Artist Profile: THEFOODLORD
THEFOODLORD, the vocally potent rapper from Atlanta, Georgia, found his stride during the pandemic and hasn’t looked back, releasing 26 projects on Spotify alone, each with its own unique aura that permeates its tracklist.
His most recent, a Bandcamp Exclusive collaboration with British producer Eahwee, is another notch in his belt. Over eight short tracks, THEFOODLORD spits his trademark bars, and, when cushioned by the project’s atmospheric production, the project serves as yet another showcase of his undeniable talent.
Yet, his current level of confidence and comfortability in his flow was something that took years to develop.
Beginning at three years old, he knew that he wanted to be a rapper; the rhymes and flows of artists like 2Pac and Kanye West had threaded themselves through the fibers of his existence, and he knew that hip-hop, as an art form, was something that he wanted to pursue.
He got his first introduction to music-making as a high schooler when he joined a rap group, N.A.S.A, and put out his first verses. Being surrounded by other artists (as well as 6LACK, who was a classmate of his) helped propel his desire and interest even further. Yet, the primary producer for that group was heavily inspired by Pharrell Williams’ work with N.E.R.D, and THEFOODLORD quickly discovered that he wasn’t fully at home in that type of sound.
During the pandemic, however, he linked up with BLAKFALKO, an Atlanta-based producer, and everything changed.
“He started putting me on to [artists like] Navy Blue and Mike and Pink Siifu and all those guys. He was making that type of, those type of beats, but in 2019, bro, he was crazy. He was doing that sh*t on Garage Band, and I always knew how to rap on that type of stuff… And the first song we made was “No Face”. And the face that he made, you know, you in the studio, you listen to music and like you hear something that's crazy? Like the n*gga turned around and looked at me with the ugly face. I knew we had it.”
The space that BLAKFALKO interlaced into his instrumentals, through sparser instrumentation and drum tracks, gave THEFOODLORD the room to operate and experiment with his flow and subject matter. Through this collaboration, he had finally found his sound.
This quickly evolved into a host of collaborations, including working with underground producer Wino Willy. The community that he found through these collaborations fueled his drive to an even greater extent; THEFOODLORD was ready to hit the grindstone with full force.
“I'm like Professor X, that's me. I'm dead*ss like that; I bring people together. You know what I'm saying? You got to know your superpower in this sh*t, and it makes a difference… I had to really learn what my strengths and weaknesses were because I felt like I was on a path to destruction when it came to music… I wanted my focus to be on my art, you know; I’ve got the same mind as like Westside Gunn. I'm like that visually.”
In fact, it is the visual element, brought about through both his lyrical wordplay and the actual covers and titles of his projects themselves, that helps to distinguish THEFOODLORD and his art.
Each project represents a time in his life and creative headspace, and each song represents an opportunity for him to vent out and explore the triumphs and frustrations of his experience.
Now, having found his voice, THEFOODLORD moves into the continuation of a new creative era, propelled by the strength of his prolific work ethic and courageous utterances.