guard, but the more I thought about Glockianna’s music it makes sense. She found an outlet to help her heal or cope and she only wants to be able to give that same gift to others in whatever medium presents itself. 

She’s quick to clarify one thing though. “The reason I wanna make my money is for my grandmomma and my grandad. When I was coming up, they always made a way for me. So, I just wanna pay the way back. My mindset at 16 years old is different from my peers. They’re thinking about what they’re going to do this weekend. I’m thinking about how I can become a millionaire before I’m 18. I’m thinking about how I can get my Grandmomma and my Grandaddy out the hood before I’m 17. That’s how I think. I’m seeing the huge picture and they’re seeing the little picture and that makes me different.”

Different may feel uncomfortable to some, but for Glockianna, it’s what’s natural. She’s a teenager who one second is performing in front of sold out crowds and the next needs to make sure she’s home by curfew (yes, she still has a curfew). She’s releasing music videos but also maintaining an honor roll status at school. She doesn’t adhere to this world or that world, she adheres to Glockianna’s world and Glockianna’s world only. We’re just lucky to get to visit through her songs.

. 

The post Glockianna Is Taking Over – And She’s Doing It Glockianna’s Way appeared first on We Are Memphis.

When you walk into the main control room of Outerspace, Unapologetic’s studio, you’ll see a sign on the ceiling that in comparison to the rest of the studio, is relatively non-descript. In uppercase plain black text with a few chosen words in color, it reads:

“IN THIS PLACE OUR DIFFERENCES ARE VALUED AND CELEBRATED. WE ARE UNITED UNDERNEATH THE UMBRELLA OF INDIVIDUALITY. HERE IS WHERE VULNERABILITY BECOMES ART & WEIRD BECOMES GENIUS. IF YOU ARE PUSHED HERE, IT WILL BE A PUSH IN YOUR DIRECTION. WE DEFINE US SO SOMEONE ELSE CAN CONFIDENTLY DEFINE THEMSELVES. THIS PLACE WAS CREATED TO HELP YOU GET BETTER. FASTER. WE STAND OUT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DON’T AIM TO FIT IN. WE DO NOT SEEK VALIDATION IN COMMONALITY. EVEN SEPARATE WE MOVE TOGETHER IN CAUSE AND PRINCIPAL. WELCOME TO UNAPOLOGETIC.”

If you ask Unapologetic founder IMAKEMADBEATS about it, he’ll tell you it’s the mission or the vision of the collective but these words are more than that. They are the very heart, the very bloodline that pumps through every single thing Unapologetic touches. Here you lose the preconceived notions or labels society has given you, and instead are allowed – no, encouraged – to just…be.

It seems like a simple enough idea but in the music industry this is a rarity and this is especially true for women. There’s an unspoken rule in the industry that there are still some places reserved only for men. Where women who manage to get a seat at the table must continuously prove their worthiness to be there. It’s an exhausting mentality, one that is both archaic and idiotic, but yet it exists.

So, when a group like Unapologetic goes against the norm and actually has strong, powerful women helping to build, nurture, and grow their creative endeavors, those women deserve to be celebrated. These are some of the many women of Unapologetic.

The Ladies

For this article, I was lucky enough to speak to a handful of women involved in many different roles:

Nubia Yasin – Unapologetic Artist, Assistant to IMAKEMADBEATS
Ariel D – Social Media, Street Team Manager, Unapologetic Garments
Nakita – Program Manager for Outerspace
Marie – Project Manager for Unapologetic
Uniq – Unapologetic Artist and Producer
Gabby Duffie – Unapologetic Visual, Photographer
Sarai – Unapologetic Visual Artist, Unapologetic Garments, Graphic Designer

The Background

“Unapologetic would not exist if it wasn’t for my wife,” Mad tells me honestly. “I was complaining about things I accomplished or didn’t accomplish yet and how I was disappointed in myself. She told me I was a reluctant leader, that I am detrimentally humble. She said, ‘you can’t serve your purpose if you’re denying the gifts you’re given for your purpose.’ She was the last domino to fall in terms of telling me what I needed to hear to feel confident in starting Unapologetic.”

Marie is not only Mad’s wife, but also the Project Manager for Unapologetic (though if you ask anyone in the collective they’ll tell you she’s the real boss). She’s much more humble about her integral role. “I am the cheerleader. I cheer on everything that happens. I encouraged any ideas my husband had. I’m not the type of person to say just because I don’t understand it, it shouldn’t be done,” Marie tells me. “I think that’s why Unapologetic took off even from the beginning. Anything that needed to be done, I was there. If something needed to be talked out, he can always bounce those things off of me and I never restricted that. And that made everything else work.”

Despite the vision for Unapologetic being inclusive, they soon saw why so many creative spaces were not. In the early years of Unapologetic, the team recorded in the spare rooms of Mad and Marie’s own house. After about a year of recording in this setting, they started to notice the same thing being said after each session: how grateful women were to finally have a safe place to record.

“There’s a huge kind of elephant in the room, almost a ghost, of the male treatment of women in studio spaces and how that can determine what spaces you decide to be in. In male dominated spaces, there’s always someone saying something about a woman’s ass or someone’s always doing something. And because that was the culture of things, there were assumptions and concerns by default,” Mad stated.

Uniq agrees. After working in various studios across Memphis, she noticed a marked difference in working with Unapologetic. “I feel like this is safer mentally and physically to be honest. I don’t have to worry about guys trying to look at me in any kind of way and they don’t take me being friendly as anything more than just that.”

Safety isn’t the only issue holding women back from flourishing in these creative spaces. As I mentioned before, there’s still this mentality that certain roles in the music industry are just “for men” or just “for women.” Mad recounts a story while working at a music event here in Memphis. A group of 8 or 9 women were gathered around at soundcheck when he arrived. He asked which of them was the engineer. They laughed and said, “We leave the technical stuff to the boys. We just sing.”

Perhaps it’s a pre-conditioned imposter syndrome we as women have internalized. “When society looks at creativity, I really don’t think they look to women a lot,” Marie tells me. “The guys on the team – from Mad all the way down to even the interns – are 100% looking for anyone who has a creative side but I don’t think society looks at women for that.”

She’s quick to remind society of something important though. “We as women look at the world differently. We have our own experiences that are so different from the men. So, what comes from that creatively is going to be different and it’s going to be special.”

Marie pauses. We’re speaking over the phone but I can tell she’s smiling as she continues. “It kind of blows your mind once you see what we’re capable of. It comes out fluorescent. That’s how we flourish. People don’t know what they have in them until there’s a safe space for it to come out.”

The Accomplishments

This past winter, Unapologetic entered a huge collaboration with the NBA and Memphis Grizzlies. They designed limited edition merchandise, created social media campaigns, and wrote a song to go along with the partnership. While the project was a team effort, Sarai helped to create the designs for the clothes, Uniq penned the song, the photos were taken by Gabby, and Ariel provided design and social media input.

In April, Nubia produced, directed, and designed SHEENA, a visual arts show at the Green Room at Crosstown. “That was the closest to my vision I’ve ever gotten for a live show. I had crazy ideas. I wanted a bathtub and I wanted it to be full of water. I wanted a backdrop with comforters and sheets. They helped me do it all. I nailed things, I sewed things together by hand,” she describes to me. Her hard work and relentless vision paid off. The show quickly sold out. “Everything was perfect,” she says. “I’m really proud of how it turned out. And at no point did I feel like I couldn’t do something as crazy as put a bathtub in the Green Room at Crosstown.”

