Bear1Boss is Atlanta’s rap pop star

The 25-year-old rapper, born Daniel Pointer, said “Bubbles” was probably his strongest project to date. And that’s not hyperbole, considering he’s dropped more than 20 projects since 2016.

“(Before) I felt like I was trying to find my balance and rapping like the rent was due. I was trying to prove something. “Bubbles” is more about me having nothing to prove because I’m here. I believe in myself again.

The 11-track album embodies all the sentiments of its namesake. There are songs like the Popstar Benny-produced “Cannonball” that sounds like you’re playing a video game set in a water park. Or “I Am Not a Pimp”, a carefree track, carried by airy synths, on which Bear1Boss boasts of being comfortable with his rapper lifestyle (“life can be easy/life can be simple”).

Bear1Boss is the self-proclaimed pop star who doesn’t care how others perceive his unorthodox style. For him, his sound is already legendary. And he can’t wait to hear more.

The rapper recently signed a co-publishing deal with American Songs and Rick Rubin’s Pulse Music Group. But he remains an independent artist determined to bring his sound to the masses. He has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“I’m going to have a legendary race. I am 25. I’m not stopping, so once I run, I’ll probably be like this for the rest of eternity. This will go into the books. Everyone will notice.

Baby Tate leads #TateTuesday

Credit: Jonathan Weiner

Credit: Jonathan Weiner

Have you listened to #TateTuesday? If not, you should.

Decatur-bred artist Baby Tate has launched a weekly social media series in which she performs freestyles to the beat of her favorite songs. The trend started after her appearance on the radar went viral on social media last month. For nearly three minutes, the singer and rapper pays homage to her idols (including her mother, legendary singer Dionne Farris) while seamlessly blending her intelligent lyricism and soulful vocals over the Neptunes-produced beat for “Let’s Get Blown” from Snoop Dogg.

Tate followed up this success by feeding fans more freestyles each week. Take for example its Mother’s Day-themed #TateTuesday. Using Victoria Monét’s “On My Mama” as a backdrop, Baby Tate further showcases her silky tone to deliver a poetic ode to her mother that sounds like a groovy lyric you’d hear on a neo-soul album by the 90s. On another #TateTuesday, she dives headfirst into a vicious rap persona with tantalizing lyrics about her being. You one to watch – all over the menacing beat of Kendrick Lamar’s warning “Like That.”

With a refreshingly versatile artistry that proves she can conquer any genre, Baby Tate’s #TateTuesday reveals why more people should watch her.

Atlanta has been at the center of a very, very long rap battle

Credit: ArLuther Lee

Credit: ArLuther Lee

It looks like the rap battle royale of the year is finally over (thank goodness). For six weeks, the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has dominated pop culture. Undercover social media timelines. It became exciting to be a hater. Motivated the minds of more rappers to join in the fun while stirring unease in the souls of others (I’m looking at you, J.Cole).

As of this writing from Kendrick Lamar’s latest record, the DJ Mustard-produced banger “Not Like Us” is the No. 1 song in the country, which seems like a fitting closure to a battle that seemed like it would never end. And it all started with “Like That,” a song from an album by Future and Metro Boomin. In fact, Atlanta rap continued to dominate throughout the duration of the jam. Lamar deftly contextualizes his power on “Not Like Us.”

According to him, the city’s rap scene is so great that it allowed Drake to become the biggest rapper in the world.

“You called Future when you didn’t see the club/Lil Baby helped you improve your lingo/21 gave you fake street cred/Thug made you feel like slime in your head /Quavo said you could be from the Northside/2 Chainz said you’re good, but he lied/You run to Atlanta when you need a few bucks/No, you’re not a co-worker, you’re a colonizer (oath).

Atlanta marked the beginning and end of the most exhilarating rap in recent memory – proving that the city is the supreme queen of hip-hop that will continue to shape historic moments. While Lamar emerged the Pyrrhic winner of a battle that devolved into disappointing bars about domestic violence and pedophilia (a topic both rappers should have avoided, given their respective histories of supporting abusers ), Atlanta became the beef MVP.