Pote Baby Is The South’s Best Kept Secret
If you let Pote Baby tell it, he’s “a Savannah, Georgia ni**a,” through and through. The city is considered Atlanta’s little brother by outsiders and the epicenter of Gullah/Geechee cultures by insiders. But to Pote, his hometown is everything; he literally is Savannah. “For people who don’t know what ‘pote’ is, it’s the nickname for Savannah,” he explained. “The city is also called the ‘C-Port,’ but because of our accent, it sounds like ‘pote.’ So my name means ‘Savannah baby.’ I put the city on [my back] when I rap.”
Pote, born Brandon Wilson, embarked on his independent rap journey in 2016 when MadeinTYO’s “Uber Everywhere” blared out of Ubers everywhere. Wilson recalls hearing the Soundcloud hit and feeling seen by TYO’s first verse, explaining that it “felt like my story, like I was rapping it.” After seeing the track’s visuals and his particular aesthetic (“Damn, he’s short like me!”), it inspired him to pick up a microphone. Drawing on the foundation laid by his heroes such as Gucci Mane, T.I., Lil Wayne, and the late Savannah rapper Camoflauge, Pote got the streets talking with mixtapes and singles. His breakthrough arrived with the 2021 track “In The Kitchen,” produced by Ducko McFli, which has become the rapper’s most streamed song.
In celebration of emerging Atlanta-based Hip-Hop talent, VIBE and Amazon’s Amp are highlighting some of the city’s brightest and hottest with The Come Up series. Pote Baby chopped it up with VIBE to discuss his partnership with Amp, his latest project, Yard Work Vol. 1, Savannah’s “Pote Day” celebration, and Georgia’s music scene.
VIBE: When did you fall in love with Hip-Hop?
Pote Baby: I fell in love with Hip-Hop when Trick Daddy’s ‘Nann’ came out. I want to say either ’99 or 2000 is when I heard that song, fell in love. [Wasn’t the] first song I learned by heart, but it was the first rap song I ever heard.
Everything about Trick Daddy felt like everything that was in my neighborhood. If I was to go outside and look on my block, all of them ni**as looked like Trick Daddy. They were some bald head, gold teeth, dark-skinned, Gullah Geechee-as-f**k ni**as, like the whole sh*t. When I saw the video, I saw Trina, and somebody told me they were from Miami. I’m like, ‘Damn.’ I hadn’t been to Miami at the time, like that. It gave me a vision of their world and helped me understand mine.
How is Atlanta’s rap scene different from other regions in America? Is it competitive, or is it familial?
I would compare it to that one cousin you got that always comes to the cookout [laughs]. And every time y’all race, y’all trying your hardest to see who’s the fastest. It’s a lovely competition. It ain’t even beef; it’s just iron sharpens iron. Every time ni**as get in a session with me or I get in a session with them, we try to do our best to make the best song possible and take that energy into our sh*t.
But at the end of the day, it’s super collaborative. Because with ‘the A’ and other cities in the South, they care about the city being at the top versus which emcee is on top. As long as ‘the A’ run it, they don’t give a f**k. We can keep the city on top by working [together]; let’s keep that ball rolling.
Savannah gave you your own day, “Pote Day.” Talk to me about that celebration.
It started with me and my business partner, Donnie. When we started working together, we always told ourselves we didn’t want to be the only rich ni**as in Savannah once this sh*t became a thing. We said with every step we make in the game, we want to bring that sh*t back home. So, with ‘Pote Day,’ the idea was to have music elements with a live show, a block party, and then we have a day for educational and informational panels for industry sh*t.
We have a bunch of spokespeople come down. We had Key Henderson, Tenisha [Clark] from the Whitaker Group, who’s in the streetwear game, and all types of A&Rs give game to the people trying to get into the lane. I chose the route of trying to champion it and bring all that sh*t on that way. It’s building a pipeline to the industry.
The fourth one, the 2023 edition, will be around the weekend closest to September 12th, because the area code is 912.
You released Yard Work Vol. 1, an ode to your Southern roots. Why did you need to release something simple and grounded like this?
Because everything I did before, I was too deep in my head, trying to be too artsy. I wanted to show people how much I could do. So, everything before Yard Work was like a buffet project. It’d be songs with dancehall, house, Southern sh*t, and backpack rap. I was trying to hit as many boxes as possible. It could have been more intentional with the delivery. So, when it came down to it after my last EP, Turtle Crossing, me and the team were like, ‘Hey, bro, I ain’t going to hold you. We’re shooting in the dark with all these buffet projects. So just choose what ni**you want to be for one project.’
The easiest one for me is to be a ni**a from the South. And that’s what this project is. Yard Work Vol. 2, I’m finishing this week, and then going to gear up for Yard Work Vol. 3. And down the line, my debut album will be called Grass Is Greener.
Talk to me about your partnership with Amazon’s Amp. What is the purpose of this campaign?
They’re doing a campaign on emerging artists in Atlanta and doing a mini docuseries on everyone that’s a part of it. Understanding everyone’s background, their Southern roots, why they do music, or what they aim for with music.
I would love to grow a relationship with Amazon. I would love for them to participate in “Pote Day.” But outside of that, just getting my story out and just having another opportunity to show kids from where I’m from or small towns like mine that, ‘Hey, this sh*t possible if you get the right people around you, y’all have the same level of work ethic. You can get this sh*t done and make dreams come true.’ So shoutout to Amazon for the love and the spotlight, fasho.
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