Uniq might have only recently joined the team, but you wouldn’t know it by her output. “I’ve helped score a TV show. I’m learning to make my own beats and actually writing to them now. I’ve written about 50 songs in just the last few months since I’ve been here. The momentum is crazy.”

If you followed Unapologetic during the pandemic, you would’ve seen the creation of the UndergroundAF radio. That was all Ariel. The street team? Ariel. Social media campaigns and styling videos? Ariel. “I help out wherever I can. When I joined I just did social media but then I got involved with the street team. The street team is essentially like a marketing team but in the Unapologetic way. Nothing traditional,” Ariel says laughing. “I also worked on our 1v1 series which was like a versus battle. It really helped connect artists together and it built a lot of relationships,” she tells me.

To detail all the things Sarai has achieved during her time with Unapologetic, I’d need a week at least. As a long-standing member, Sarai has been involved in countless projects from album cover art, Garments sketches, random skits for the website, and she designed the limited edition beer can Unapologetic did with Memphis Made Brewing. That collaboration sold out.

One of her favorite pieces of work though is the VAGINA collection, a special series Sarai did with Garments. The clothing featured shirts with the word VAGINA in capital letters across the front. “That was so anti how women are supposed to be in the south,” she says proudly. “Women are used to being covered up or conservative so walking around with a shirt that says vagina is pretty bold. A lot of people were uncomfortable. They would be like ‘where would I even wear this shirt?’ and I was like, um, the store?”

When Unapologetic initially formed, their first photographer was Cat Patton, an incredibly talented and innovative artist. She helped form the vision for Unapologetic visual. Now she’s passed the torch to Gabby. “When I came on, I learned so much from Cat. The way she thinks about art…the way she would bring together the pieces of our ideas, the way she projected them to our audience, and the way it was perceived was so different to me. I was kind of transformed,” Gabby explains.

Gabby has picked up right where Cat left off. Last fall she was hired by a PR company to shoot NYFW. At the top of this year, she did a full scale photoshoot with New England Patriots wide receiver Ty Montgomery where she not only took the photos, but she also led the creative direction and helped styled the shoot. “Even though I’m a photographer, I learned I can play big roles,” she tells me of the experiences.

She’s not alone in having this type revelation. In 2018, Unapologetic partnered with Ballet Memphis for a special fall mix performance. Nakita served as point person for the collaboration. “I had to step up and do a lot of the coordination while Mad was gone. I really enjoyed putting the pieces together and making sure everything flowed smoothly.” Now she does this officially for events at their Outerspace studio.

The Sisterhood

For as much creativity and content the ladies have contributed, they’ve also contributed something equally as important to the collective: softness. “Sometimes when I say things, the guys will take a technical route to it,” Marie explains. “But as soon as I tell a woman, they’ll light up and want to talk about it in a deeper way.”

There is a noticeable bond among the women. It’s not forced either. It’s one formed from genuine care, love, and respect. “There is a sisterhood between us,” Marie says. “It becomes like glue. It’s a very strong adhesive that you didn’t even know was there.”

“We communicate differently than we do with the guys,” Nakita tells me. “I’ve called Marie crying and I just needed some advice. It’s so great to have other women here that I can really talk to and be very open and vulnerable with.”

Sometimes that communication comes across as much needed tough love. “I’ll call Marie or Nakita and they’ll be like ‘Get your shit together, you got this. You’re killing shit out here. Don’t play with yourself. We got your back,’” Uniq tells me.

Nubia is one of the newer members to join Unapologetic but she felt that connection immediately. “One day I came in and I was NOT ok,” she said, shaking her head. “Uniq just came and gave me a hug out of nowhere. At first I was like ‘ok this is nice’. But then she didn’t let go and I was like, ‘oh shit I really needed this hug!’” Nubia laughed.

It’s those little things (a hug, a phone call, a shoulder to cry on) that has solidified the sisterhood but it doesn’t stop there. This closeness also extends to their work. “It’s an open collaboration,” Ariel says. “Every woman on the team has their strengths and I know who to hit up to get certain things.”

“Being a part of the team, having their input, being able to build off each other…it’s almost invaluable. It allows you to be privy to that bigger picture that is bigger than us,” Gabby explains. She relates the collaboration the sisterhood provides as an essential component to the overall vision of Unapologetic. “We’re a part of something that’s greater than ourselves. We might have been able to do it alone, but we can always go farther together.”

The Future

Don’t let their enormous list of accomplishments fool you – these ladies are far from being done. When I ask what their goals are over the next month, year, or 5 years, the responses are confident, focused, and intentional. There is no one without a plan. A&R, fashion shows, art exhibits, live performances, tours, DJing, poetry, short films, and new music are just some of the formulated ideas they excitedly tell me about.

Marie adds something more to her answer. “I want more women to feel comfortable expressing their own creativity however it comes out,” she states. “I think something scares or intimidates people when they do something that has never been done before. We’re all weird in our own ways.”

There’s a central message in Unapologetic’s work, and especially in the work of these ladies, that emphasizes the belief “what always was doesn’t have to always be.” The world is a fundamentally better place with the evolution of prior thinking and the introduction of new thinking. Marie articulates this idea much more simply. “Once you cross over that line and you start living your unapologetic self, there’s no way you can go back to the other side.”

The post The Women of Unapologetic appeared first on We Are Memphis.

“I say we’re two sides of the same coin. We’re equally matched. Nobody can stop us, together or separate, and that’s not being cocky, that’s being real,” Big Boi once said when asked who the better rapper is, him or his Outkast partner André 3000.

Music is not unfamiliar with iconic duos, and this is especially true in hip-hop. From Outkast and UGK to 8Ball & MJG and Mobb Deep, some of the genre’s most prolific artists haven’t been solo but paired.

So, what makes a duo, especially these duos, so special? Groups like the above understand something important: that in order to succeed, they must be great by themselves but exceptional together. Where one falters the other leads and vis versa, a seamless Yin and Yang. And it’s this exact idea that sets Memphis hip-hop duo Idi x Teco apart.

The pair have been working together since 10th grade and it shows. “We were both in the poetry club,” Idi tells me one afternoon. He and Teco are seated across from me at an outside table at Crosstown Concourse. “A teacher had us do an assignment, a poetry assignment, and we were the only ones that kind of took it serious. After class I was like ‘man you pretty dope’ and he’s like ‘you pretty dope too’ and we kind of connected over that,” Idi explains.

They quickly discovered they were both fans of the same artists. “I say my biggest influence is Outkast, Lupe Fiasco, Hot Boys,” Idi starts. “Kid Cudi, 2pac, Wu-Tang, it’s a lot of people. Definitely Outkast though,” Teco adds. Before long, making music together became inevitable. 

 This next level chemistry is only more evident when they hit the stage. If you’ve been lucky enough to see them live, you know what I’m talking about. The pair anticipate each other in a twin-like manner, seamlessly moving from one part of the stage to the other before finding each other back at the center. Once reunited, their energy is unreal.

 “Throughout our whole career, I feel like we’ve connected with people the most during shows,” Idi says. “That rush we got after doing that first show…we didn’t know, we were just kids doing what we loved. But the reception that we got and the love we got and how powerful we saw that it could be, it changed us and really made us look at performing very, very seriously.”

 Despite this dedication, forging a path in the Memphis hip-hop scene is possibly more challenging today than in the past. While Memphis rappers have recently dominated the charts, they don’t represent all Memphis rappers. Moreover, to assume all Memphis hip-hop sounds the same would be reductive of the ingenuity present in the city.

