Southside

At the forefront of the mainstream trap boom in 2010, Atlanta rapper and producer Southside delivers gritty tracks stuffed with booming beats, much like contemporaries Zaytoven and Metro Boomin. Known for his frequent collaborations with fellow Atlanta artists Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, and Future, Southside also performs under the moniker Young Sizzle, releasing a handful of mixtapes including the Free Agent series.

Born Joshua Howard Luellen, he grew up, as his name suggests, in south Atlanta, focusing on sports before he started beatmaking at the age of 14, inspired by Lil Jon, Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Kanye West, and Swizz Beatz. He forged an early alliance with Waka Flocka Flame, joining fellow producer Lex Luger on a trio of tracks from the rapper's 2010 debut, Flockaveli. That same year, Luellen and Luger joined to form the production/songwriting team 808 Mafia.