Southside (record producer)

American record producer, rapper and songwriter

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Southside

Southside in 2018

Background information
Birth name| Joshua Howard Luellen
Also known as|

* Young Sizzle
* Southside on the Track
* 808MafiaBoss
* Sizzle

Born|  (1989-02-02) February 2, 1989 (age 36)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres|

* Hip hop
* trap

Occupations|

* Record producer
* rapper
* songwriter

Years active| 2003–present
Labels|

* Epic
* 1017

Member of|

* 808 Mafia
* So Icey Boyz

Children| 6

Joshua Howard Luellen (born February 2, 1989),[1] known professionally as Southside (also known as Sizzle), is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. Based in Atlanta, he is recognized in the music industry for his aggressive, trap-infused production work for prominent hip hop artists.[2] After meeting hometown rapper Waka Flocka Flame, Luellen signed with his record label Brick Squad Monopoly—an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records—as in-house talent in 2010. Luellen and labelmate, fellow producer Lex Luger established the production team 808 Mafia that same year; it was credited on several commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.[3]

As a lead artist, Luellen signed with Epic Records to release his collaborative album with G Herbo, Swervo (2018), which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. His 2022 single, "Hold That Heat" (with Future featuring Travis Scott) marked his first entry—at number 57—on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite not performing on both, he has released several mixtapes as a recording artist.[4]

## Early life

[edit]

Southside was raised in the Southeast section of Atlanta, Georgia.[1] Growing up, he played Little League Baseball but gave up the sport after suffering a concussion when he was hit in the head with a ball.[5] He started making beats when he was 14 years old, when he got his first computer from his uncle.[6]

## Career

[edit]

It was around his mid-teenage years that Southside decided to start taking music production as a serious career, He was later discovered by rapper Waka Flocka Flame at the age of 17, and through Waka's connection with Gucci Mane, Luellen was signed to 1017 Records.[7][8] At the label, Luellen met Lex Luger, a fellow producer for Waka Flocka, and the two laid the production groundwork for Waka Flocka's debut album, Flockaveli (2010). Southside's first major credit was the song "Fuck the Club Up," which appeared on the album.

In 2011, Southside co-produced the track "Illest Motherfucker Alive", from Kanye West and Jay-Z's album Watch the Throne.[9] This gained him wider recognition in mainstream hip hop. He has since worked with artists such as Rick Ross, Jeezy, Wale, Meek Mill, Lil Scrappy, MGK[10] among others.

Southside was the main producer of Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka's collaborative album Ferrari Boyz, and on Flocka's second album Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family.[11]

In January 2013, Southside produced "Millions" – the lead single from Pusha T's mixtape Wrath of Caine.[12] The music video for the song was released on February 10. The song sparked controversy when producer Rico Beats was asked to modify Southside's instrumental for the final version of the song. Southside wasn't notified of the changes, which led to the two producers exchanging threats over Twitter.[13] On Wrath of Caine's official track list, Kanye West was credited as co-producer, instead of Rico Beats.[14] Also in 2013, Southside and TM88 produced the song "Tapout" by Rich Gang from their self-titled album. The song peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Throughout the early 2010s, Southside's productions have been featured on numerous mixtapes. Produced with TM88, Young Thug's 2014 single "Danny Glover" became one of his breakout hits. By late 2014, Southside's production continued to catapult into Atlanta's hip hop mainstream when Future's mixtape Monster saw widespread praise as Southside handled a quarter of the mixtape's production. Monster  standout "Commas" was released as a commercial single in March 2015 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 55 while earning a gold certification by the RIAA.[15]

In 2015, Southside continued to push his trap sound in the hip hop industry ubiquitously, especially on various songs produced by him and his 808 Mafia collective. Luellen was responsible for producing a significant portion of Future's album, DS2, as well as being responsible for producing nine of the ten tracks of Future's mixtape, 56 Nights, in which Southside made the entire project's worth of beats in only one night.[16] In addition, Southside also contributed to the production of three tracks on the collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive by Future and Drake.

