Rise & Grind is a new editorial series, meant to introduce and dissect new, buzzing, or underground artists.
One of the most crucial moves that an artist has to make in order to elicit any buzz in Atlanta is to give an unforgettable show at any of the city's classic venues, whether it be at The Drunken Unicorn or The Masquerade. Yet somehow, a sensational Atlanta upstart who goes by the name of SoFaygo recently unleashed pure chaos on the corner of West Peachtree Street and 17th Street as droves of fans lined up to see him perform live for the first time, ever.
SoFaygo performing live for the very first time at his Soundcloud "First on Soundcloud" event in Atlanta - photo by Cones
Despite having garnered 16 million streams on SoundCloud alone for his Lil Tecca-produced hit song "Knock Knock" over the past two years, SoFaygo had still yet to perform live in front of anyone up until July 17, 2021, when SoundCloud's "First On SoundCloud" artist accelerator program teamed up with the Cactus Jack-affiliated artist to put on a free, all-ages debut concert at The Loft. With a line stretching for blocks, SoFaygo's early stardom was on full display, and by the time he hit the stage, hundreds of fans had to be turned away due to the intimate venue already being at max capacity.
Luckily, we were able to catch SoFaygo during what was likely one of the most hectic weekends of his life, and during the interview, the "Knock Knock" artist opened up about himself, revealed how he and Travis Scott first met, and shared everything going through his head hours before a performance that would mark the official rise of SoFagyo. The discussion follows below, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Be on the lookout for a new installment of Rise & Grind every Monday.
Photo by Cones
Stomping Grounds:
It was weird growing up in Atlanta because I moved schools a lot, so it was really hard for me to be around people and make friends and shit. But I always loved music, like ever since I was a little boy, so I always like carried that over my years.
Zodiac Sign:
Libra. My girl tells me that I act like one all the time. Sometimes I don't be feeling like that, but sometimes it's like dang, maybe she right.
Top 5 DOA:
Chief Keef, Young Thug, Uzi, Future. I don't even really know...I'm starting to like NBA Youngboy a lot.
Biggest Accomplishment:
My biggest accomplishment so far, is this show. Very big accomplishment. And it's about to go crazy. It's about to be legendary..
Studio Habits & Essentials:
I really don't like to have a lot of people in my studio sessions. I kind of like it to be like my own personal thinking space for me to work. I don't really do anything weird in the sudio either, besides screaming at the top of my lungs
"Knock Knock":
It's crazy because on the release date of "Knock Knock," like, I would have never thought it would do what it did, you feel what I'm saying. I would have never thought.
First Bars:
Actually don't remember. I remember the first song. The first song that I recorded was in fourth grade, but I like completely forgot about the song. I was a kid, so it was just on some like playful shit. Actually, my cousin helped me write the song.
Clocking Out:
I want to get into like art, like digital art. I used to make my own cover art before I had other people making them, so I find an interest in that. Fashion as well. I really just been watching animes bro. I'm trying to just look for a good one to watch because Attack On Titan is really slacking right now.
Up Next:
I have an album coming out. My fans should expect the album around October.
Photo by Cones
HNHH: How does it feel to have gotten co-signs from stars like Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, and Trippie Redd before you even played your first show? And tell me what working on your debut album has been like.
SoFaygo: It’s cool. I mean, I met them. They’re cool people just like me, really. Working on the album has been crazy. It's really stressful — trying to come up with different sounds in the studio and trying to put it all together and make it sound perfect. It's a really stressful process, and even on the visual side of it is a lot of work. But I'm trying to stay level headed and just get this thing out.
Billie Eilish recently came out and said that she hated making her debut album, kind of for similar reasons that you just mentioned. Are you still enjoying the process though?
Yeah! Of course, of course.
Bet. That's all that matters then. Well, something that probably everyone wants to know is what's up with this Cactus Jack thing. How did communication between you and Travis even start up?
Really, Barry Hefner got us in contact. I met Barry through one of my mans, Jamie. And when I met Barry, he was a real straight-up guy. He was really about his business, so I really looked at that and was like, “Wow, this is somebody I need to be around.” I just stuck with him; we were just working. He was trying to get me right, with all of this pressure that I'm going through, my fan base growing, and all that shit like that. So, it got to a point where he was just like, “Alright, yeah, we're about to go out to LA and we're about to meet Cactus Jack. So we went out there. I met him. They was real cool, and it was really family vibes. So shout out Cactus Jack.
It looks like family. You've even been to a Dior show with them. That must be mind-blowing, to release "Knock Knock" two years ago and in 2021 be at a Dior show. How are you keeping your sanity throughout all of this?
I really don't know. I try to treat everything like it's normal — like it was meant to happen. But yeah, it was really wild just being there, like in the midst of like all those people, man. It was a crazy experience.
Tell me how your experience has been like with the "First on SoundCloud" artist accelerator program so far?
It's been cool; it's been really fire actually. A fire experience. The whole team is cool. It's amazing.
As an artist who is about to have their first show after having so many huge cosigns, what do you have to say to all the critics and skeptics who may think that you're skipping over those important foundational steps that artists typically take at the beginning of their careers? Like opening for some random act at The Masquerade or on Edgewood. What do you have to say to those people who think that you're just like zooming past everything?
I don't really fuck with critics, so fuck em.
You're also about to go on a nationwide tour with Trippie and Iann Dior, so you're putting in the work. What is your mindset going into that experience?
I'm just excited to see what everything's gonna be like man. I’m all for just growing and learning new things every day.
Bet. Well, one more thing for you. With a night like this — I know you said that this is probably your biggest accomplishment so far — so, what are you feeling right now?
This is just the start of something beautiful, man.
WATCH: SoFaygo "Everyday"
Read last week's interview with Mereba here.