This week’s artist spotlight goes to and up and coming hip-hop artist Virghost Memphiasco fresh out of Memphis, TN. Home of the Stax Recording studio and Beale St, Memphis also boasts some prominent artists in hip-hop including 8Ball & MJG, Three-Six Mafia, Yo Gotti, Snooti Wild, and Tela to name a few. There was once a time when Memphis dominated the hip-hop scene with their heavy bass lines and “CRUNK” radio funk. With artists like Juicy-J and Yo Gotti going mainstream in music, Memphis is reclaiming its spot at the top in the industry. Check out my interview with Virghost and learn more about the ARTIST.
Rollingwithro: What’s happening Virghost. Thanks for letting me interview you for the website and for your fans. Let’s jump right into it. Tell me a little about who you are.
Virghost: My name is Virghost. I am a Rapper/Spoken Word Artist, free thinker, and occasional singer from Memphis, Tennessee. I am also a promoter and graphic designer. Right now I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I moved here in January 2013. I am the winner of the 2013 Memphis K97FM (WHRK) Next Big Thing 5 Contest. I was selected out of 368 entries from throughout the Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas area. From there I was voted #1 on K97.com as the winner. As a Spoken Word artist I defeated well known national Spoken Word artist Truth B. Told in the semifinals of the 2010 Summer Memphizm Poetry Slam advancing into the finals to go against Mike Quinn, founder and originator of Fort Worth National Poetry Slams and The DFW Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Slams in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas. In the finals we tied up and had to redo the round where I was eventually named the runner-up of the slam by one point. As a promoter I have put on many shows, the biggest being the 2013 Memphop Winter Jam in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rollingwithro: Man, you are a brother of many talents I see. K97 is one Memphis’ biggest hip-hop and R&B Stations. Winning the Next Big Thing contest must have been a major accomplishment! How did it feel when you found out you were the top talent?
Virghost: I was excited as hell when they announced if over the radio. I was at work when they announced it so all of my coworkers got to see me act a damn fool. I wasn’t necessarily excited because of the contest. It was more so because I had never won anything in my life. I had always felt like I was the #1 rapper in Memphis but if felt good to be officially acknowledged as that. My phone, facebook, and twitter was blowing up! People I haven’t talked to or seen in years started acting like we were the closest of friends.
Everybody started hitting me up to do radio, TV, and newspaper interviews left and right. Every rapper in Memphis was asking me to do a song with them. Everybody was asking me to perform in their show. Shit was absolutely crazy man. I don’t know if the love was real or fake but it bought a lot of it but it also brought a lot of hate. I had so many rappers coming at me, rappers I had never even heard of or seen before in my life dissing me for no reason. It was wild. A lot of people thought that I was living it big time but truthfully I was living a normal life working 50 hours a week. I was literally driving on my job and hearing myself on the radio and my name in commercials every day. It was weird. I really didn’t have time to really be The Next Big Thing because I worked so much.
I think the people were more excited about it than I was. I didn’t expect much from it but they did and that alone put an enormous amount of stress on me. I felt like a lot of people, mainly my group, the Memphis Hip Hop community, some of the members in my family expected way too much from me and that situation.
A lot of people looked at me to be like a Memphis Hip Hop savior or some shit…That one lyrical Hip Hop artist to finally tear down that wall and break into Memphis rap and radio but I don’t that was never meant to be. I ain’t no savior of nothing. I’m just me. I think the contest was really just something to make K97 look good at the end of the day. But overall, I appreciate that experience. It made me stronger and it made me better as an artist so I don’t regret any of it.
RollingWithRo: You seem pretty humble. That’s a good trait to have in this life. I follow you social media, I consider myself a fan and became one because of your lyrical delivery. Tell me about this #GHOST movement. What does that really mean.
Virghost: GHOSTS came about actually after all of the K97 stuff died down in 2013. I was going through a writer’s block at the time. I had lost my job, was still kind of bitter from how the K97 stuff played out, and I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to rap anymore. I was trying to write music but it just wasn’t coming out. I didn’t have anything to really say. But then one day in December 2013 I just got to thinking about all the stuff I had been through prior to me becoming an artist, things that I had put in the back of my mind for years.
