Today we’d like to introduce you to AWFM (A Weirdo From Memphis).
AWFM (A Weirdo From Memphis), let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a rapper. I’m signed to a creative company known as Unapologetic that’s run by a producer-artist known as IMAKEMADBEATS. Everyone in the company has different talent and focus from visual art and merchandising to music but we all co-exist under the focus of being as unapologetically you as possible and as loudly as possible. I’m often seen with red eyes, a four tooth gold grill engraved with the word SHIT, a lot of streetwear, and a pink rabbit hat that is an homage to Harmony Korine and the character bunny boy.
Personally, I’ve wanted to rap since I was kid. But the ups and downs of life in Memphis swiftly began to make me muffle those hopes and keep them hidden. I’d pursue normal professional goals and keep my interest to myself until I was halfway through college and realizing I was really unhappy. That lack of happiness reached a peak in 2013 and I decided everything I was going to do would be centered around rap and making rap the only thing I did in life. I only completed college in order to make money to fund rap.
As for the music, I specialize in saying a lot of things that many are thinking but don’t really find comfort letting out. You’d be surprised how many are thinking what you’re thinking but just waiting to know that others are similar. Along with that I tell stories from my perspective: that of an estranged black man saying whatever he wants whether vulgar, offensive, or controversial, living in Memphis, a city sitting right on the buckle of the bible belt with a history of rough race relations and poverty/ violence existing in heightened pockets within the black community. That normally allows my voice to grab attention and stand out pretty well. My music is everything to me. Nothing makes my heart soar more than getting in front of a crowd of people I’ve never met and vomiting up rap verses that connect the souls of everybody there. This is all I want to do. I refuse to end up doing anything else.
Rap has taken me from coast to coast performing and meeting other artist, but I’m still working on saying what I have to say louder and louder until it’s loud enough to reach the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth at all on multiple levels. Rap is an art form that requires you to invest in yourself, and there’s nothing fun about the uncertainty of finances and how extreme that can get in that universe. Then there’s another thing to be said for the region you choose to do it in. People move to your LAs, New York, Miamis, etc. because there’s a large population and inflow of new people. There’s also a lot of opportunity to be seen although there’s also alot of competition. But in Memphis, doing what you do and getting it to a large amount of people can be very difficult. The cities stereotypes and historical past tend to control the narrative of what to expect from Memphis, although there is a ton of new talent doing very different things from what worked in the past in all forms of media. It takes a literal overwhelming explosion of people becoming obsessively interested in a person before publications and opportunities tend to line up for anyone here. In order to stand out, you have to seriously move fearlessly and loudly as possible.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Unapologetic is a creative entity run, owned, and founded by IMAKEMADBEATS. Mad is a veteran in the music industry with years of experience spanning across multiple states. He started Unapologetic because Memphis needed a shining example of people being themselves within the city and successfully doing that without having to hide or conceal any parts of themselves. There are visual, sound, merchandising, youth empowerment, and creative direction areas of the company and within each silo various people work relentlessly to self-express in ways that inspire many to be themselves more than they might’ve ever thought possible.
We make our own music, direct and shoot our own videos, self-fund and run a youth scholarship program, and a lot more that you should come see and look into.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is definitely “Becoming” a good place for crafts like ours. With every year that different artist push the boundaries in unique ways, it becomes a bit more possible to do what we do on a large scale in Memphis.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @awfmemphis, @weareunapologetic
- Twitter: @awfmemphis, foreverunap
Image Credit:
Catherine Elizabeth Patton
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
