By CLTure
November 21, 2023
When we think of the pantheon of Southern hip-hop greats, often overlooked is the prolific Memphis rapper and empresario, Yo Gotti. Gotti started releasing albums independently when he was 14 years old and has not only charted in multiple decades, but built one of the hottest labels in rap. The label, Collective Music Group (CMG), founded in 2012, is coming off the release of its latest compilation album, Gangsta Art 2, on September 29. In October, Gotti and the label announced the CMG Gangsta Art Tour will be hitting four select cities (including Charlotte on December 3), featuring his all-star cast of label artists including Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla, EST Gee, Blac Youngsta, and Mozzy.
Releasing five Top 10 Billboard 200-charting solo albums since starting CMG, Gotti made a splash in the rap game, signing fellow Memphis rappers Blac Youngsta in 2015 and Moneybagg Yo in 2016. Yo is coming off a run rarely seen in hip-hop with four immensely successful projects in four years, highlighted by his first No. 1 album, A Gangsta’s Pain, in 2021.
Quite possibly CMG’s fastest-rising star, Gloria Woods, better known as GloRilla, has had a whirlwind year, following the release of her viral hit, “F.N.F (Let’s Go),” in 2022. The song earned her a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and a slot in XXL’s Freshman Class, alongside rappers Lola Brooke, Luh Tyler, and North Carolina’s own, TiaCorine. Ascending equally as fast is one of the few non-Memphis artists on the CMG label, EST Gee. The Louisville, Kentucky native and former college football player (Indiana State University) turned drug dealer turned rapper, has made a name in the trap-rap genre since releasing his mixtape, Ion Feel Nun, in 2020, signing with CMG the following year.
The label’s speaker-thumping down-south trap raps and mafioso imagery has propelled CMG into one of the rare super hip-hop collectives in the model of Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders or their Southern counterparts and predecessors Cash Money and No Limit. Following the release of Gangsta Art 2, which also features the label’s West Coast stalwart Mozzy and most recent signees Big Boogie and Lil Poppa, it’s rare to see a collection of chart-topping rappers all under one label on tour. With only four tour stops kicking off in Fort Worth, Texas, Charlotte will be treated to Southern trap stylings never before seen.
The CMG Gangsta Art Tour featuring Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla, EST Gee, Blac Youngsta, and Mozzy will be in Charlotte on Sunday, December 3 at Spectrum Center.
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