Joshua Howard Luellen(born February 2, 1989),[1]known professionally asSouthside(also known asSizzle), is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. Based inAtlanta,he is recognized in themusic industryfor his aggressive,trap-infused production work for prominent hip hop artists.[2]His association with hometown rapperWaka Flocka Flameled Luellen to sign to his labelBrick Squad Monopoly,an imprint ofGucci Mane's1017 Records,as in-house talent in 2010. Luellen and labelmate, fellow producerLex Lugerestablished the production team808 Mafiathat same year, who were credited on several commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.[3]
Southside | |
|---|---|
 Southside in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joshua Howard Luellen |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | February 2, 1989 Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | |
| Children | 6 |
As a lead artist, Luellen signed withEpic Recordsto release his collaborative album withG Herbo,Swervo(2018), which peaked at number 15 on theBillboard200.His 2022 single, "Hold That Heat"(withFuturefeaturingTravis Scott) marked his first entry—at number 57—on theBillboardHot 100.Despite not performing on both, he has released several mixtapes as a recording artist.[4]
Early life
editSouthside was raised in the Southeast section ofAtlanta, Georgia.[1]Growing up, he playedLittle League Baseballbut gave up the sport after suffering a concussion when he was hit in the head with a ball.[5]He started making beats when he was 14 years old, when he got his first computer from his uncle.[6]
Career
editIt was around his mid-teenage years that Southside decided to start taking music production as a serious career, He was later discovered by rapperWaka Flocka Flameat the age of 17, and through Waka's connection withGucci Mane,Luellen was signed to1017 Records.[7][8]At the label, Luellen metLex Luger,a fellow producer for Waka Flocka, and the two laid the production groundwork for Waka Flocka's debut album,Flockaveli(2010). Southside's first major credit was the song "Fuck the Club Up," which appeared the album.
In 2011, Southside co-produced the track "Illest Motherfucker Alive", fromKanye WestandJay-Z's albumWatch the Throne.[9]This gained him wider recognition in mainstream hip hop. He has since worked with artists such asRick Ross,Jeezy,Wale,Meek Mill,Lil Scrappy,MGK[10]among others.
Southside was the main producer of Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka's collaborative albumFerrari Boyz,and on Flocka's second albumTriple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family.[11]
In January 2013, Southside produced "Millions" – the lead single fromPusha T's mixtapeWrath of Caine.[12]The music video for the song was released on February 10. The song sparked controversy when producerRico Beatswas asked to modify Southside's instrumental for the final version of the song. Southside wasn't notified of the changes, which led to the two producers exchanging threats overTwitter.[13]OnWrath of Caine'sofficial track list, Kanye West was credited as co-producer, instead of Rico Beats.[14]Also in 2013, Southside andTM88produced the song "Tapout"byRich Gangfrom theirself-titled album.The song peaked at number 44 on theBillboardHot 100and received gold certification by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA).
Throughout the early 2010s, Southside's productions have been featured on numerous mixtapes. Produced with TM88,Young Thug's 2014 single "Danny Glover" became one of his breakout hits. By late 2014, Southside's production continued to catapult into Atlanta's hip hop mainstream when Future's mixtapeMonstersaw widespread praise as Southside handled a quarter of the mixtape's production.Monsterstandout "Commas"was released as a commercial single in March 2015 and spent 20 weeks on theBillboardHot 100 chart, peaking at number 55 while earning a gold certification by the RIAA.[15]
In 2015, Southside continued to push his trap sound in the hip hop industry ubiquitously, especially on various songs produced by him and his 808 Mafia collective. Luellen was responsible for producing a significant portion ofFuture's album,DS2,as well as being responsible for producing nine of the ten tracks of Future's mixtape,56 Nights,in which Southside made the entire project's worth of beats in only one night.[16]In addition, Southside also contributed to the production of three tracks on the collaborative mixtapeWhat a Time to Be Aliveby Future andDrake.