“You get this perspective from a typical hip-hop artist that Memphis is like this or Memphis is like that, and then you got guys like us saying, ‘hey we’re from Memphis too’”, Teco says. “We kind of bring another perspective to being from Memphis other than street, gangster, all this. Memphis is more than that and I think that’s what we show.”

Idi agrees, though he’s quick to add another important aspect. “The youth, the kids, they look up to us and we know the feeling of that,” He explains. “I feel like staying true to our sound and what we do, while being in a city that wants you to sound like something else just to blow up, for us to make it that way and stay that way could inspire younger artists that they can do the same. They don’t have to be a certain way.”

“There’s gotta be a us, a ‘that side’ of it,” Teco continues. Just like in their music, the two are always in sync. “I think why it’s so difficult paving that way is because we’re some of the first footsteps on that way. It’s going to take some time and we know that. But we have to be true to ourselves and our music. And shit there might be an artist 20 years from now that thanks us for it.” Teco says.

You see this different take on the genre most notably in their lyrics. Their words are thoughtful and purposeful, with not even a breath or adlib without reason. The stories told in their songs are raw in a way doesn’t feel invasive, but instead therapeutic. They tackle issues like mental health, depression, and loss with a compelling honesty. 

 “I think we do a good job of like being able to determine what can help people. That’s the perspective I try to write from – what am I going through in my life right now, and how can I help someone with what I’m saying.” Teco explains. It’s clear the duo view music as the ultimate source of healing. So, they in turn want to make music that heals, no matter where that takes them. “If I gotta go that deep I’ll go that deep. It might hurt doing it and it might make me feel uncomfortable, but it’s art. It’s not always about being pretty and comfortable.” Teco states.

 Don’t mistake this vulnerability for weakness though. The pair possess a quiet confidence that only grows louder with each new release. Their delivery is impressive and their cadence is impeccable, expertly handling a range of production from local producers like Tay the Pro, IMAKEMADEBEATS, and QEMIST, among others.

Alone, Idi and Teco each have the talent and ability to succeed on their own. But together? They’re unstoppable. Big Boi ends his quote with a smile, as he says, “He will kill you and I will destroy you.” It’s clear Idi x Teco could say the same. Watch out.

Idi x Teco will be part of TONE’s Juneteenth festival this year. Catch them live on June 18th. 

The post Idi x Teco: Making A Way, Their Way appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Big Boogie signed with Yo Gotti’s CMG label back in 2020, an unforgettable move in his career that was mentioned in one of his recent songs “Mind Frame.” “ Signed with CMG they seen some in me mind ya business,” he raps. Along with rappers Glorilla, Moneybagg Yo, and Big 30, Big Boogie is one of the homegrown artists that local legend Yo Gotti has helped usher into the limelight.

Boogie’s last album, 2021’s “UNDERRATED,” was a surprise hit, thanks in large part to the single “ Pop Out“. The song currently has over 7 million streams and captured the ears of TikTok users across the world who engaged in the popular challenge where they danced while leaning on the arms of others at parties, at home, and even at school. That wasn’t the only song that sent Big Boogie’s streams skyrocketing, though. “Homegirl” made its TikTok debut as well, leading to another popular dance challenge. It is undeniable that Big Boogie has made a name for himself as someone who can get people across the world to dance immediately! “I added dancing to my career, that’s my special job”, said Big Dude in one of his recent songs on his new album.

While Boogie first made a splash with these viral dance tracks, he shows a different side of himself on his new project “Definition of Big Dude”. The album, which was released on January 31st, has continued to gain traction amongst both old and new fans alike. While the album still has some dancing favorites, the rapper also shows a more vulnerable side of himself. Songs like “Hurt Times Hurt,” “Maybach,” and “Mine” display a more serious and introspective side of Big Boogie that we’ve rarely heard before. Throughout the album, he discusses his past trials and tribulations with money, violence, and even romance. This newfound openness has helped to make his 7th album one of his best yet.

Versatility is something many people tend to look for in an artist, andBoogie has it in spades. From his voice and his dancing to his unforgettable style, Big Boogie is well positioned to be Memphis’ next breakout star.

You can check out Big Boogie’s “Definition of Big Dude” on Spotify or wherever you get your music!

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post Big Boogie’s New Album “Definition of Big Dude” Showcases His Versatility appeared first on We Are Memphis.

For the next several months, we at WAMM will be looking back on some of the songs that helped Memphis rap become the center of the hip-hop universe. Today we kick things off with Tela’s 1997 hit “Sho Nuff.”

For several years, Memphis rapper Tela’s lone hit “Sho Nuff” appeared on Spotify under the title “Sho Nupp,” a typo that was only recently remedied. While relatively innocuous and almost certainly accidental, this small mistake has always deeply irritated me. Not only did it make it more difficult for listeners to uncover this already-hidden gem, but it felt like just another unnecessary slight against an artist whose music was never fully appreciated, even here in his hometown.

That said, the story of “Sho Nuff” is about more than an unknown artist unexpectedly hitting the top 10 on the Hot Rap chart with an infectious shake junt anthem that seemed to be transmitted back to us from 100 years in the future. It’s also the story of an up-and-coming producer who was on the verge of making his national breakthrough, a groundbreaking hip-hop duo who helped to make the South the focal point of hip-hop for the coming decades, and a small independent label that would help Memphis to become a major influence within hip-hop for years to come.

When Tela (née Winston Rogers III) released his debut album “Piece of Mind” in late 1996, he was already 26 years old, a veritable senior citizen in the rap world. While it’s impossible to know if his career trajectory would have played out differently if he had emerged as a younger man, Tela’s maturity is evident throughout the album, both in terms of his lyrical content and his deft blend of Memphis soul, funk, and rock. To this day, nobody from the Memphis rap scene sounds quite like him.

“Piece of Mind” was released on Suave House Records, an independent record label founded by Memphis native Tony Draper when he was just 16. “I was forced to go independent,” Draper recalls. “Being born in Memphis, raised in Houston, a student of hip-hop, I started out as a DJ. I was loving hip-hop from the East Coast and West Coast, but was] raised on soul music, as well.” After wisely signing fellow Memphians 8Ball & MJG, whose debut album “Comin’ Out Hard” helped to bring the label national attention, Suave House proved to be a blueprint for other small independent Southern labels such as No Limit and Cash Money.

While Tela and collaborator Slice T handled the bulk of the album’s production, a promising young local producer named Jazze Pha was also brought on board to produce the tracks “All About That Money,” “Tired of Ballin’” and “Sho Nuff.” Born Phalon Anton Alexander, Jazze Pha was the son of James Alexander, the bassist for the influential Stax funk group Bar-Kays, and Denise Williams, an accomplished singer who had worked with artists such as Earth, Wind, and Fire and Barbra Streisand.

Before becoming one of the hottest producers of the 2000s–who can forget the ubiquitous sound of “This is a Jazze Phizzle product-shizzle!” over tracks by Ciara, Ludacris, T.I., and countless others?–Jazze Pha was still developing his sound. As with Tela, “Sho Nuff” would prove to be the producer’s breakout single and a perfect encapsulation of the retro-futuristic sound that would soon make him a star.

