Joshua Howard Luellen (born February 2, 1989),Interview: SouthSide
The Marrack professionally known as Southside (also known as Sizzle), is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper. He gained recognition in the hip hop industry for producing songs for prominent artists across the American hip hop sphere. In 2010, Southside and fellow 1017 label-mate

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

, established their production and songwriting team

808 Mafia 808 Mafia is an American record production and songwriting team, founded by record producers Southside, TM88, and Lex Luger. Southside is currently at the helm of the group. The group also includes producers Young Miami , Fuse 100, Tarentino, ...

, where Southside currently is at the helm of the group. The basis of his stage name is the place where Luellen grew up, Southside, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

Early life

Southside grew up in the Southside region of Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up, he played

Little League Baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization He started making beats when he was 14 years old, when he got his first computer from his uncle.Interview with Southside
IGetMusic.com

Career

It was around his mid-teenage years that Southside decided to start taking music production as a serious caree
Southside music will make us sizzle
TheWhatItDo.com He was later discovered by then unknown rapper

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

when he was 17 and through Waka's network,

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeez ...

eventually signed him to his label 1017 Brick Squad Records.Southside music will make us sizzle
TheWhatItDo.com At Bricksquad Records, Luellen met

, who was another producer for Waka Flocka, and the two started working together to lay the production groundwork for Waka Flocka's debut album. Southside's first major release was the song "Fuck the Club Up," which appeared on Waka Flocka's debut album ''

Flockaveli ''Flockaveli'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Waka Flocka Flame. The title of the album is a portmanteau of Waka Flocka Flame's name and that of the Italian political theorist Machiavelli, and was inspired by fellow American rapper ...

''. In 2011, Southside co-produced the track "Illest Motherfucker Alive", from

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

's critically acclaimed album ''

Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to t ...

''. This helped to boost his career and bring him into the mainstream hip hop scene. He has since worked with artists such as

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

, B.o.B, Wale,

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

, Lil Scrappy, MGK among others. Southside was the main producer of Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka's collaboration album '' Ferrari Boyz'' and on Flocka's sophomore album '' Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family''. In January 2013, Southside produced "Millions" – the lead single from

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

's mixtape ''Wrath of Caine''. The music video for the song was released on February 10. The song sparked controversy when producer

Rico Beats Ricardo Lamarre, known professionally as Rico Beats, is an American record executive, record producer, and songwriter. His most notable production credits are DJ Khaled's "Take That Off", Nicki Minaj's " Roman Reloaded", Soulja Boy's " Mean Mug" ...

was asked to modify Southside's instrumental for the final version of the song. Southside wasn't notified of the changes, which led to the two producers exchanging threats over

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. In ''Wrath of Caine'' official track list, Kanye West is credited as co-producer, instead of Rico Beats. Also in 2013, Southside & TM88 produced the song "

Tapout Tap out or Tapout can refer to: * Tap out, submission in combat sport * Tapout (clothing brand) * ''Tapout'' (TV series) * '' UFC: Tapout'', a video game * Tap-Out ''(Transformers)'', the name of two fictional characters * "Tapout" (song), a 20 ...

" by Birdman for his album '' Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle''. The song peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified Gold By The RIAA. Throughout the early 2010s, Southside's productions have been featured on numerous mixtapes. Along with 808 Mafia's TM88, the single "Danny Glover" became a breakout in early 2014 for Gucci Mane's protégé

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

, produced by Southside. By late 2014, Southside's production continued to catapult into Atlanta's hip hop mainstream when Future's mixtape ''

Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'' went on to become one of the most well acclaimed rap releases during that year as Southside handled a quarter of the mixtape's entire production. The well received project has seen more than a million combined streams and downloads via the online mixtape site

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Med ...

. ''Monster '' standout " Commas" was released as an official commercial single in March 2015 and spent 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 55, simultaneity earning an RIAA gold certification further cementing Southside's career boost. In 2015, Southside continued to push his trap sound in the hip hop industry ubiquitously, especially on various songs produced by him and his 808 Mafia collective. Luellen was responsible for producing a significant portion of

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...

's album, '' DS2'', as well as being responsible for producing nine of the ten tracks of Future's mixtape, ''

56 Nights 56 Nights is the fifteenth mixtape by American DJ and record producer, William Moore (professionally known as DJ Esco). It was released on March 21, 2015, through rapper Future's Freebandz Entertainment label. The mixtape additionally received c ...

'', in which Southside made the entire project's worth of beats in only one night. In addition, Southside also contributed to the production of three tracks on the collaborative mixtape ''

What a Time to Be Alive ''What a Time to Be Alive'' is a collaborative commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future. It was released on September 20, 2015, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, Republic Records, Epic Records, A1 R ...

'' by Future and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

Artistry

Southside uses the digital audio workstation,

FL Studio FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...

along with custom installed VST plugins to compose his beats. Luellen's distinct signature

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

sound is gritty, grimy, and thunderous hip hop street sound which is similar to that of his collaborators, Lex Luger and his group

. Despite such similarities, Luellen's sound is distinctly known to be more gangster, bombastic, gritty, rambunctious, and menacing compared to that of his collaborators. Luellen is known for his dark, belligerent, and menacing hip hop sound coupled with hard hitting 808 kicks, crisp snare drums, fast hi-hats, frantic synthesizers, sinister lead instruments, and colorfully layered ominous orchestration of synthesized brass,

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

, stringed, woodwind, and keyboard instruments. Like many other producers Southside uses a musical signature tag on many of the songs he has produced. His main tag is a pitched-up voice saying his name. He also uses his team tag, 808 Mafia and more recently, a sample of the

Ironside (1967 TV series) ''Ironside'' is an American television crime drama that aired on NBC over eight seasons from 1967 to 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as Robert T. Ironside (usually addressed by the title "Chief Ironside"), a consultant for the San Francisc ...

theme song produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

. Back in the beginning of his career, Southside claimed to complete a single beat in 15 to 30 minutes, but as of 2015, he claims to be able to make a single beat in less than 6 minutes and with no sound. He cites

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

as his favorite producer and enjoys the production work made by

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

, Shawty Redd, and

Drumma Boy Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mo ...

. He is also influenced by the production works of

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

. Southside also credits modern technology and internet, particularly through the monetization of music through streaming sites such as

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...

, and

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Appl ...

that help him make a living off of his passion for hip hop music and well as making his own production career possible. Inside the studio, Southside is known for his strong work ethic and strategic marketing acumen when producing beats for artists and getting the finalized track towards the mixtape circuit or for radio play. Since 2013, Southside began to focus on his career as a producer from an entrepreneurial perspective, cultivating talent while learning the ins and outs of the legality in the music production business as well as negotiating deals and making the financial decisions on every track he is responsible for producing.

Discography

Collaborative albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Southside 1989 births Living people 1017 Brick Squad artists African-American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American rhythm and blues keyboardists Businesspeople from Atlanta GOOD Music artists Musicians from Atlanta Rappers from Atlanta Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Southern hip hop musicians Trap musicians Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people FL Studio users African-American male songwriters