Artistry
editSouthside uses the digital audio workstation,FL Studioalong with custom installedVSTplugins to compose his beats. Luellen's distinct signaturetrapsound is gritty, grimy, and thunderous hip hop street sound which is similar to that of his collaborators, Lex Luger and his group808 Mafia.Despite such similarities, Luellen's sound is distinctly known to be more gangster, bombastic, gritty, rambunctious, and menacing compared to that of his collaborators. Luellen is known for his dark, belligerent, and menacing hip hop sound coupled with hard hitting808kicks, crisp snare drums, fast hi-hats, frantic synthesizers, sinister lead instruments, and colorfully layered ominous orchestration of synthesized brass,hits,stringed, woodwind, and keyboard instruments.[4][17][18][19]Like many other producers Southside uses a musical signature tag on many of the songs he has produced. His main tag is a pitched-up voice saying his name. He also uses his team tag, 808 Mafia and more recently, a sample of theIronside (1967 TV series)theme song produced byQuincy Jones.[1]Back in the beginning of his career, Southside claimed to complete a single beat in 15 to 30 minutes, but as of 2015, he claims to be able to make a single beat in less than 6 minutes and with no sound.[5]He citesLil Jonas his favorite producer and enjoys the production work made byPharrell,Shawty Redd,andDrumma Boy.[20]He is also influenced by the production works ofKanye West,Dr. Dre,TimbalandandSwizz Beatz.[21]
Southside also credits modern technology and internet, particularly through the monetization of music through streaming sites such asSoundCloud,YouTube,Spotify,andApple Musicthat help him make a living off of his passion for hip hop music and well as making his own production career possible.[15]Inside the studio, Southside is known for his strong work ethic and strategic marketing acumen when producing beats for artists and getting the finalized track on the mixtape circuit or radio.[8][22]Since 2013, Southside began to focus on his career as a producer from an entrepreneurial perspective, cultivating talent while learning the ins and outs of the legality in the music production business as well as negotiating deals and making the financial decisions on every track he is responsible for producing.[3]
Discography
editCollaborative albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] |
US R&B/HH [24] |
US Rap [25] | ||
| Swervo (withG Herbo) |
15 | 8 | 8 | |
Mixtapes
edit| Title | Mixtape details |
|---|---|
| Free Agent |
|
| Young Extravagent Nigga |
|
| Free Agent 2 |
|
| Free Agent 3 |
|
| Hardcore N Hi-Tech |
|
| Lebron Flocka James 4 (withWaka Flocka Flame) |
|
| I.O.U. |
|
| Trap Ye |
|
| 808 Day |
|
| Trap Ye: Season 2 |
|
| Blood on the Hills (with Pyrex and808 Mafia) |
|
| Demons R Us (withDoe Boy) |
|
| BREAK THE SILENCE |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] |
US R&B /HH [27] |
US Rap [28] |
CAN [29] |
NZ Hot [30] | |||
| "Who Run It" (withG Herbo) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | Swervo |
| "Focused" (with G Herbo) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Swervo" (with G Herbo) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "That's How I Grew Up" (with G Herbo) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Some Nights" (with G Herbo) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Big Ol' Ass" (with Wolfeworks and Craft) |
— | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Order" (withTM88andGunna) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hmmm" (featuringLil YachtyandValee) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Can't Control" (with Bass Frequency) |
2019 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Been Thru This Before" (withMarshmellofeaturingGiggsandSaint Jhn) |
2020 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Blood on the Hills" (withPyrexand808 Mafia) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Blue Jean Bandit" (with TM88 andMoneybagg YofeaturingYoung ThugandFuture) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Yessirski" (withDoe Boy) |
— | — | — | — | — | Demons R Us | |
| "Tweakin" (with Doe Boy featuring Future) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "No Keys" (featuring JessLøcc) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lost Remix" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Empty Space" (with 10MilliVision) |
2022 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Stay with Me" (with 18iker and 808 Mafia) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hold That Heat" (with Future featuringTravis Scott) |
57 | 16 | 13 | 43 | 9 | ||
| "Gimme da Lite" (with Lil Yachty) |
2023 | — | — | — | — | 29 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Breakin' U Off" (TM88andRich the KidfeaturingTy Dolla Sign,2 Chainz,and Southside) |
2020 |
References
edit- ^abcInterview: SouthSideArchivedFebruary 19, 2012, at theWayback MachineThe Marrack
- ^"Southside Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |".AllMusic.
