Bricc Baby’s surprising rise from complete unknown to buzzing rapper over the past couple of years belies an impressive tale of serendipity. While he had been steadily building a following, he really came into himself last year with a notable feature on YG’s Still Brazy and the well-received Nasty Dealer Pt. 2 mixtape, which showcased his extensive network of connections in the industry and even earned a spot on one of our year end lists for its retro cover paying tribute to classic west coast albums.
We asked Bricc Baby to recount his come up in the game, from his many name changes (from Shitro to Shitty Montana, and finally Bricc Baby). The Los Angeles-born emcee also explains his bi-coastal connections that brought him close to both Kid Ink’s Bat Gang label and the Atlanta-based MPA crew of Duke, Peewee Longway and Young Thug. Turns out Bricc Baby was bankrolling studio sessions for Young Thug very early on, so we can thank him in part for the gift that is Thugger.
The timing of his move to Atlanta at 18 allowed him to absorb the rich hip hop cultures of both southern California and Atlanta. His origins make him well aware of the stereotypes about both coasts. “The west coast is known for starting ‘lingo’,” Bricc Baby explains. “Atlanta is becoming big for it too, because everybody mumble when they talk and fuck up words.” The influences show up in his music as well; he says that “the whole west coast culture, the lingo, I’ll take the lingo and flip it, but my rhyme patterns n’ shit might come from Atlanta.”
Watch the latest episode of On The Come Up above, and be on the look out for his next project Bricc James.