SEARCH FOR: GUCCI MANE OF VA

If you know anything about the music scene in Atlanta, it’s that many new sounds were created in the thriving city over the years. Rich Homie Quan, also known as Dequantes Lamar, emerged on the scene in 2013 and developed a sound that would inspire artists for generations to come. Throughout his career, Quan has been nominated for Best New Artist and Rookie of the Year from BET, earned a spot on the 2014 XXL freshman class list, and went double platinum independently. While the platinum-selling rapper reached many milestones over the years, he is ready to reinvent himself after taking some time off to focus on what matters most. To celebrate his 33rd birthday, Rich Homie Quan released a new body of work titled Family & Mula, which features eight songs and a single feature from NoCap. This project gave listeners a glimpse of what Quan created during his downtime and how his music has changed due to fatherhood.   This month, I had the opportunity to speak with the Atlanta legend about the legacy he has built and what we can expect to come. Check out our interview below. Lyrical Lemonade: What was it like being from Atlanta in 2011 …

No matter where in the world you look to find new music, inspirations for these artists typically come back to one place: Atlanta. The ATL has become the first place many rap fans look to for the hottest new music, and it’s crazy that the underground is just as prominent as the mainstream emcees that call the Georgia capital home. It also just feels like there are more mainstream legends in Atlanta than anywhere else, and not a single one has transformed from a respected spitter to an overplayed, cheesy emcee like we’ve seen happen in other areas of the country. Whether we’re talking about Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Gunna, or any other names that you could list off all day and night without running out of artists, they all make an impact and not only respect each other, but work together to create music that will go down in history, no matter how far into the future you look. Young Nudy is another name that you can add to the list, and although he still feels like he has certain underground qualities to him, I think that’s because he is never going to leave the street life completely …

No matter where you’re from, how you were raised, or what your background looks like, music goes so much deeper than the surface, but that’s something that can often be forgotten in the fast-paced internet generation. As a fan, even if an artist’s messages aren’t the most introspective, their music just might transport you to another place to get away from your troubles or worries, so the sound doesn’t matter if it is able to do something for your soul. The Migos have made an undeniable impact on the hip-hop world, something that wouldn’t have been possible without each member of the trio, and after the devastating news of Takeoff’s passing was announced, I seriously felt a pit in my stomach that hasn’t gone away since hearing the news. Not that it applies to the situation, but Takeoff was always my personal favorite of the three members because he just always found a way to masterfully demonstrate a new cadence, clever wordplay, and all-around entertaining elements from his lyrics to his ad-libs and everything else in between. He was one person that I never imagined would be taken from the world in his prime, so when I found out about …

See why Young Crazy claims his title as the Gucci Mane of VA, with his brand new EP that was released just last week. One of my favorite parts about being a music writer is following the careers of those you’ve written about in the past, which is exactly the case with Virginia star Young Crazy. I first wrote about his single “Suburban Kid,” a fiery, catchy track that had both his streaming numbers, and his home state jumping. Recently, he was able to regain 100% of his mastered tracks, allowing him to bless his fanbase with a surprise “greatest hits” LP Who TF is Crazo Damn, which only generated a bigger buzz around his name prior to the release of this latest tape Gucci Mane of VA.  The tape starts with paying homage to Gucci through a beautiful beat by Moye & The Beatman, showcasing Young Crazy’s talent and providing a retro 2000s feel that represents Gucci’s style. “BLIT” and “Suburban Kid” are singles that are already hot in the DMV and add solidified status to the project, and “Bombaclat” is a brand new joint that looks to have the surrounding club scene in its grip. “On the Radar Freestyle” is …

There’s never a moment in time where Atlanta isn’t completely popping off, and that’s a stance I’ll stand by no matter what, even though I don’t think anyone will really disagree. If you look at the facts along with the artists that hail from this city like Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Future, 21 Savage, and so many others, there is literally an endless supply of insanely great music, and you don’t have to look very far to find something new. Young Nudy is one of the most dependable artists in my personal opinion when it comes to fantastic music, and even though he has a voice and delivery that might be regularly anticipated at this point, his beat selection is one of a kind, and it rejuvenates his flows as if they’re brand-new every single time. I keep a pretty close eye on Nudy, and even though I had seen rumors of his album EA Monster dropping at some point, I somehow completely missed its actual release on Monday, but as soon as I came to the realization that it dropped, I wasted no time heading to Spotify to listen. This effort boasts 11 songs lasting around 35 minutes long, …