- ^abEMMANUEL C.M. (August 13, 2015)."Southside Explains How Future's New Album Came Together".XXL.RetrievedAugust 26,2015.
- ^abMarrack, Peter (August 30, 2011).""THE ILLEST MOTHERFUCKER ALIVE" – AN INTERVIEW WITH SOUTHSIDE ".Respect.RetrievedAugust 6,2015.
- ^ab"Interview: Southside On Future, Fatherhood, and Making Beats in Six Minutes".Complex.
- ^Interview with SouthsideArchivedJanuary 25, 2013, atarchive.todayIGetMusic
- ^Southside music will make us sizzleTheWhatItDo
- ^abGraham, Nadine (August 19, 2011)."DXnext: South Side".HipHopDX.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
- ^Southside Talks Producing For Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Watch The Throne"HipHopDX
- ^Interview with SouthsideArchivedJanuary 25, 2013, atarchive.todayIGetMusic
- ^"Gucci Mane / Waka Flocka Flame: Ferrari Boyz Album Review | Pitchfork".pitchfork.RetrievedDecember 23,2017.
- ^"Pusha T – Millions".DJ Booth. February 10, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 11,2013.
- ^"Southside Calls Out Rico Beats Over Production Credit On Pusha T's" Millions "".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 11,2013.
- ^"Pusha T – Wrath of Caine".DatPiff. Archived fromthe originalon July 9, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 11,2013.
- ^abSuarez, Gary (November 4, 2015)."Southside: The Atlanta Producer Behind Future's Hip-Hop Takeover".Forbes.RetrievedFebruary 24,2016.
- ^Brendan Varan. (September 3, 2015)."SOUTHSIDE ON MAKING" 56 NIGHTS, "LIVING WITH TRAVI$ SCOTT & MORE (VIDEO INTERVIEW)".DJBooth.RetrievedOctober 5,2015.
- ^"Brick Squad Producer Southside Interview".Arkatech Beats. November 15, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2015.RetrievedAugust 6,2015.
- ^Drake, David (February 28, 2014)."What's Young Thug Like In the Studio? We Interviewed" Danny Glover "Producers 808 Mafia".Complex.RetrievedJuly 26,2014.
- ^"Brick Squad Producer Southside Interview".Arkatechbeatz. November 15, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon August 11, 2014.RetrievedJuly 26,2014.
- ^"The Illest Motherfucker Alive" – an interview with SouthsideRespect-Mag
- ^Lex Luger & Southside talk producers, software, and creativityRespect-Mag
- ^Drake, David (February 28, 2014)."What's Young Thug Like In the Studio? We Interviewed" Danny Glover "Producers 808 Mafia".Complex.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
- ^"G Herbo Chart History: Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
- ^"G Herbo Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
- ^"G Herbo Chart History: Top Rap Albums".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
- ^"Future Chart History: Hot 100".Billboard.RetrievedMay 2,2022.
- ^"Future Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs".Billboard.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
- ^"Future Chart History: Rap Songs".Billboard.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
- ^"Future Chart History: Canadian Hot 100".Billboard.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
- ^Peaks in New Zealand:
- "Hold That Heat":"NZ Hot Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ. May 2, 2022.RetrievedApril 30,2022.
- "Gimme da Lite":"NZ Hot Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ. December 18, 2023.RetrievedDecember 15,2023.
