Who is Foogiano? The New 1017 trap rapper on the rise
Amid the continuous deluge of selfies, pranks, promotions, motivational videos, live painting, guided living, freestyling, fitness flexing, house of highlights, food pics, and the memes of that black guy with the massive dong that everyone keeps sending me, Instagram can occasionally be a rewarding place.
About once a month, the robots that track whatever I’ve liked will expose me to a new trap artist I’ve never heard of before. This past weekend it was Foogiano.
Unless you’re Young Thug, trap music videos, nowadays, are commonly directed in the same styles. Still, there’s a more interesting viewing experience being championed. There are the behind-the-scenes clips you see rappers posting on social media, which often feels like a music video of the music video.
Atlanta legend Gucci Mane posted one such clip yesterday of “Molly (Baby Mama),” one of two Foogiano hits that have put the Southern rapper on the map.
What caught my attention wasn’t just that La Flare was giving his blessing—it’s the palpable enjoyment Foogiano’s crew is having.
It’s obvious he’s at this stage in his career where he’s still relatively unknown and is on the verge of popping off.
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That’s always the most fun time to be a part of a rapper’s entourage. Their commitment to dancing and rapping along to every lyric in the video is infectious. Having an inner set that conveys such fierce loyalty will always get you noticed.
But I must be one of the first to recognize this because as I researched Foogiano, there’s been almost nothing written about him.
There are only about six pages of him on Google and an overwhelming majority of those hits are links to one of these two singles. In fact, the only details about his life you can find are from his profile on Authentic Empire.
The bio states:
“As a reckless youngster in and out of the juvenile system, the Greensboro, GA native rightfully earned the nickname ‘fool,’ although his childhood friends shortened it to “foo.”
It continued to read, “The latter part of his moniker came about when he served time in prison and a cellmate jokingly added “giano” in reference to his exotic features. The name stuck.”
I can’t even tell you how old he is. What I can tell you is that his two singles go hard AF.
Gucci Mane recently launched the New 1017 music label with the intention of signing four of the hardest in the game, with each new artist getting $1 million in their signing.
Man – where do we send our demo to? lol #SOHH #SOHHNews @gucci1017 pic.twitter.com/YoFkRosiQu
— SOHH (@sohh) March 17, 2020
Foogiano represents the first of the four and if you listen to “Trapper (Remix) ft. Lil Baby,” it’s not difficult to figure out why.
What makes this song work is a classic marriage of elements often seen on trap hits like high tempo snares and piano keys that create the perfect ambiance for driving, dancing or blaming.
A dash of aggressive and disrespectful lyrics juxtaposed with their presentation—Foogiano delivers every punchline with a melodic lilt reminiscent of Thugga, but without imitating him.
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Yeah, nigga, know I’m with the mob and you ain’t up to par, you ain’t make it. Boy, you too quick to cuff a ho, and we’ll never ever ever save ’em. Four pockets full every day, but nigga, you ain’t gotta call me Baby. Yeah, that’s why I fucked your lady. She sucked me ’til she got my babies, bitch.
Late in the day, I did find one potentially interesting hit from Foogiano. His first label, Authentic Empire, posted a YouTube video of them signing Foogiano.
Unfortunately, I needed a privately shared login to view the signing. Foiled again. For now, Foogiano remains one of the trap’s best-kept secrets, but not for long.