## Artistry

[edit]

Southside uses the digital audio workstation, FL Studio along with custom installed VST plugins to compose his beats. Luellen's distinct signature trap sound is gritty, grimy, and thunderous hip hop street sound which is similar to that of his collaborators, Lex Luger and his group 808 Mafia. Despite such similarities, Luellen's sound is distinctly known to be more gangster, bombastic, gritty, rambunctious, and menacing compared to that of his collaborators. Luellen is known for his dark, belligerent, and menacing hip hop sound coupled with hard hitting 808 kicks, crisp snare drums, fast hi-hats, frantic synthesizers, sinister lead instruments, and colorfully layered ominous orchestration of synthesized brass, hits, stringed, woodwind, and keyboard instruments.[4][17][18][19] Like many other producers Southside uses a musical signature tag on many of the songs he has produced. His main tag is a pitched-up voice saying his name. He also uses his team tag, 808 Mafia and more recently, a sample of the Ironside (1967 TV series) theme song produced by Quincy Jones.[1] Back in the beginning of his career, Southside claimed to complete a single beat in 15 to 30 minutes, but as of 2015, he claims to be able to make a single beat in less than 6 minutes and with no sound.[5] He cites Lil Jon as his favorite producer and enjoys the production work made by Pharrell, Shawty Redd, and Drumma Boy.[20] He is also influenced by the production works of Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.[21]

Southside also credits modern technology and internet, particularly through the monetization of music through streaming sites such as SoundCloud, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music that help him make a living off of his passion for hip hop music and well as making his own production career possible.[15] Inside the studio, Southside is known for his strong work ethic and strategic marketing acumen when producing beats for artists and getting the finalized track on the mixtape circuit or radio.[8][22] Since 2013, Southside began to focus on his career as a producer from an entrepreneurial perspective, cultivating talent while learning the ins and outs of the legality in the music production business as well as negotiating deals and making the financial decisions on every track he is responsible for producing.[3]

## Discography

[edit]

### Collaborative albums

[edit]

Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

[23] | US
R&B/HH
[24] | US
Rap
[25]
Swervo
(with G Herbo) |

* Released: July 27, 2018
* Label: Machine Entertainment, Epic, Cinematic
* Format: Digital download, streaming

| 15 | 8 | 8

### Mixtapes

[edit]

Title  | Mixtape details

|

Free Agent |

* Released: July 13, 2014
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Young Extravagent Nigga |

* Released: August 9, 2014
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Free Agent 2 |

* Released: February 2, 2015
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Free Agent 3 |

* Released: December 9, 2015
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Hardcore N Hi-Tech |

* Released: April 9, 2016
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Lebron Flocka James 4
(with Waka Flocka Flame) |

* Released: July 26, 2016
* Label: Bricksquad Monopoly Money, RBC
* Format: Digital download, streaming

I.O.U. |

* Released: December 25, 2016
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Trap Ye |

* Released: February 2, 2017
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

808 Day |

* Released: August 8, 2017
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Trap Ye: Season 2 |

* Released: February 2, 2018
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Blood on the Hills
(with Pyrex and 808 Mafia) |

* Released: October 10, 2020
* Label: 808 Mafia
* Format: Digital download, streaming

Demons R Us
(with Doe Boy) |

* Released: November 6, 2020
* Label: Epic, Freebandz
* Format: Digital download, streaming

BREAK THE SILENCE |

* Released: August 8, 2024
* Label: Epic
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### Singles

[edit]

#### As lead artist

[edit]

List of songs, showing year and album name  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

