Southside

Southside, the Atlanta rapper and producer, forged a series of potent rap beats across the 2010s and subsequent years that helped define mainstream trap, creating signature instrumentals for Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Drake, and numerous others. Beyond these partnerships he joined G Herbo for the collaborative album Swervo in 2018 and issued his own material under the Young Sizzle alias, including the ongoing Free Agent mixtape series. His 2020s catalog features further sessions with Doe Boy and Travis Scott plus the fully independent 2024 project Break the Silence.

Born Joshua Howard Luellen, the South Atlanta native grew up immersed in sports until he began crafting beats at age 14, drawing early influence from Lil Jon, Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Kanye West, and Swizz Beatz. He quickly aligned with Waka Flocka Flame, teaming with Lex Luger to supply three tracks on the rapper’s 2010 debut Flockaveli; that same year the pair launched the production and songwriting outfit 808 Mafia.

Luellen’s rising profile in Atlanta circles soon brought regular work with Gucci Mane, who turned into a steady client, while the Southside sound attracted additional assignments for Kanye West, Jay-Z, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Wale, Machine Gun Kelly, Pusha T, Young Thug, Drake, and many more. In 2018 he produced every beat on Chicago rapper G Herbo’s sophomore album Swervo, which debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. October 2020 saw the arrival of the Blood on the Hills mixtape, highlighting new joint material from Southside, his 808 Mafia colleagues, and Pyrex. Less than a month later he linked with Doe Boy for the Demons R Us mixtape and its dark trap soundscapes.

Additional production followed, among them the 2022 Travis Scott and Future single “Hold That Heat,” which entered the Billboard charts at number 57. Southside went on to supply tracks for Lil Durk, Polo G, Marshmello, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and others, reaching millions of listeners with each release. In August 2024 he dropped the solo mixtape Break the Silence, a 16-track collection containing no guest appearances.