THE GODFATHER OF MISSISSIPPI RAP, MELLO-T

Music is an expression of self, but for some, it began as a gateway out of the struggles of life.

Many claim to be a staple of hip-hop’s growth and trail to becoming the most popular genre of music there is. Founders and originators; MC’s and lyricists; trendsetters and OG’s, but how many was as monumental from the days when hip-hop was raw and gritty? Few can continue to dispute their claim when compared to a true hip-hop legend like The Godfather Mello-T. His name alone is a mystery to most. The scarcity of information acts not as evidence to disprove his legacy in hop-hop but is a testament to how far back his era spans. The world of digital information was still in its infancy compared to where it is now, thus the lack of tracing to what could be said to be a blessing to the rap game.

A Mississippi native born and bred; The Godfather Mello-T is one of the pioneers of rap in the Mississippi music scene. His journey as an artist took root in the early 90’s when he formed the underground clique, Wildlife Society; the first rap group from Mississippi. The group was instrumental in bridging the gap from the street life to the music industry. Originally, money wasn’t the only motivator. In fact, the group was created with the intention of combating the gang activity by way of putting out music and showing those in that lifestyle a better way to come up and make it.

Mello-T and his group Wildlife Society would go on to release street anthems like “Nuthin’ But A Come-Up (Move, Muhfucker, Move)” and “Bald Headed Ho’s Suck Dick.” Both tracks gained them the notoriety needed to capture the attention of Murder Inc. powerhouses Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. They would sign Wildlife Society to TVT Records where they became the first rap group to be signed to a major record label deal and continued to blaze a trail to success.                      

Mello-T would ride the wave of his raise and become a part of the new group Children of the Cornbread which released several albums that further shook the streets with their sound. Not only did he form another super group, he also opened his own record label, On The Block Records in New York. His street savvy business mentality was converted to that of the music industry.

Mello-T, who aims to reunite with his long lost friend Irv Gotti, continues to be involved in the music industry, not as an artist, but one who is using his knowledge and expertise to groom and push artists like Mississippi’s very own buzzing rappers OTS Ak and Gutta baby. The latter recently releasing his album Golden Visions. Mello-T has had a monumental run in the music game, from his hand in being a creator and founder of the Mississippi sound, to being the first Mississippi artist to bring Master P to their hometown, to being responsible for bringing the rap juggernaut David Banner to the world. Even given these accolades under his belt, he’s still pushing the boundaries of his craft and business acumen by working on his own documentary along with launching a media group with his business partner Director Stackz.

Chad Mauli

Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.