Back in May, we introduced Scene readers to three crews making moves in Nashville’s hip-hop renaissance: BlackCity, Six One Trïbe, and Third Eye & Co. The MCs, producers and performers in those groups have thrived in 2022 — but they were only the tip of an iceberg of diverse talent running through every neighborhood in Nashville.
It’s hard to imagine having a better 2022 than Six One Trïbe, who locked down three spots on this year’s Top Local Albums Critics’ Poll with Namir Blade’s Metropolis, Negro Justice’s Chosen Family and the squad’s own debut LP Trïbe Over Everything. But even beyond those records, the Trïbe has been nonstop all year. Two EPs — Riø Tokyo’s Three Days in Edo and Gee Slab’s The First Afterthought — show the diversity that characterizes what Trïbe does best, sharpening their rhymes against cold beats to create something that wouldn’t have existed in a vacuum.
But by far our most surprising Trïbe discovery was AndréWolfe, whose sideways Young Thug flow turns heads on Trïbe Over Everything tracks like “Carbon Copy” and “Grow Again.” On his own debut Feng Shui, AndréWolfe chops it up with collaborator CamFerg, pulling the energy back a bit but driving hard within his own lane.
In the BlackCity camp, members of the group have kept their heads down at the Compound, dropping a handful of singles across the year. The BlackSon’s “My First Song,” Brian Brown’s “Early Bird,” Josephfiend and Alo*’s “Praying for Good Days” and Reaux Marquez’s “Crowd Control” all show the exciting directions that these three artists are moving in. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve been co-signed by the Titans, who have dropped tracks by the whole crew in hype videos this year.
And then there’s Third Eye, whose Vibes showcases at The Dive Motel showed just how versatile the scene is, counting folks like Quez Cantrell, Raemi and MiaReona among the talent that took the pool party by storm. As much of a rager as those parties were, Ron Obasi’s WHYSOSIRIUS? is practically the polar opposite — a quiet, reflective mixtape that demonstrates Obasi’s considerable talents as a rap philosopher. On “555,” which features producer Jack Vinoy, he raps the closest thing to a mission statement I’ve heard: “I never said I was the realest / But I am a realist.”
Outside the orbit of these three groups, rappers from across Music City have been popping off all year long.
On Contraband, Mike Floss makes his most direct political statement to date, throwing down against locally headquartered private prison corporation CoreCivic and police violence that disproportionately targets young Black men on songs like “Fighting” and “Together.” But it’s “Giant” that’s the high-water mark, weaving arguments for community political action with an impassioned speech by fellow Black Nashville Assembly organizer Jamel Campbell-Gooch, advocating for funding communities and not police.
Mike Floss
Speaking of Floss, there’s something about Chattanooga-born rapper Qualls that calls to mind Floss’ early For the Rebels mixtapes (and it’s not just Floss’ feature on “Ghost”). Qualls’ Until We Meet Again is constantly breaking apart and rebuilding his identity as an artist, cycling through distinctly different vibes in the front half of the record before settling into cool, comfortable, jazz-flecked beats in the back half — a confident exhale.
R.A.P. Ferreira’s only been in Nashville for a few years, but on “ark doors” he raps, “Totems and omens / Barking directions to Bolton’s,” so I think he’s got a feel for the place. His third album under the R.A.P. moniker, 5 to the Eye With Stars, is an expansive exercise in linguistic gymnastics. You can hear the Lil Wayne influence in him, letting streams of consciousness unfold on the track without going full Aesop Rock. It’s heady but rewarding.
And that’s just the beginning. Abk Gatez and Luh Stain, both part of the LacMan Records set, have been two of the most prolific street rappers in the city, dropping five records between the two of them this year alone. Gatez’s Authentic is earnest and sensitive, flexing range against the hard-edged subwoofer-shredding rap on Airplane Mode. The late, great kidDEAD’s posthumous The Man Who Lived Forever is a crown on the head of Nashville’s backpack-rap community. And Virghost’s Summer in September IV? That record just goes.
Not since the days of Young Buck in his prime has it been this good to be a rap fan in Nashville. Whether you’re an old head or just tapping in now, throw on any one of these records and play it loud.
Talking with rising roots star Sierra Ferrell, counting down the year’s top Nashville albums and more
