![]() ![]() But he’s left the golf shirts behind, often performing in a sleeveless T-shirt and a backward baseball cap - attire that should be excellently suited to singing outdoors in Arkansas in late May. Fast-forward a few years and that vagabond of sorts is now making a living in the world of country music. The story goes that a certain former college golfer named Kip Moore packed up his belongings and headed from Georgia to Hawaii, where he lived in a hut, surfed, backpacked and wrote songs. Saturday, Arkansas Federal Credit Union Stage. ![]() There may even be the rare ballad here and there, like “Relationship” from “Beautiful Thugger Girls.” CFĩ:30 p.m. Expect a high-energy, nonstop set full of hi-hat trap beats and warbling synths perfect for a Saturday night. This year he’s released an EP, “Hear No Evil,” featuring Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage - which seems uncharacteristic for someone who perpetually has another mixtape in the works. Young Thug’s latest mixtape is 2017’s “Super Slimey,” a team-up with fellow Atlanta rapper Future. “Pick Up the Phone” from his 2016 mixtape, “Jeffery,” is as catchy as anything you’ve ever heard, with some great hooks and bubbling synths. ![]() “Thugger,” as he’s also commonly referred to, has an interesting Arkansas connection (besides having performed at the Metroplex Live back in 2016.) Former Arkansas Times entertainment editor Will Stephenson wrote the cover story on Young Thug for The Fader magazine, tracing the rapper’s ascent to household name status, and calling him “Atlanta’s wildest rapper.” Williams got his first big break when he signed on to fellow Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane’s label and, as Young Thug, he’s been praised for his vocal style and unique approach to rapping, warping and reaching for syllables you didn’t know existed. The other “young” moniker on the RiverFest lineup is a rapper hailing from Atlanta whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams. It’s not only a great idea, but as Chuck Dauphin of Sounds Like Nashville pointed out, “This is a great reminder of how great that time was, and also how great Lawrence’s artistry was - and is!” BP These include Luke Bryan singing along on “Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis” with Justin Moore, “Paint Me a Birmingham” with Easton Corbin and “Texas Tornado” with Dustin Lynch. His latest album is “Good Ole Days,” which pairs many of his iconic hits with some of today’s most popular country stars. Younger country fans may remember him for the 2007 hit “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” that featured guest vocals by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. And it’s one that wouldn’t hurt us all to listen to, reflect on and learn a little something from every now and then, with its lines like “if the world had a front porch like we did back then, we’d still have our problems, but we’d all be friends.” Lawrence grew up in Foreman (Little River County) and attended Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia before finding success in Nashville. He not only sang it, but co-wrote it as well. But it was the 1995 hit “If the World Had a Front Porch,” which glorified “purple hulls” and “distant whippoorwills,” that I liked the best. Singles like “Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis,” “My Second Home” and “Texas Tornado” have stood the test of time as great country songs. He had a slew of hits in the early ’90s that we still love today. I’ve always liked Tracy Lawrence, and not just because of his Arkansas roots. It’s got big rock songs that sound like they were made for an arena (“Crystallized”), catchy sing-alongs (“Silvertongue”) and songs that are just straight-up dancey (“Nothing’s Over.”) Look for a big, energetic, shout-along indie rock set from it. Young the Giant’s style doesn’t ever stay in one place, though. “It’s a rich kid game, didn’t grow up with a throne/It’s all it really is,” he sings on opening track “Amerika,” contending that you can only achieve the American dream if you’re already born into means. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia’s parents are immigrants from India. On Young the Giant’s latest album, “Home of the Strange,” the band gets political. To date, the quintet has three LPs of anthemic indie rock under its belt, the most popular of which is “Cough Syrup,” with an impressive 109,130,005 plays on Spotify. The Irvine, Calif., band started out as The Jakes, but eventually changed its name after releasing “Young the Giant,” its debut album, in 2010. Young the Giant may not be as prominent as some other indie rockers that have performed at Riverfests past, but it’s just as good. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |