Dope People Meet® The UnderDogs
Meet The Under Dogs Shuts Down Atlanta With Their Inaugural ‘Playlist Extravaganza’
Atlanta, Georgia --- With nothing to lose, but everything to gain. This past weekend, during A3C, Meet The Under Dogs shut down the city at the official Underdog House with their inaugural ‘Playlist Extravaganza’. The official location can be described as a two-story safe house used to breed the “top dogs” of the music industry. Hailing from different cities and backgrounds, 17 artists graced the ‘underdog’ stage to fight for the title of ‘Underdog of The Year’.
Sponsored by Dope People Meet and Defiance Fuel, the evening was hosted by founder and music mogul, Gambino ATL as well as Streetz 94.5 host and DJ, Ferrari Simmons. The night was followed up with sounds from DJ C3nturii, DJ Oceanz, J White the DJ, DJ B.Rob, and DJ QSoWavy.
In the words of Ty Howard, “Underdogs adapt, evolve, and become winners because of their preparation, heart, execution, and the relentless attitude that the game will not end any other way.” Saturday evening, every artist embodied this phrase through their energy, sound, talent, and dedication.
The night started off with UnTay, an independent rapper adamant to stay true to himself and “stick to the grind”. His unreleased song, ‘No Emotion’ set the vibe for the entire evening and was a reminder to fans that “no matter what wrong is done to you, you keep pushing forward and do you”.
The night quickly moved along with S-Clive, a rapper and producer originally from California now representing Connecticut and the east coast. He performed his song ‘Doublestuf’ which turned the crowd up.
“What makes me ‘Underdog of the Year’ is I keep on grinding. It doesn’t matter if I win, if I don’t win, if I don’t get noticed. If I’m in the club performing in front of five people, I’m going to do my thing as if there is five-thousand people in the crowd.” S-Clive shared.
After hyping up the audience with a fast and aggressive trap beat, it was only right to transition into a smooth vibe from the one and only, Sweet James. This creative rap artist brought a west coast vibe to the stage with his song, ‘Shooters’.
Post performance, he announced the upcoming release of his seven part episode series called ‘7Traps’ which is declared to set him apart in the rap game. “I’m really working seven traps, I’m really living every rap. It’s me and nobody else,” James proclaimed.
While James is living out every rap, rap artist, Scooter Swayze, is whipping up the ‘underdog’ potion. His secret formula is all about “stepping out of the box and making sure to keep his face relevant by performing in every showcase.” His song, ‘Potion’, exudes Swayze’s confidence in the music game and serves as a reminder that he always has something up his sleeve. Hence his nickname, Houdini.
As the night continued, the artist showcase took a turn with female vocalist, Chanel Nicole, who brought her powerful voice to the ‘underdog’ stage. After shocking the crowd with her vocal ability, Nicole shared the message behind her song ‘Grindin’. “It takes a long time to get to where you get to, so you have to keep going.” Chanel shared. Running on “no sleep”, Nicole is no stranger to the artist lifestyle and is determined to live out her passion despite the trials and tribulations.
Now, with times of hardship comes character, but when good character is matched with endurance and talent; it births rap duos like Majik and Ladyy Polo. This female group, once destitute, is now taking back the streets with their song ‘Say B*tch’ which is all about moving past the negativity and bossing up. “What makes us the ‘Underdogs of the Year’, is where we came from. Today is a celebration because last year, we were homeless. In a year’s time we stopped trying to be stagnant. We are trying to evolve and stay out of our emotions,” Majik stated.
Fast forward, the artist line up continued with Florida native, Hollywood Roze and Detroit native, G.R.I.E.F which together forms the rap duo, Shilla. Their unreleased song ‘Hollywood Grief’ left the crowd with a mixture of trap and R&B also known as ‘Trap&B’. These two artists bring a portion of their background and hometown to form the unique sound of trap and harmony. “We are humble, there is no duo out here except for us so we don’t compare ourselves to anyone. But because we are in Atlanta, you could compare us to Outkast. Just look at us as the “new” Outkast.” Hollywood Roze clarified.
From a music perspective, one of the best transitions a playlist can have is when a song can give you a high from a Trap&B standpoint and transcend that high over to a melodic and lyrical song. Galepsy is an artist that our contemporary music fans will appreciate. From the storytelling perspective, to the smooth transitions, his music will take your mind on a trip if you allow it. As an artist that caters to making music for “the whole world”, he inspires to be the greatest of all time.
With back to back performances, each ‘Underdog’ brought something different to the game. From style, to lyrical content, and musical flow the Underdog House was a melting pot of talent and intellect.
For instance, meet Edephus a rapper and lyricist from Alabama with an insightful outlook on the music industry as a whole. He astounded on his personal experience with life as an artist.
