LR Artist Pepperboy Is Set To Make A Major Splash In Austin

This week, thousands of musicians from practically every musical genre will converge on Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest Music Festival in an effort to gain attention, create a buzz, and find new audiences for their jams.

Rapper Pepperboy from Little Rock, whose most recent album, 3 Volleys, will be released on Tuesday, will be among the crowd this year.

At his southwest Little Rock home on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the lean, soft-spoken Pepperboy, wearing his signature camouflage bandana, declares, “It’s going to be something else.”

Pepperboy will be making his first trip to SXSW, which takes place from March 6 to 17. He will be joined by fellow Little Rock rapper and close friend 607, with whom he recently co-wrote the Mixed Messages EP.

Many people are waiting to see me, he says. It will go down in history.

The March 14 performance at Austin’s The Eastern, 1511 E. Sixth St., isn’t actually a festival event; rather, it’s a showcase for Boston-based blog Steady Leanin’ and Texas hip-hop and DJ brand Ghostpizza.

Miguel Nelson of Ghostpizza claims that nobody sounds like Pepperboy. “His work is reliable and dependable. The tone of our show was perfect for Pepperboy and his music.

Jerry Davie is his real name. Pepperboy is a parody of Hot Boy. He was raised in Little Rock, graduated from J.A. Fair High School, and spent some time at Philander Smith College.

Hip-hop was always popular; his favorite artists as a child were Ice Cube and Master P. However, it wasn’t until he completed a four-year sentence at the Varner and Tucker units of the Arkansas prison system on account of drug and weapon-related charges that he began to believe he could make music.

Straight Off Tha Block, his 2002 debut, came after his 2001 prison release.

“Getting out and doing music was my goal when I was in prison,” he claims. He had the confidence to carry on after that debut album.

“My name started circling the block, and I just kept going with it. I thought I was onto something. My music carried a message for you.

That message includes a warning to stay away from some of the routes he has taken.

He advises, “Don’t travel in that direction.” “There might be some negative effects.”

Since 2002, he has released an album every year with the exception of 2005, when he experienced writer’s block.

Days of Grace, his 2012 album, caught the attention of Spin magazine, which hailed it as one of the best underappreciated releases of the year.

If he’s associated with the rap-turned-chillwave movement, it’s because of the scene’s freedom, according to author Brandon Soderberg. He is a man who, with his honesty, opens his door every morning to feel the suffering and pain of the world before attempting to rap it away.

Pepperboy is referred to as a “street poet” by Little Rock producer and childhood friend Feezio. He does everything differently. He doesn’t make up anything. The most genuine rapper I know is him. He has experienced a lot in life and is clear about his goals.

Rapper SL Jones described Pepperboy as a living legend who is a “wonderful storyteller, and you can feel his agony” in an MTV.com interview about Little Rock hip-hop notables. He received a shout-out (together with Nas) from Berkeley, California, rapper Lil B and provided the beat on Lil B’s “My Life.”

Oakland’s Green Ova label, which also includes artist, Pepperboy collaborator, and label head Squadda B, has a Southern division called Pepperboy.

Squadda claims that he first learned about Pepperboy online.

When asked what about Pepperboy’s style sets him apart, he responds, “He don’t make no wack s***.”

With beats that producers send him online that are frequently ethereal and ambient, Pepperboy works in the cloud-rap style, and his lyrics frequently address current events.

Among the topics covered in 3 Volleys are the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, war, terrorism, the Battle of Mogadishu, which served as the basis for the movie Black Hawk Down, the Boston Marathon bombings, street life, and even Anne Frank.

It’s the record I’ve always wanted to release, he claims.

Regarding the Austin show, he exclaims, “I’m psyched about that.” “It’s going to be big, man, when the people see me.”