In addition to Jazze Pha, Tela also recruited local legends 8Ball & MJG to assist with his first single. As always, the dynamic duo brought their A-game and were clearly instrumental in helping the track gain nationwide airplay in strip clubs both near and far with their tales of sheisty women, newfound fame, and a deep love for the pimpin’ lifestyle. Overall, the song is a lighthearted and even occasionally funny affair, as when MJG raps “She claim she ain’t heard my music /Tryin’ to trick me /So I told that h*e my name Bill Bigsley /She still hit me…”

The following year, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J would sample the song for another classic debut single that would become a staple at strip clubs: Gangsta Boo’s anthem “Where Dem Dollas At.” The songs are so similar, in fact, that they almost beg to be played back-to-back.

Following the success of “Sho Nuff,” 8Ball & MJG continued to reign as one of the South’s biggest groups and Jazze Pha enjoyed a relatively brief but consequential period as hip-hop’s go-to producer. Unfortunately, Tela himself was unable to capitalize on the song’s success, but continued to release music for the next several years and now runs the Atlanta-based independent label 1520 Records.

Although “Sho Nuff” never captured the zeitgeist quite like Three 6 Mafia’s “Who Run It” or Playa Fly’s “Nobody Needs Nobody,” it remains a shining example of that era’s heterodoxy and the way that Memphis rap was always ahead of the curve. A quarter of a century later, it still sounds like the future.

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post Classic Rewind: Looking Back on Tela’s Shake Just Anthem “Sho Nuff” appeared first on We Are Memphis.

It might be a bit circumspect to call the legendary Memphis hip-hop scene an ‘anomaly’, but in the context of a dangerous, complicated city with such a towering musical legacy, the term makes sense. The rap game’s flourished here entirely on its own terms, far from Sun and Stax, far from Graceland and Beale. Surreally-produced and voiced, often eerily-dark and well-detailed, hip-hop here comes from Frayser and South Memphis, from that ‘other’ city that barbecue-hunting tourists and Midtown hipsters rarely explore. An infamous local bumper sticker declares that “Midtown Is Memphis”, but the reality of home and work alike for the overwhelming percentage of our city is a very different one, where struggle and danger meet frustration and poverty, where the powers that be let every streetlight on a block of abandoned houses burn out, enshrouding miles of neighborhoods in a ghostly darkness. These factors haven’t just made for the best Memphis rap albums, but they’ve also made some of the best rap music the world has ever heard.

It’s no wonder that Memphis rappers have so often leaned into horror-film imagery to express the mountain of challenges faced by those struggling to just get by here. In Memphis hip-hop, the best Memphis rap albums paint a brilliantly graphic picture–the trap house is haunted, and demons taunt and tempt you from beneath every graffiti-covered overpass. The night is vast and spreads through open lots and burned-out liquor stores like a plague. The 2021 murder of local hero Young Dolph, and the shockwave it sent through the city he loved and paid back in spite of its flaws, makes the task of evaluating Memphis hip-hop history much thornier. 

So against this backdrop, and with the dream-like landscape of its pioneers kept in mind, let’s take the time to briefly explore five landmark best Memphis rap albums, from the game’s roots to today. 

——

Three 6 Mafia: Mystic Stylez

It’s impossible to begin an examination of Memphis hip-hop without first paying respect to Three 6 Mafia. When the rest of the world considers Memphis in the context of rap, this is likely where their thoughts first land. Three 6 showcased a stubbornly-independent Memphis hip-hop hustle early on, recording their own tapes and selling them via their own label, Prophet. When you consider the influences they’ve listed for their classic debut, you get a glimpse into the game-changing ingredients from which they fashioned their genius, from NWA and Geto Boys to local soul legend Isaac Hayes to UK black metal giants Venom. Mystic Stylez is still chilling in 2022, an iron-dark hellscape of drugs, brutality, cheap sex, worldly pressures, and Satanic/occult references. The beats are menacing, stalking the listener like an unseen predator, and the lyrics seem willfully designed to court controversy in an age where, just across the river in West Memphis, three teenagers were being railroaded into prison for a grisly murder based on no evidence other than a moral panic over their Gothic-aligned tastes. But despite the shadow this masterpiece still casts on the city and the game, there’s moments where pure fun effectively cuts through the murk, no more ecstatically than on “Da Summa”, which will be the Bluff City’s choice summertime cruising anthem until the heat death of the universe. Also notable are early and accomplished verses from eventual hip-hop institution Gangsta Boo,  a rare but much-appreciated female voice in the local rap game. Memphis hip-hop could’ve folded its hand on this legendary high note, but thankfully it didn’t. It was just getting started.

——

Blackout: Dreamworld 

Three 6 weren’t the only Memphians on the scene delving into the dark arts over delightfully-creepy beats. Though Blackout never achieved the wider appeal Three 6 would find beyond Memphis, his work as a visionary producer is still spoken of with hushed reverence here in his hometown, and rightfully so. A mysterious figure then and now, he and two cousins were the driving force behind Snubnoze Muzik, which would issue classics from regional luminaries such as Gangsta Blac, Playa Fly, Terror, and Lil Slim. Blackout’s high watermark as producer and curator is his 1995 cassette release Dreamworld, an enveloping spectral fog of bone-crunching 808s, horror-adjacent samples, and oceans of vintage synths. Subtleties lurk in the margins of the tracks, leading to freshly-heard details on every repeat listen, with Snubnoze family representatives Lil Coop and Lil E relishing in the devilish imagery suggested by the beats, adapting perfectly-chosen flows to match each track’s demands. With such a combination, this might be one of the most dread-soaked, ominous albums you’ll ever hear. If West Coast hip-hop of the era seemed factory-pressed for cruising in lift-kit Impalas down Crenshaw beneath sun-kissed palms, Dreamworld is the soundtrack to a lonely night-drive in the crumbling industrial wastes of the Memphis outskirts, where freeways glide past rows of hollowed window-holes past which anything might be happening. Dreamworld suggests that whatever it might be, it’s probably not family-friendly. This Dreamworld remains a thrilling, harrowing nightmare. 

——

Project Pat: Ghetty Green

By 1999, the word was out and the buzz was overwhelming: Memphis had staked its claim as an important scene in the history and future of American hip-hop, the soaring Southern tower of ingenuity and talent that would soon be met by the mighty ‘Dirty South’ ascents of Atlanta and New Orleans. One benefit of this raised profile was, appropriately enough, the older brother of Three 6 Mafia’s own Juicy J. Project Pat had frequently collaborated with J and DJ Paul in the early 90s, but a stint in prison on a robbery beef delayed his eventual emergence as a singular Memphis rap force until 1999, when his debut Ghetty Green hit the streets. By now Prophet had morphed into Hypnotize Minds, distributed in its early years by the pace-setting Loud label, and the newly-released Pat wisely handed most of Ghetty Green’s production duties over to J and Paul, who helped attract some considerable star power to the project with features by the likes of Krayzie Bone, Noreaga, and the Cash Money Millionaires. This effort to promote geographical alliance with fellow blossoming scenes in New Orleans, Cleveland, and Queens meant that it was inevitable for more choice Memphis rap to reach ears beyond the 240 loop. Pat matches the lush, nimble production with some of his hardest, most aggressive verses, flowing as if to survive on the art alone, finally able to share his truth outside of stifling prison walls. Though his follow-up, Mista Don’t Play: Everythang’s Workin, would reach #4 on the Billboard album charts, leading to a long and respected career in the game, Pat’s never again sounded quite as raw and hungry as he does here, a soaring bird literally freed at last from his cage.

