Lil Wyte

Lil Wyte, a rapid-fire rapper steeped in crunk, first attracted Three 6 Mafia’s notice while performing with an all-white crew to which he belonged. That outfit dissolved, yet the Memphis native’s abilities proved impossible to ignore. Juicy J and DJ Paul promptly signed the rapper, still under 21, and began shaping his debut project. Released in 2003, Doubt Me Now circulated by word of mouth among devoted crunk and Southern rap listeners; “Smoking Song” soon surfaced on countless street-level mixtapes while online forums overflowed with commentary about Wyte. Warner Bros. extended an offer to position him as the flagship act for the relaunch of its Asylum imprint. He accepted and insisted Juicy J and DJ Paul accompany him. Their contributions helped make the 2004 album Phinally Phamous one of the most “real” and “street” major-label releases issued under the crunk banner. The follow-up, 2007’s The One and Only, climbed to number 46 on the Billboard Top 200 and stood as his strongest commercial showing at the time. Two years afterward, the fourth LP The Bad Influence—again produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J—registered a respectable chart placement but became Wyte’s final Asylum release.

In 2011, the SNO collaboration Year Round with Jelly Roll and BPZ served as the first title on his own Wyte Records, issued jointly with Hypnotize Minds. Still Doubted? arrived the next year as his initial solo project after departing Warner; the well-reviewed set was supported by the mixtape Wyte Out, one of several he distributed during that period. Joint efforts followed, including 2013’s No Filter with Jelly Roll and 2014’s B.A.R. (Bay Area Representatives) with Frayser Boy, before he resumed solo work with No Sick Days, his sixth solo album. Throughout these years the prolific artist continued issuing multiple mixtapes annually. 2016 brought both the Jelly Roll sequel No Filter 2 and the sixth holiday installment, Wyte Christmas 6 with DJ Ritz.