That relatability also lifted him from local legend to all-around rap star. Though Gotti is significantly older than the second wave of Grind City MCs, those qualities have made him as much a peer to Young Dolph, Key Glock and Duke Deuce as he is an influence. He proudly repped that cred on his noisy, mean-mugging 2000 debut, From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game, but by the time Gotti released 2015's “Down in the DM”-a smirking take on bawdy social-media flirting-he’d fully owned a persona that’s also playful, irreverent and of-the-moment. Though he emerged shortly after Three 6 Mafia’s hyper-regional horrorcore stylings won national acclaim in 1995, Gotti executed a Southern sound more widely appealing-assured and charismatic, yet capturing the gloom that clouds a street hustler’s life. Born Mario Mims in 1981, Gotti witnessed his hometown’s rap coming-of-age, and arrived career-wise in time to amplify that revolution. He puts in the work through rich storytelling, guttural beats and deft lyricism whether he’s recalling his rough childhood or his latest online fling. Yo Gotti is shaping the sound of Memphis in his own image, one track at a time.

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