——

Yo Gotti: The Art Of Hustle  

The potential for Frayser native Yo Gotti to break through in a big way had been there from the start, but it took some time before the rest of the world really caught on. After a string of solid independent releases, his major label debut Live From The Kitchen was delayed several times before finally dropping in January, 2012, spawning a few chart bangers and selling respectably. After the engaging I Am performed in similar fashion, everything finally blew up for Yo with 2016’s The Art Of Hustle, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200. Boasting pitch-perfect guest spots from Lil Wayne, E-40, Timbaland, and (especially) Future, The Art Of Hustle saw Gotti bringing an introspective and sometimes wistful flow to soul-drenched samples and heart-wrenching reflections on his city’s indisputable hip-hop legacy. On “My City”, the breakup of Three 6 weighs as heavily on his shoulders as the unending threat of Memphis street violence that even money and fame can’t suppress. He acknowledges that while Memphis is a war zone (certainly not a fresh perspective at the time), he also realizes that “no other place will be home for me…ever.” That line alone gets at the truth that runs like a fault-line beneath much of Memphis rap: this is a tough city to love at times, and learning to love it means respecting its shortcomings in the same breath as paying homage to its pull, its unflagging sense of defiantly-proud community. It’s only appropriate that this track, which starts the album, is introduced with a few flourishes of acoustic guitar; Memphis-born music that was once deemed a menace to respectable society soon grew tame through commodification, but Memphis hip-hop resists the “prettying up” of its past in the manner of a neon-drenched Beale Street. And what would the follow-up to The Art Of Hustle be named? I Still Am, of course. And Yo Gotti still is.

——

Young Dolph: Rich Slave

To talk about Dolph’s musical output so soon after the still-aching wound of his senseless murder feels almost blasphemous, which should say a good deal about what the man and his music left behind for us. But an omission from this list out of respect for the dead seems equally absurd, a group photograph with a massive hole carved out of its center. Already a powerhouse in the genre, Dolph’s 2020 full-length doesn’t just quality as one of the best Memphis rap albums, but Rich Slave was also a mature attempt to reckon with “the reality of being Black in this country,” in the man’s own words. Even using the word “slave” in the album’s title was widely discussed and debated at the time (as a white person, I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable about writing the word here, even in context). Thankfully, the music on tap is anything but didactic or heavy-handed, the political subtext hinted at rather than soap-box ranted. Over a collection of colorful beats, Dolph warmly graces each with his singular low-register drawl. The same stark contrast of the trappings of wealth with the bleak reality of Memphis hood life that showed up in Gotti’s heyday are expanded upon here with brilliant results: On “Hold Up Hold Up Hold Up”, Dolph underlines the disparity with imagery that juxtaposes the life of a “rich ni**a still in the neighborhood eatin’ cold-cuts” with that of a “street ni**a, bi*ch I’m in a Bentley, doin’ donuts”. The line between these two realms isn’t blurred, it simply doesn’t exist. Dolph shares these revealing glimpses with a weary honesty that never curdles into off-putting bitterness, reaffirming painfully just how singular and generous of an artist (and person) we’ve recently lost. What else is there to say, other than that the Memphis rap game won’t ever really be the same? On one hand, Rich Slave makes clear just how far Memphis hip-hop has come (Juicy J himself dropping by to produce two tracks), while simultaneously finding comfort in a future generation’s shepherding of the genre (Dolph’s younger cousin and protege, Key Glock, guests on “No Sense” with gusto, and has since become one of the scene’s most inventive voices). From Memphis hip-hop’s past to future, Dolph represented the best of what this city can produce, even in the face of overwhelming loss and adversity. The reward makes it all the sweeter.

You may also like: Memphis Singers Female | Female Singers From Memphis

The post ‘Cause There’s A War Zone In My City: Looking Back At Five Seminal Memphis Hip-Hop Albums appeared first on We Are Memphis.

What Makes Memphis Rap Unique

Memphis rap stands out not only for its memorable beats and deep bass, but also for its ability to tell compelling stories through raw, emotionally charged lyrics. The lo-fi production style, often described as minimalistic, gives Memphis rap a hypnotic and almost atmospheric quality, which creates a stark contrast to the “polished” sounds of other subgenres. The genre’s marriage of Southern soul and Memphis culture helped shape the rise of both crunk and trap, two movements that revolutionized the broader hip-hop landscape. This distinctive sound continues to resonate, influencing modern rap and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in hip-hop.

Spotlight on Memphis Rappers: Past and Present

1. DJ Spanish Fly
   Known as the godfather of Memphis rap, DJ Spanish Fly introduced the raw sounds that defined the genre. With tracks like Smokin’ Cheeba-Cheeba, he set the stage for Memphis’s future sound.
   
2. Three 6 Mafia
   Pioneers of crunk, Three 6 Mafia put Memphis on the global hip-hop map. Known for hits like Stay Fly, they won an Academy Award and influenced the horrorcore rap movement. Founding members like Gangsta Boo and DJ Paul continue to inspire today’s artists.
   
3. Yo Gotti
   A modern Memphis rap artist, Yo Gotti gained fame with hits like 5 Star and Down in the DM, bringing a polished Memphis sound to mainstream audiences. His label, CMG, continues to elevate other Memphis talents.
   
4. Gansta Boo
   A trailblazer in Memphis rap, Gangsta Boo rose to prominence as a member of the legendary group Three 6 Mafia. Known for her bold lyrics and undeniable presence, she helped shape the Southern hip-hop sound with hits like Where Dem Dollas At. As one of the first female rappers to break through in the male-dominated Memphis rap scene, her influence continues to inspire new generations of artists.
   
5. 8Ball & MJG
   Recognized for their storytelling and Southern flair, 8Ball & MJG are legendary rappers from Memphis whose tracks like Space Age Pimpin’ paved the way for the Southern hip-hop sound.
   
6. Young Dolph
   Known for his hard-hitting lyrics and entrepreneurial spirit, Young Dolph’s songs like 100 Shots reflect his Memphis roots and dedication to independence.
   
7. Moneybagg Yo
   A prominent voice in modern Memphis hip-hop, Moneybagg Yo combines personal narrative with hard beats in tracks like Time Today, showcasing the evolution of Memphis rap.
   
8. Al Kapone
   Al Kapone’s contributions to Memphis hip hop include his work on the Hustle & Flow soundtrack, blending Southern rap with cinematic elements. Not to mention, most of Memphis’ favorite hype song Whoop That Trick.
   
9. Gangsta Pat
   One of the first rappers from Memphis to gain mainstream attention, Gangsta Pat’s intense lyrics and underground appeal helped establish the gritty Memphis rap scene.
   
10. Glorilla
    With her song FNF taking over social media in 2022, Glorilla continues to make her mark on Memphis’ female rap scene and the global rap community as a whole.

Modern Era of Memphis Rap

Beyond iconic Memphis rap legends, a new wave of talent is shaping the genre while staying rooted in Memphis’s distinctive sound. NLE Choppa brings a sharp, fast-paced style that resonates with a young audience, blending personal storytelling with modern beats in tracks like Shotta Flow. Leading ladies in rap Aleza, K Carbon, Gloss Up, and Slimeroni are prime examples of how Memphis’ female rappers have taken center stage with chart-topping singles and a variety of upcoming projects and album releases. 

Kevo Muney combines soulful hooks and introspective lyrics, capturing the struggles and triumphs of Memphis life in songs like Leave Some Day. Each of these artists not only honors the legacy of Memphis rap but also brings innovative elements that continue to push the genre forward, ensuring that the Memphis sound remains both relevant and influential on a global scale.

