Photo: Seck
D’Llisha Davis has been a committed chronicler of Nashville’s underground hip-hop community since the days of blog rap and shutter shades. A teacher by day and writer/promoter/artist manager by night, this hip-hop polymath and her blog 2 L’s On a Cloud have been front-and-center for our rap scene’s internet-era evolution. In spite of the holy mess that is 2020, Nashville rappers have kept right on building, earning song placements, collaborating on projects heard well beyond the 615 area code and getting great national press from outlets like Forbes, NPR and Complex. The Scene caught up with Davis by phone to get her perspective.
How do you see the challenges of 2020 affecting Nashville hip-hop? There’s been a lot to process.
The resilience of artists is still very much there. … They’re determined now more than ever to grow their music and to tap into their creative sense. But honestly, that’s what the community has been doing for years, because there’s always been limited access to certain things. When everything happened, it just kind of took that to another level.
There’s a lot of artists that are talented here. There are a lot of artists who are working together. There are a lot of grassroots support systems that are beginning to help elevate artists. We can’t do live music, so we have to get super creative. We have to do these livestream events. We have to really tap into the music and grow the awareness of hip-hop artists here in many different ways. So it’s definitely got its pros and cons, but I do think that it’s really put a battery pack in a lot of the hip-hop ecosystem.
Who do you think is making the most moves in 2020?
I mean, I would definitely give a lot of credit to artists like Brian Brown. I think Daisha McBride really continues to grow in her own sense. I think DJ the Rapper — he’s really elevated his career this year after everything started to happen. Then you’ve got Black City, Funky Tenn, a collective of artists. You’ve got Namir Blade, who got picked up by Mello Music Group. So there’s a lot of talent I think that’s growing. There are so many artists that have really pushed themselves.
What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for Nashville hip-hop in 2021?
You know, we’re under the scope right now. And my only fear is that in three, four, five or six months, it still doesn’t happen for some of these artists who are really starting to pick up some speed. That’s the thing that Nashville goes through, especially the hip-hop scene as we go through this roller-coaster of publicity, and growth and all of that within artists — and it just dies back down. So I don’t want it to die down.
How have you been able to maintain your pace and your energy this year?
Man, unplugging. My thing has really been to be as involved as I can and be as much of a resource as I can, but also try not to get too sucked into doing things so consistent to where it feels as if nothing is really moving forward. So I try to do intentional things when it comes to myself as a person, to continue to elevate myself — that way I can continue to elevate those around me. I can continue to elevate the community, the artists, the music scene. A lot of times I think you get into it so much and you get worn out or you get … to a place of complacency. You lose sight of certain goals. So I think I really take time to unplug, and then when I tap in, I tap in hard.
What keeps you paying attention to the Nashville hip-hop scene?
I think the investment, like just this time I spent, the people depending on me to continue things. I just feel a sense of responsibility [to continue], because there are so many publications in hip-hop that come and go.
So I think I’ve felt a sense of responsibility. … I have to know the who’s-who, and I have to be able to be ready, because I get those emails where people are asking for interviews and people are asking about the support. “What’s Nashville hip-hop looking like?” And so I just feel like I have to continue to maintain a sense of stability and even appreciation for new artists who are coming in, new people who are coming in after me. That keeps me interested. It’s just me being well-invested and really wanting to see change come within this hip-hop ecosystem.
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