The Gold Zone presents “My Crooked Letter: The New Mississippi”

In an effort to promote unity across the state of Mississippi, two home-grown outlets combine skills to highlight some of the most promising talent coming from the state as a whole. The following post comes courtesy of Marcus Page representing The Gold Zone (Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). Enjoy the post and the music from talent local and nationwide that represent the Magnolia State with Pride. – Beamon

In this digital age of music downloads, streaming services and blogs it is easy for great music to fall through the cracks. A thought I found myself pondering as I woke up this morning is “Why is the great music of Mississippi so overlooked?”. How can a state that birthed such musical legends as Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, David Banner and Big K.R.I.T not be taken seriously when it comes to music? In my opinion, it’s not only the music but rather the state of Mississippi as a whole that’s not being taken seriously. From top to bottom, the state is rarely given the credit that it properly deserves.

The almighty Magnolia State has a population of 2,992,333, but is also one of the poorest states in the country. On the outside looking in people see the state as slow and underdeveloped. Many would go as far to say that Mississippi is about 100 hundred years behind the curve economically, academically, and creatively. From my perspective that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our musical influence has migrated further than the people who have created it themselves. The “Mississippi sound” is something that can’t be described by outsiders, but over the years it has slowly become diluted with a heavy outside influences. It would seem at one point our local rappers were being inspired by your Soulja Boy’s, Future’s and Gucci Mane’s of the world. The tide is changing though with Mississippi developing a pool of original talent that can easily resemble that of Texas or Atlanta in the near future. The main obstacle at this point is a lack of unity that is needed to succeed at such a scale that they do. I am from Starkville, MS and in my small area alone I can easily name a large amount of rappers, singers, producers and more. I can only imagine the amount that are in our bigger cities like Jackson, Hattiesburg and so forth. All that we need to do is support our own and the music scene could be massive.

Big K.R.I.T has been the most visible artist representing the state of Mississippi for the past few years. K.R.I.T. acts as a perfect embodiment of the Mississippi with a production pattern rooted in jazz, gospel and blues influences. The backdrops he creates for himself paired with the soulful delivery of his lyrics make for a match made in heaven. That being said, he is also a prime example of how you can be a premier artist with the skills to compete with any big name artist, yet still be marginalized by the state that you represent. A theme that once again ties back into the need for unification across the Magnolia State.

There is a resurgence of musical talent in the twin state as of late, a slew of amazing artists are heard well beyond the boundaries of state lines. It’s a nostalgic feeling of me growing up as a kid listening to artist like Young Chaos, Big Bull, Doughboy Pacino, and more. I remember when LO-KEE Records reigned supreme over Mississippi and was actually making strides in breaking down doors to be heard. We’ve had artist that were right there on the verge but just didn’t quite capitalize on the chance. More recently with artists like Cadillac Don and J-Money impacting with “Peanut Butter and Jelly” or Doughbelly Stray with “My Mississippi”. The new Mississippi is ready for their turn at the forefront of southern music. Our artist are hungry for the recognition and The Gold Zone wishes to pay homage to that hunger. This article is just the beginning of what’s to come from the loudest silent state in this country. Stay tuned.

BUT WHILE YOU WAIT, newms_header