Cultural Impact and the Future of Memphis Rap

Memphis rap’s influence extends far beyond the city, leaving a lasting impact on global music. Known for its lo-fi, raw sound, Memphis rap’s gritty beats and dark lyricism have found their way into both underground movements and mainstream hits, setting trends that redefine hip-hop. This scene continues to inspire and influence artists worldwide, from producers who sample its signature bass-heavy beats to rappers who channel its unapologetic spirit. As emerging artists add their voices, Memphis rap is evolving, carrying its legacy forward with an unmistakable edge and authenticity that keeps it at the cutting edge of music culture.

Memphis Rappers on Their Favorite Classic Tracks from the 901

In the words of Charlamagne Tha God, “the best rappers in the game right now are from Memphis. While we certainly don’t disagree, this isn’t the first time Memphis rappers have changed the face and sound of popular music. In that spirit, we spoke to four of the best Memphis rappers (Bleu Levees, Lukah, PreauXX, and Tyke T) to hear their choice for the best track from Memphis’, “Golden Era.”

Bleu Levees

Although Michael Royal, better known as Bleu Levees, is originally from New Orleans, he knows a thing or two about Memphis hip-hop. “When I first came down here, of course, I knew about 3-6, but it wasn’t until I started rapping myself I stumbled upon some real Memphis gems,” he says. With his new single “Switch the Knob”, Bleu Levees is gaining new fans around the country and earning praise from critics for his dexterous flow and vulnerable lyrics. In short, Bleu Levees is quickly becoming a “Real Memphis gem” himself. About his favorite song from Memphis’ past, he writes:

“The one that still sticks out today for me is Gangsta Blac’s “My Click So Thick.” That’s just one of those tracks you put on when you wanna cruise through the city or to whatever your destination is. Also, coming from a poet’s background, the track is not only Raw but it also has poetic qualities as he tells his story, which may be what drew me to the song. Besides, it’s also one of the smoothest beats anybody has rapped on.”

Lukah

South Memphis-based emcee Lukah is a bit of an anomaly amongst the city’s current crop of rappers, embodying the best of both the new and old schools of hip-hop. His most recent album “When the Black Hand Touches You” has been hailed as a “tour de force” and one of the finest rap albums to come from the Bluff City in years, which we co-sign whole-heartedly. Lukah writes:

“My choice is Playa Fly’s “Nobody Needs Nobody” feat. Gangsta Blac, because this is what my neighborhood called the South Memphis anthem. Fly and Blac are from South Memphis and that song spoke directly to us South Memphians. We could relate strongly to what was being said and the messages in the song. And though everybody in Memphis loves that song, I feel the South connected to it more because it was somebody speaking from our neighborhood. Lines like “I rather please you than tease you / please don’t make me decease you / I believe instead of having you dead / I rather lyrically beat you” were very inspirational for me and I related to it deeply. I like the fact that he acknowledged that it’s very much possible for him to cause harm to those in the way or causing damage to the foundation. But instead of doing that, he’d rather hurt you lyrically with his words and we all know words are powerful. I still live by those lines today. For me, that song is everything.”

South Memphis-based emcee Lukah is a bit of an anomaly amongst the city’s current crop of rappers, embodying the best of both the new and old schools of hip-hop. His most recent album “When the Black Hand Touches You” has been hailed as a “tour de force” and one of the finest rap albums to come from the Bluff City in years, which we co-sign whole-heartedly. Lukah writes:

“My choice is Playa Fly’s “Nobody Needs Nobody” feat. Gangsta Blac, because this is what my neighborhood called the South Memphis anthem. Fly and Blac are from South Memphis and that song spoke directly to us South Memphians. We could relate strongly to what was being said and the messages in the song. And though everybody in Memphis loves that song, I feel the South connected to it more because it was somebody speaking from our neighborhood. Lines like “I rather please you than tease you / please don’t make me decease you / I believe instead of having you dead / I rather lyrically beat you” were very inspirational for me and I related to it deeply. I like the fact that he acknowledged that it’s very much possible for him to cause harm to those in the way or causing damage to the foundation. But instead of doing that, he’d rather hurt you lyrically with his words and we all know words are powerful. I still live by those lines today. For me, that song is everything.”

PreauXX

Much like Bleu Levees, rapper PreauXX (pronounced “pro”) hails from New Orleans, but has fully embraced becoming part of the community of Memphis rappers. Over the past several years, he has become one of the city’s most celebrated underground artists with his combination of charisma, lyricism, and intellect, as well as his captivating live performances. PreauXX writes:

“If I had to choose one of the songs that influenced me from the Memphis rap era, it has to be a Project Pat song. The record is “Life We Live” from the classic album Mista Don’t Play. I remember the most simple and fun times in my life when I didn’t have anything. And whenever I put that song on it takes me back. Humble beginnings, not forgetting where you come from, all of that…that’s what that song does for me. That record is a timeless feeling and you can’t recreate something that genuine.”

Tyke T

Born Tyrone Stroble, Memphis-based rapper Tyke T is not only a successful solo artist, but also the head of the Driven by Music brand. From tours with B.o.B and Boosie Badazz to a number of his songs being featured on shows from MTV, Starz, and VH1, Tyke T is proving that contemporary trap music can win over fans while still being both thoughtful and soulful. Tyke T writes:

“There are so many songs to choose from because Memphis is and has always been so damn bumpin’, but one of my favorite Memphis songs that resonates with me is 8 Ball’s “Stop Playin Games”. The reason why I love this record so much is because Memphis is such a “no-nonsense” city man. Everybody is on their grind, everybody is out here hustling, trying to get to the money, and we don’t have time for games. He’s telling you on the record that if you are “playing games” then you are wasting time and missing out on money. So if you are still playing games…..STOP! The beat is crazy, and P.Diddy is just being P.Diddy on that junt lol. It’s fire!”

You might also be interested in: Famous Memphis Musicians | Memphis Singers

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Hip-hop has had many queens reign supreme in both mainstream and underground.

In celebration of women’s history month, here are 10 women in Memphis hip-hop you should know. They might not be the best- selling rappers out right now but these women could be the best Memphis female rappers you’ve yet to listen to, with rhyme skills and a variety of flavors to add to your rotation. Some are newer acts. Some have been in the game for years, but all deserve attention.

Gangsta Boo (1979-2023)

Gangsta Boo was the self-proclaimed Queen of Memphis. When it comes to Memphis female rappers, she  paved the way. She was the first and only female rapper to be a member of Three 6 Mafia. Boo brought a woman’s perspective and charismatic lyrics to the hardcore gangsta rap scene.  Boo went head to head with the boys on mystic and horror beats.

La Chat

@lachat_ig

Initially making her rap debut on Three 6 Mafia’s original Mystic Stylez album, La Chat has been known as one of the most underrated emcees to emerge from Memphis. Much like Gangsta Boo her sound sticks to the dark, horror side of things. Her cadence, grittiness and distinct pitch are paired with brazen and explicit bars and a level of confidence that overflows on every track. La Chat is one of the few female rappers whose lyrical content has consistently revolved around hardcore gangsta rap. La Chat is undeniably one of the best to do it!

In 2014, Gangsta Boo teamed up with La Chat to release the collaborative album, Witch. The project was welcomed by hardcore hip-hop fans. The two relied on their talent and raw ability to capture the street imagination of fans, sticking to their blueprint of hardcore grit and grime.