[26] | US
R&B
/HH
[27] | US
Rap
[28] | CAN
[29] | NZ
Hot
[30]
"Who Run It"
(with G Herbo) | 2018  | — | — | — | — | —  | Swervo
"Focused"
(with G Herbo) | — | — | — | — | —
"Swervo"
(with G Herbo) | — | — | — | — | —
"That's How I Grew Up"
(with G Herbo) | — | — | — | — | —
"Some Nights"
(with G Herbo) | — | — | — | — | —
"Big Ol' Ass"
(with Wolfeworks and Craft) | — | — | — | — | —  | Non-album singles
"Order"
(with TM88 and Gunna) | — | — | — | — | —
"Hmmm"
(featuring Lil Yachty and Valee) | — | — | — | — | —
"Can't Control"
(with Bass Frequency) | 2019  | — | — | — | — | —
"Been Thru This Before"
(with Marshmello featuring Giggs and Saint Jhn) | 2020  | — | — | — | — | —
"Blood on the Hills"
(with Pyrex and 808 Mafia) | — | — | — | — | —
"Blue Jean Bandit"
(with TM88 and Moneybagg Yo featuring Young Thug and Future) | — | — | — | — | —
"Yessirski"
(with Doe Boy) | — | — | — | — | —  | Demons R Us
"Tweakin"
(with Doe Boy featuring Future) | — | — | — | — | —
"Don"  | 2021  | — | — | — | — | —  | Non-album singles
"No Keys"
(featuring JessLøcc) | — | — | — | — | —
"Lost Remix"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Empty Space"
(with 10MilliVision) | 2022  | — | — | — | — | —
"Stay with Me"
(with 18iker and 808 Mafia) | — | — | — | — | —
"Hold That Heat"
(with Future featuring Travis Scott) | 57 | 16 | 13 | 43 | 9
"Gimme da Lite"
(with Lil Yachty) | 2023  | — | — | — | — | 29
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

#### As featured artist

[edit]

List of songs, showing year and album name  Title  | Year  | Album

|
|

"Breakin' U Off"
(TM88 and Rich the Kid featuring Ty Dolla Sign, 2 Chainz, and Southside) | 2020  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Interview: SouthSide Archived February 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Marrack
2. ^ "Southside Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |". AllMusic.
3. ^ a b EMMANUEL C.M. (August 13, 2015). "Southside Explains How Future's New Album Came Together". XXL. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
4. ^ a b Marrack, Peter (August 30, 2011). ""THE ILLEST MOTHERFUCKER ALIVE" – AN INTERVIEW WITH SOUTHSIDE". Respect. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
5. ^ a b "Interview: Southside On Future, Fatherhood, and Making Beats in Six Minutes". Complex.
6. ^ Interview with Southside Archived January 25, 2013, at archive.today IGetMusic.com
7. ^ Southside music will make us sizzle TheWhatItDo.com
8. ^ a b Graham, Nadine (August 19, 2011). "DXnext: South Side". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
9. ^ Southside Talks Producing For Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Watch The Throne" HipHopDX
10. ^ Interview with Southside Archived January 25, 2013, at archive.today IGetMusic.com
11. ^ "Gucci Mane / Waka Flocka Flame: Ferrari Boyz Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
12. ^ "Pusha T – Millions". DJ Booth. February 10, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
13. ^ "Southside Calls Out Rico Beats Over Production Credit On Pusha T's "Millions"". MTV. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
14. ^ "Pusha T – Wrath of Caine". DatPiff. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
15. ^ a b Suarez, Gary (November 4, 2015). "Southside: The Atlanta Producer Behind Future's Hip-Hop Takeover". Forbes. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
16. ^ Brendan Varan. (September 3, 2015). "SOUTHSIDE ON MAKING "56 NIGHTS," LIVING WITH TRAVI$ SCOTT & MORE (VIDEO INTERVIEW)". DJBooth. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
17. ^ "Brick Squad Producer Southside Interview". Arkatech Beats. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
18. ^ Drake, David (February 28, 2014). "What's Young Thug Like In the Studio? We Interviewed "Danny Glover" Producers 808 Mafia". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
19. ^ "Brick Squad Producer Southside Interview". Arkatechbeatz. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
20. ^ "The Illest Motherfucker Alive" – an interview with Southside Respect-Mag.com
21. ^ Lex Luger & Southside talk producers, software, and creativity Respect-Mag.com
22. ^ Drake, David (February 28, 2014). "What's Young Thug Like In the Studio? We Interviewed "Danny Glover" Producers 808 Mafia". Complex. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
23. ^ "G Herbo Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
24. ^ "G Herbo Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
25. ^ "G Herbo Chart History: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
26. ^ "Future Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
27. ^ "Future Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
28. ^ "Future Chart History: Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
29. ^ "Future Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
30. ^ Peaks in New Zealand:
* "Hold That Heat": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
* "Gimme da Lite": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz
* 2
* Grammy Awards

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## External links

[edit]

* United States portal
* Biography portal

* Southside at AllMusic