“When you’re an artist the fans just want the supply, but if you are a real artist who isn’t just [capping] you really need things to inspire you in order to write new content. You really have to go through stuff. You need to make music that is relevant to your generation. The best advice to artists that’s building a fanbase like me is to drop multiple mixtapes with only five to six songs,” Edephus said.
He continued on to talk about the importance of marketing one’s music and catering to your specific fan base. After performing, he left people feeling inspired with his diverse musical content and knowledge.
The best independent artists are the ones that know the ins and outs of the music game, but the best are also those that exude optimism. M.O.P Freedom is an artist that gives off positive vibes and is a fan favorite amongst anyone who appreciates the personality along with the talent. His song ‘Poppin’ Sh*t’ caters well to his fanbase, and the energy Freedom gave out was reciprocated. “My current life as an artist has been pretty well. I was just on this Netflix show called “Rhythm & Flow” with T.I. and Cardi B, so everything is looking up right now,” Freedom expounded on.
The Playlist Extravaganza went on to highlight Ricky Nyce who obtained his artist name after a freestyle. Known as being “nice” with the musical bars he performed his new single ‘Sauced Up’ which gave us a mixture of trap and R&B. Once asked why he should be the ‘Underdog of the Year’ he answered, “I feel like I just grind. I have style, versatility, and my own way of presenting myself. I just want to show people what I can do, just give me the opportunity to shine.”
Moving forward, one of the most versatile artists of the night happened to be 54BabyTrey, a Milwaukee, WI native with a unique sound and a relatable story. He performed his song ‘It Get Dangerous’ which added a hardcore hip-hop sound to the evening. His experience in Atlanta thus far was described as “amazing” after having an encounter with Quality Control Music and performing in front of Columbia Records.
Trey later reminisced on his biggest accomplishment as an independent artist receiving 3 million views on the visual to his single ‘Let Me Fall’ in a three month time span.
With auto-tune depicted as the downfall of music, but the revitalizer of hip-hop, artist YbThaMovie, proved that auto-tune can be used, and still give music a versatile sound. Someone who considers himself as a “modern day hippie” in today’s music industry, YB takes pride in switching up his flow and melody in every song. As a family man, he tries not to talk about violence in his songs, but instead tries to make music about where he’s been, what he’s gone through, and where he’s trying to go. His song ‘Henny on Henny’ is now out on all streaming platforms and might even be a hit with the ladies.
Now, when it comes to networking, many artists have no idea the best way to go about it, but Southside Atlanta native, Ty Wright, knows the importance of networking when it comes to distributing his music. “Life as an artist is great. I’m able to explore my passion but at the same time I’m able to stay to the grind myself. I think I’m truly myself when I make my music, because it’s based on what I’m experiencing right now,” Wright stated.
Wright later added that “social media is important, but network with the right people because not everybody you network with is going to help you.” His song ‘Sodd’ is a reminder to artists and fans to ‘stay off the drugs”.
With the momentum of having a positive influence on the music industry, Meet The Under Dogs caught up with artist, QueenFriendly, who changed the vibe of the night with what he describes as “purge music”. With a mix of rock music and trap, Friendly records music to release any anger or emotion he has. Once the song is revisited, he feels as if he “re-lives that emotion every time he plays the song”.
With plans on incorporating the guitar in his music later on, QueenFriendly is no stranger to standing out not only with his musical style, but his fashion sense as well. He left the Underdog House with this statement. “There’s no rules to life period. There’s no rules to stuff. As long as you treat people right as far as your style and how you live, there’s no rules. Like if I want to put on a dress I will. That doesn’t make me less of a man. I’m still more macho than a lot of these men, because I still take care of my responsibilities.”
Continuing the conversation on responsibility, when it comes to the ‘Underdog’, KDuBB, you can expect to see promotional material wherever he goes. He is an artist that believes in the “old-school” way of distributing music through direct marketing or “word of mouth”. His song, “I’m The Best” is a reflection of his confidence in the music industry. He later stated that the song is actually for everyone. He wants anyone who listens to feel like they are “the best”.
“What makes me the ‘Underdog of the Year’ is I actually put up my own flyers, I book my own shows, and I don’t ask anyone for anything. I do my own visuals, and everything. I have my own check,” KDuBB explained.
As the night began to close out, the venue finished with Big Boss Mulaa, an artist that caters to “the broken” or the emo crowd. He further explained that his audience is more an international crowd that feeds off his music due to the overall message of “self-love”.
The importance of knowing your audience as an artist is vital to one’s success. Once signed to EMPIRE Distribution, Records and Publishing, Inc. after releasing the song ‘In My Drip’, Mulaa has been rapping for only a year and is moving quickly in the industry.
Overall, Meet The Under Dogs brought out the best of the best, and left the music industry feeling hopeful. With the right exposure, guidance, and distribution there is no limit to the success, any of these artists can have. In conclusion, watch these ‘Underdogs’ work.