Dutchess

@dutchess901

Dutchess made a name for herself with her poetic flow, lyrical gift, and blatant vulnerability. Her socially-conscious, largely positive lyrical content, made the Memphis native a powerful voice.

Jessica Dime aka Dimepiece

@iamdimepiece

Jessica Dime is best known for appearing on the hit VH1 reality series, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, but she has also recorded several albums. Her aggressive delivery, clever wordplay, brash lyrics, and innate demeanor definitely makes her a force to be reckoned with.

Tru Dexter

@tru_dexter

The Savages

@thesavages901

@bigbootyyjudy @ericaglizzy @swaggjazz__

Many refer to The Savages as the original City Girls! The dynamic female rap group had summer of 2016 so lit with their viral hit ‘Break’em’. Personally, one of my favorite acts to come from the city.

Jucee Froot

@iamjuceefroot

Many may know Jucee Froot through her song placement on some of our favorite tv shows and movies. Her song “Eat Itself” was featured in the latest season of HBO’s Insecure. Her song “Danger” appeared on the soundtrack for the blockbuster film Birds of Prey and her hit song “Down in the Valley” made its introduction on the series Starz. She has a range of songs to twerk to, songs for partying and song range.

Ace Queezy

@acequeezy

Ace Queezy is lyrical talent! Proving her skill level on multiple freestyles and song releases. With lyrics about hustling, relationships, money and power and a fearless bass in her voice– her musical content is reminiscent of rap legend Gangsta Boo.

Cookie

@iam_cookie901

Cookie is not bound to the restraints of societal femininity in style and sound.

Cookie trends because of her aggressive tone flows effortlessly on a variety of beats, including her “Rover” freestyle covering Memphis’ own BlocBoy JB. She does not shy away from the beat.

GloRilla

If you haven’t heard of Memphis’ own Gloria Woods (a.k.a GloRilla), you definitely need to brush up on your Women of Memphis Hip Hop info! Hits like F.N.F. and Tomorrow 2 featured above have taken the radio and social media by storm.

You may also be interested in Memphis Musicians & Singers

The post Memphis Female Rappers appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Imagine the year is 1993, and you and the homies pull up to Crystal Palace in your mom’s 87’ Cutlass Supreme. Your high-top curl with the V-shape line up is freshly chopped by Napoleon’s Barber Shop in Smokey City. That one gold tooth is sparkling, and you and your crew can’t wait to kill the scene in those matching Tommy Hilfiger overalls. 

You walk in, throw on your skates, and hit the floor. All of a sudden, the Memphis Godfather, DJ Spanish Fly, introduces the new single “Gangsta” by G-Style. You hear that Friday the 13th sample, then the “Ratta. Tatta. Ratta. Tatta. Ratta. Tatta. Boom,” and you officially fall in love with Memphis rap music forever. 

Since the mid 80’s, the rap scene of Memphis has blessed us with numerous awards, a few death nearing beef’s, a handful of dances, a movie or two we won’t discuss, several RIP shirts for rap legends, the entire encyclopedia series on hustling, and basically the sound of today’s national Hip-Hop music. From the Tommy Wright III cassettes in the back of the trunk to the viral sensation of iHeartMemphis, we explore several key things we’ve learned over the last 30 to 40 years from Memphis Hip-Hop. 

The “H” in Memphis is for Hustling. 

M.aking E.asy M.oney P.imping … yeah, I know what the “H” means. However, Memphis rap has always been about getting money by any means and uplifting the hustle. The first words rapped on Gangsta Pat’s 1991 debut album “All About Comin’ Up” were, ‘I need money. It’s time for me to get paid.”  In 1998, Gangsta Boo asked “Where dem dollas at?” Fast forward 17 years, and the story remains the same. In Young Dolph 2015 classic “Get Paid” he gave us two rules: “Rule number 1, get the money first. Rule number 2, don’t forget to get the money.”  

For many years, the city of Memphis has been recognized as one of the poorest metropolitan cities in the country, so for many in the urban core, hustlin has always been about survival. Whether it’s pimping, drug dealing, or even working at one of Memphis’ factories until the rap career takes off, we idolize the stories trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents.  

Atlanta legend, Gucci Mane once told a reporter, “When I was hustlin, I was always playing Memphis rap. I felt like they had such an underground scene, and that’s what I gravitate to. The most gutter music.” We can all agree with the Trap God.  

Mane, yall sholl love to dance. 

If you’ve ever been to a Memphis cookout, wedding, or party when Triggaman by The Showboys comes on, you know you need to either move out the way or join in by hitting the glorified Gangsta Walk. Gangsta walking made national attention with the release of “Gangsta” by G-Style in 1993 but had been around since the 80’s. These South Memphis vets not only introduced one hell of a song, but introduced a new form of dance – jookin/buckin.  

“We feel that getting buck can release frustration, have fun, and be cool all at the same time,” explained by Romeo in the video. 

Since then, we’ve seen jookin evolve in a major way, thanks to those of G-Nerd, Ladiya Yates, Lil Daniel, and Lil Buck. We’ve also seen Memphis rappers introduce a new dance every couple of years. One minute, I was twisting my body from side to side, then I was hitting the mangula, the paper chase, the hard head, and then the Quan. And Quan wasn’t even from Memphis! Now I’m shootin’ and doing the cash walk. At this point, we need to release a Memphis dance fitness video, because I’m tired as hell.  

Loyalty Lies Within The Neighborhood. 

Imagine a game show host saying “ For $1 Million Dollars, finish this sentence: If you ain’t from my hood, _________.” Most Memphis Hip-Hop heads would easily walk away millionaires, because our loyalty lies within our church, high school, and most importantly our hood. Every hood has a hand sign and a theme song. Decade after decade, the stories of our Memphis neighborhoods are lifted and the pride is instilled in the next generation. In 1999, Gangsta Blacbroke down the lifestyle of South Memphis in the hood classic “S.O.U.T.H. PARKWAY”. In 2006, Da Volunteers showed everyone their favorite color. And in 2019, Blackhaven’s new prince, Duke Deuce made sure everybody know “I’m from Blackhaven *beep*, where it aint no saving *beep*, we twist our fingers *beep*.” If you ever want to learn about a Memphis neighborhood, find just about any Memphis rap song. 

And for the Memphis transplants or out-of-towners: if you ain’t from my hood, you can get from round here. 

We Celebrate Memphis Hip-Hop  

In 2008, when Yo Gotti sampled Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis” on the inaugural installment of the Cocaine Musik series, I renewed my love for Memphis rap music. I remembered how I felt the first time in the D & D hearing “All About The M” by Hypo On Da Mic and Bukwild. I remembered how I felt trying to gather $18 to purchase Project Pat’s “Layin Da Smackdown” from Poptunes. Mane, good times. Now, we celebrate as Memphis rap transforms Hip-Hop nationally. We cheer when our next generation, like Pooh Shiesty, Jucee Froot, andHerion Young, sign major record deals. We cheer on the artists, radio stations, the DJs, the producers, the clubs, the promoters and the avid rap lovers who will continue to push Memphis Hip-Hop for the next 40 years.  

If you have about five hours to listen to four decades of Memphis Hip-Hop, we encourage you to check out our This is Memphis Hip Hop playlist. 

In conclusion, we uplift our history with the words of Juicy J “Name It After Me”: 

“The game aint the same. We done changed the game.” 

You may also be interested in: A Brief History of Memphis Music – We Are Memphis

The post What Have We Learned From 4 Decades of Memphis Hip-Hop? appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Let’s keep it real: no one rides down Elvis Presley Blvd. blasting “Blue Suede Shoes.” Maybe on his birth…nevermind. They don’t. It never happens.

