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[Jackson, Mississippi, is still recovering from a water crisis that left approximately 150,000 people without safe drinking water, a cruel reminder of decades-long structural issues facing a predominantly Black city. Interviews for this story were conducted in the spring.]
When I talk to scene makers like Brad “Kamikaze” Franklin of Jackson, Mississippi, I hear a lot of preaching about how the state’s claimed “birthplace of American music” continues to be overlooked as a hotbed of hip-hop. can do. hop talent.
Franklin, who recorded with David Banner in the early 2000s as one half of the hip-hop duo Crooked Letaz, cites Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and the late Nate Dogg, all of whom have ties to the state. explained that there is But he was able to carry on. Rae Sremmurd (Tupelo) and Big KRIT (Meridian) have made big strides in the genre in recent years, but only since moving to the big cities.
“Talent has never been an issue in Mississippi,” says Franklin. rolling stoneMississippi has long been a place for black musicians to leave. Its beginnings are The Great His Migration, where Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and others joined millions of African Americans moving north to escape Jim Crow South. But today in Jackson, where his 83% of the population is black, the musician faces the same ailment (even decades later downstream).
“I consider Mississippi to be a sacred place and a sacred place when it comes to music,” says Franklin. Who came here to Mississippi. David Banner and I call Mississippi “Little Africa”… the cradle of civilization for black people in this country. “
Prentice
Zach Ball
Use Third Coast Radio, A weekly statewide radio show and showcase for the annual Jackson Indie Music Week, Franklin has been Jackson’s MC following Crooked Lettas and Banner’s solo bangers “Like a Pimp” and “Cadillac on 22’s.” The focus has been on lifting. Lil Lonnie, who collaborated with his Slim Jimmy such as Rae Sremmurd, was the toast of the scene until his death in 2018, but he is now influencing artists, releasing music in Seoul and playing shows around the city. It is held. Vitamin Cair, Nicoh and Ant200 spitting in the street, and Fifth His Child stomping a Confederate flag at the show and “poppin’ like Juneteenth.”
Right now, there’s nothing bigger than Dear Silas, whose viral hits “Gullah Gullah Island” and “Skrr Skrr” have earned millions of streams. Raised in a family of influences like early Kanye and Pharrell, in addition to R&B, country, rock and soul records, Cyrus infuses his backpack beats and verses with a sense of flowing time and melody. blow in. .
There are also hip-hop-adjacent artists like 15-year-old Prentice. He started making beats and songs in Jackson’s bedroom during the pandemic. After his low-key shoegaze his rapping single “Hazel Eyes” garnered the attention of Justin Bieber, Blink-182’s Mark His Hoppus and others on his social media, Prentiss signed to Cinematic Music Group. bottom. Big Krit, a month after his 14th birthday.
But to single out one Jackson hip-hop sound misses the point, says Franklin. “It’s insecurity, it’s civil rights, it’s struggle, it’s slavery, it’s Mississippi. He’s the history of the Delta and cotton. It’s the industrial revolution. [and] It’s the migration of our people to Chicago.That’s all that historically the state of Mississippi has been and has been historically told about. [our] hip hop. Something is different here than elsewhere. ”
“There are so many dope artists here now, so many dope places, and the music scene just keeps evolving,” says Cyrus. “I feel like other people each have their own particular sound, but we are like a big melting pot of so many different kinds of feelings and auras, and in this little little realm there is a whole world. It’s like there is.”
The epicenter of Jackson’s thriving nightlife and music scene is the Fondren district, an artistic enclave centered around the 300-seat Durin Hall and 12 eateries, plus a skate shop and a vinyl-only record store. , with weekly art and music block parties. But his live hip-hop thrives, too, thanks to non-traditional venues like Offbeat Comic and his Conkrete Kickz sneaker store, in addition to his coffee shops and parking lots. Many of the city’s up-and-coming musicians play on his Fondren Guitars for the monthly series “The Kickback” produced by Franklin’s. third coast radio.
“[People] Thinking of Delta, they’re thinking of Bruce and they’re not overlooking it,” says Cyrus. “And I get it, because we do it pretty well. You know what I mean? [laughs] Mississippi is the birthplace of everything from American music to era. “
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