I went through a lot of bad things in college before I actually decided to become an artist. I got kicked out of school, kicked out of my parents home twice, been beaten and arrested by the police, charged with assault, accused of having AIDS etc…. It was crazy! But then it hit me… If none of that stuff would have happen I would have never become rapper or a poet. So at that moment I decided to get that off my chest and write about it all. I felt like in order to move forward I needed to face and get rid of my old ghosts and the only way I could do that was to write about it and send it to the people.
These were things that I was really ashamed of and never talked about to anyone. Once I got to that mindstate the music came extremely easy. My mind was no longer on the K97 stuff and I was cured from my writer’s block. I was so cured that I wrote, recorded, and mixed the whole album in one month. I was in a zone.
RollingWithRo: Thanks for sharing that Virghost. That was pretty deep. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Looks like you want to open up with your music. What do you think it will take to put Virghost on the map as a competitor with other artists in the hip-hop industry?
Virghost: Timing and opportunity. I already know I got what it takes. I got the talent, the drive, the personality, and work ethic. I just got to be ready when that life changing opportunity presents itself but in the meantime I am going to be working and creating one (competitive edge) for myself.
Rolling With Ro: Timing is key. So what makes your music stand out? What makes it unique?
Virghost: My music is unique because it’s me. Nobody on this planet earth can be me. I literally put my soul into my music. Not Tupac’s soul, Not Kendrick Lamar’s soul, MY SOUL. That’s what makes my music unique. I have a style of my own. I have my own thoughts. I am a free-thinker.
Rolling With Ro: My Soul almost sounds like an album title. Speaking of albums, if you could work with any artist in the industry who would it be?
Virghost: Erykah Badu. She is by far the most talented living artist out today. I don’t even have to work with her musically. I just want to talk to her and gain knowledge from her as a person and an artist. She is amazing!
Rolling With Ro: That’s dope! Erykah definitely has a great body of work. One of my favorites is Danger. Who are some of your musical influences and made you interested in hip-hop music specifically?
Virghost: My biggest influence rap wise l’d have to be Nas because of the poetry of his music and I’m a poet first and foremost. My biggest influence as an artist in general would have to be Marvin Gaye. Dude put his soul on them records! He gave you his life on the records. They were so autobiographical. I incorporate a lot of that into my own music. One a local level I would have to say the Iron Mic Coalition. They laid down the foundation for what I do as an emcee from Memphis, Tennessee. They instilled Memp-hop in me.
I started digging rap when I first heard Three 6 Mafia “When The Smoke Clears.” I fell in love with Hip Hop when I first heard Mos Def’s “Black On Both Sides.” What made me want to finally want to test my own skills on the mic was hearing Lupe Fiasco for the first time.
Rolling With Ro: Do you think Hip-hop is headed in the right direction?
Virghost: Hip Hop is the people so as long as we are moving in the right direction, Hip Hop is. If we are moving in the wrong direction then Hip Hop is moving in the wrong direction also. Right now I think we are between right and wrong.
Rolling With Ro: Do you have any upcoming album releases, mixtapes or events?
Virghost: I got a new project coming out soon but I don’t want to speak to much on it and I’m currently working on a huge event so you’ll hear more about that real soon. But until then, make sure you download my latest project GHOSTS. and check out my “Pac in ‘95” and “Crazy” videos from that project. #ItGetsGreaterLater
Rolling With Ro: We will definitely be checking you out. Before we wrap up this interview, how can people interested in your music get it and follow you?
Virghost: Man, they can visit Virghost.com (click to visit site), like my Virghost facebook fan page, and check out my music reverbnation page. Im also on twitter and other social media platforms, just look up Virghost Memphiasco.
Rolling with Ro: Do you have any shoutouts?
Virghost: I just want to shoutout my wife, my girls, and the Nashville and Memphis Hip Hop communities. Peace.
Below are some of my favorites from Virghost. I became a fan once I heard Virghost sample Aaliyah in his song called Be Without You. His wife, Megan J, also features music and released Texting and Driving. Check out the videos below.
Rolling With Ro is an inspirationalist, blogger and social media enthusiast. He is a proud graduate of Rust College in Holly Springs, MS, one of the nations oldest HBCU’s founded in 1866. Ro enjoys providing a one of kind perspective on a variety of issues and topics. He usually takes a comedic spin on topics but never fails to deliver the message. He can be reached via email at rollingwithro@gmail.com. Don’t forget to like his fb page,rollingwithro by clicking on the link
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