“I learned one thing from Kanye that I will always think of going forward. He told me to always make sure I focus on the music, and the money will come afterward. If I put all of my focus on the music, the music will sound better and I won’t have to worry about the money later on because it’s gonna come from the great music I’ve been making.” -Southside As more time passes, people are beginning to realize just how much impact producers have and recognize the overall importance that they play in the overall creation of a song. One thing we have been seeing a lot over the past couple of years is producers getting listed as main artists on songs now, rather than their name being in the backend on the credits. Producers are letting their presence be known, and rightfully so, it’s about time. That being said, when speaking about the producer pioneers and the people who really helped shape and shift the culture, it’s very difficult to speak on that without mentioning 808 Mafia, and Southside. Being the founder of 808 Mafia alongside TM88, Southside is responsible for hundreds of songs that we all know …

Z Money is somebody that needs no introduction, he is a Chicago legend and today I am proud to release our latest Lemonade Stand interview featuring him! I spoke with Z Money about several subjects including his brand new album, his relationship with Valee, the moment that “Two 16’s” started to blow up, mentorship he’s received from Gucci Mane, the schools he attended, and much more. This was a solid conversation and a much-needed interview from Z Money, it’s been a minute since he’s publicly spoken, and this was the perfect time to do so. Watch this brand new interview below!

It has always been amazing to me how the art of songwriting can go. There are some artists who believe that their pen is more valuable than them trying to be an artist, so they stick to just songwriting. There are also artists who have an amazing pen and can complement it well enough for their own career as well, and that is something that is pretty hard to come by nowadays. With all the talk about “ghostwriting” and how frowned upon it once was in the game, it kind of became a thing of the past, and artists were no longer criticized harshly for it. Georgia-native A1 LaFlare happens to be one of those artists who have an amazing pen and is finally stepping into the spotlight to prove it. After co-writing some of today’s biggest hits such as Latto “Big Energy”, The Kid LAROI’s “Fuck You Goodbye”, and racking up a grammy nomination for Saweetie’s “Best Friend” w/ Doja Cat, A1 LaFlare is ready to make a name for herself with the release of her song and visual, “Wootie Woot”. “Wootie woot is just a slang word we use in the city. It basically means so on and so forth. …

One thing that I feel is often forgotten about in the current day and age of music is the fact that every artist has a story that is often the influence behind their sound and their individualistic styles. Even if these experiences aren’t expressed in every single song put out, it is something that made that emcee who they are, and I never want to let that be forgotten. Gucci Mane and Lil Durk haven’t teamed up for a song in almost a decade, but I feel like they’re two talents who have a similar background. Both seemed to be local icons for quite some time at the start of their careers and have had similar upbringings in the respective streets they grew up on in both Chicago and Atlanta. After having so much success in their local music scenes for numerous years, it was only a matter of time that others caught on, and now they’re legitimately two of the largest names in the entire music industry, not just rap. Although their brand-new song “Rumors” was a surprise, I welcomed it with open arms, and it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve heard in quite …

Atlanta is obviously a music city that needs absolutely no introduction, but it goes so much further and deeper than just the surface. While names like Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, 21 Savage, and countless other massive artists are lucky enough to call this city home, there are definitely so many other artists that are making remarkable music, even if these aforementioned names might get all of the mainstream attention. Nonetheless, I want to bring these underground icons the credit that they rightfully deserve, and my list begins with Tommy Ice. Tommy is someone who I have been listening to for years, watching him come into his own as a producer, rapper, and all-around creative, and at this point, I feel like I’m lucky enough to even consider him a friend, even if it’s just through the internet at this point. He never fails to impress me, and he definitely continued to do so on his latest SoundCloud released song “Rain”, featuring Annamarie. Produced by Tommy himself as well as Guala, this one features lighthearted ukulele-sounding strings that clash with pungent 808s and crisp percussion that give a slightly trap-like sound to an otherwise serene foundation. Annamarie, who I wasn’t …