On any given day, however, you will see a Chevy Impala or Chrysler 300 – with subwoofers the size of the Exlines Pizza sign – blasting the hits of any one of Memphis’ rap superstars with the bass on max.

Hip-Hop, trap and gangster rap were birth as an underground music culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s when our parents were “gangster walking” in Club No Name or Crystal Palace. Legends such as DJ Spanish Fly and Kingpin Skinny Pimp laid the foundation for generations of southern rappers in Memphis and across the southern region, and the genre has since evolved.

10. E.P. – Paperchase (Doin This), 2009

Find a high school or college party in Memphis that did not have wall-to-wall youth pumping their arms in bicep curl fashion while hopping back and forth on one leg. At the tender age of 17, Emanuel Patterson (now 27) shook dj’s and local radio stations with an unexpected release of his debut single with a dance to complement. The “paperchase” is for the aspiring hustler or the teen working at Best Buy after school to have enough money to buy cd’s and Mrs. Winner’s during school. “Watch me do that paperchase” speaks to the adage “Watch me prove you wrong” and I’ll see you in the club with a clean pair of Jordans. Chase on, brother!

9. Blocboy JB ft. Drake – Look Alive, 2018

Native Memphian, Blockboy JB, has nationalized the “shoot” dance, kicking one leg out while jumping on the other. After the dance and his namesake debut single went viral, he got a call from Drake who also has Memphis ties (his dad and family live here). Aubrey Graham (or Jimmy from Degrassi) came to Memphis for a few days to parlay on his old stomping grounds with Blockboy JB and another native Memphian, producer Tay Keith, to bring the streets “Look Alive.” A dedication to the grimy and dark corners of the city, “Look Alive” is a call for the hood to stay alert, stay woke and stay Memphis.

8. Rock Dillion, Da Volunteers ft. MJG – Favorite Color, 2006

The truth is Orange Mound is a cult. Ok, maybe cult is too harsh, but “Favorite Color” is for Orange Mound and Orange Mound only. Listen, if your pedigree doesn’t begin on the southernmost part of Park Avenue, you should just find a bar and sit down on this one. Historically, Orange Mound is one of the first African American communities in the country founded by African Americans. After a tumultuous era facing the drug and crime epidemic in the 70s and 80s, the community and its leaders remained steadfast in keeping Orange Mound bound by the values of community, closeness and self-preservation. Rap stars 8Ball & MJG, native Moundians, gave a platform to Rock Dillion and Da Volunteers and produced this clarion call for the area. This may be the only time UT gets this amount of love from Memphis. “Two fingers round, three fingers down” is the official orange mound hand sign (each community has one, ask your nearest local).

7. 8Ball & MJG – Pimp Hard, 2000

Let’s stay in The Mound. “Pimp Hard” was released in November 2000 on the group’s “Space Age 4 Eva” album. One of the few early Memphis groups to gain recognition outside the city, 8Ball & MJG glorified “Baller” culture. A nice car; few romantic options; a pocket full of cash, the definition of “Pimp Hard.” You can indeed find love in the Bluff City, or you can…uhhh, keep your options open.

6. Young Dolph – Get Paid, 2016

First and foremost, LeBron James listens to Young Dolph so you should, too.  Adolph Thornton, Jr’s (34) encourages every young man to secure your financial future. Memphis prides itself on the grit and grind, the hustle and hoops. Young Dolph’s “Get Paid” spread across coasts quickly, motivating folks to increase their profits and their wallets.

5. Three 6 Mafia – Hard Out Here for a Pimp/Whoop That Trick, 2005

We know. We’re cheating a bit, but you can’t talk about Memphis without addressing two things: Three 6 Mafia and Hustle&Flow

Hard Out Here for A Pimp, another ode to the hustle culture, should come on your car radio as soon as your bluetooth connects, while Whoop That Trick is for your Saturday morning clean-up. Both featured in the Academy Award nominated Memphis film, Hustle & Flow, a story of hustle, pimping and rap dreams. Some still don’t care for the movie because the accents were all wrong, but we don’t hesitate to bob our heads when we hear either hit.

4. Gangsta Blac – S.O.U.T.H Parkway, 1999

Could there possibly be a more Memphis song than Whoop That Trick? Actually yes. There’s nothing more Memphis than representing your neighborhood and native communities. In 1999, Gangsta Blac dropped 74 Minutes of Bump with the hit “S.O.U.T.H Parkway,” paying homage to another historic residential community. It’s common to hear this song and recline your driver’s seat, roll down your windows and drive a few miles above the speed limit down I-240 in a Honda Accord coupe.

It’s a sacred homage to a community that refuses to cripple to any intimidation of poverty, crime or even gentrification. It’s still thriving and healthy with community efforts led by some of the very residents occupying.

3. Project Pat ft. Three 6 Mafia and La Chat- Chickenhead, 2001

Where to start?

First, you need a best friend who can sing this with you to fully enjoy this song.

Chickenhead may be the greatest Southern rap song of all time. Its melody and production style has been sampled and mimicked between trap artists, East Coast hustlers and West Coast bangers. Chickenhead is dedicated to the person who just wants to be left alone! It was “Gold Digger” before Kanye and Jamie Foxx penned a verse. Cardi B sampled it on her song “Bickenhead” on her Invasion of Privacy album.

Project Pat’s Mista Don’t Play album deserves a space in the Smithsonian.  Only a few classics should receive such an honor.

Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”

Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”

Project Pat’s “Chickenhead”

2. Playa Fly – Nobody, 1998

Did you just break up with your significant other?

About to quit your job? Got fired?

Are your parents riding you again about your college and career choices?

Have your friends posted pictures of them out drinking but they didn’t call you?

There has never been a song to move entire crowds to tears than Playa Fly’s “Nobody.”

This song is for those who realized they can do bad by themselves and need a safe way to not overreact while shutting yourself out from the community-at-large. Playa Fly still rules radio and Spotify’s with this hit. A former member of Three 6 Mafia, Playa Fly is a native South Memphian. His song came after he ended things with Three 6 and went solo. He needed to get the drama off his chest and “Nobody” was born. Fold your arms and bop to this emotional song of self-care and resilience. This was Beyonce’s “Me, Myself and I” before she knew she only needed herself. You don’t need nobody, ok? Godspeed.

1.Yo Gotti – That’s What’s Up, 2006

This is a Memphis millennial’s “Kumbaya.” This is our “Lean On Me.” This is our National Anthem.

Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims is indeed one of the Kings of Memphis and “That’s What’s Up” is the unofficial anthem of the city. From his mixtapes to trapping out of North Memphis, Yo Gotti gives a new meaning to Memphis pride with this one. “That’s What’s Up” is for the Memphian with a dream and a grind. After the prelude, he quickly goes into shouting-out his family, famous high schools, trap houses, friends, enemies, and eventually the entire city. It’s freedom. Entire stadiums have erupted in unison and in acapella belting this song. It is purely Memphis. It may or may not have reached national acclaim, but it surely has earned its keep in the Mid-South. You Gotti is ours. This song is ours. And now, it’s yours.

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A post shared by We Are Memphis (@wearememphistn) on Mar 5, 2019 at 6:30pm PST

You may also be interested in: Memphis Hip-Hop: What We´ve Learned From 4 Decades

The post Top 10 Rap Classics for Memphis Millennials appeared first on We Are Memphis.