Not since the late, great Muhammad Ali has Louisville received so much attention. The Midwest city was known for the Derby but was never considered a musical powerhouse; until now. Bryson Tiller became the newest sensation out of Louisville since his single Don’t went from a few thousand listens on Soundcloud to peaking at #13 on Billboard’s Hot 100. He may seem like an overnight success but as he mentions throughout songs like The 502 Come Up, it was a beautiful struggle. Once his buzz reached the ears of industry leaders like Timbaland and Drake, the bidding wars were on but to much surprise he eventually signed with RCA Records instead of OVO Sound. When artists first arrive to the scene it’s almost customary to rep where you’re from. It may seem like Bryson Tiller is the only artist repping for Louisville, but the 502 Come Up includes a lot of breaking artists and hidden talent about to emerge.
Before Tiller, the first artist to put Louisville on the map was Grammy- award winning producer and songwriter Static Major (RIP). After featuring on Wayne’s #1 hit Lollipop, his untimely death was a shock and dagger to the Hip-Hop community. He had made classics for Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child and Ginuwine so to lose such a great talent was a tragedy. Even to this day, you can ask any local and they’ll tell you he was the hometown hero.
Before his death, one of the last artists he worked with was also a producer and artist also from Louisville, Solo LaMaze. Solo LaMaze was the genius behind tracks for Beanie Sigel, David Banner, and Twista to name a few. And before Tiller, he was the first local artist to flood Louisville’s number one Hip-Hop station, 96.5 WGZB. Fast forward a few years, and Solo is still making music and carrying the torch for his city. That unique sound that we all loved from Major’s hits like “Pony” and “Rock the Boat” are still alive in the new music pumping out of Louisville. Now in Atlanta, Solo has been quietly working on a debut album as well as producing for other artists including Eastside Boobie another Louisville native making a buzz in the streets.
Solo’s new EP will be released in late Summer but whether or not he’ll release secret tracks with Static Major is still a mystery; it would definitely be a classic. Imagine a posthumous release with Static, Solo, and Tiller!? That would be like the Louisville equivalent of a track with Warren G, YG, and Ty Dolla $ign. Chicago and even St. Louis had their shot as the Midwest capitals of Hip-Hop but now Louisville is the city to look out for. Tiller may be the one who put attention on the city again, but don’t be fooled, there’s enough history and talent to make this city the next musical powerhouse.