SoFaygo’s rise has been meteoric. The latest rapper to emerge out of the SoundCloud underground scene, the Atlanta rapper has not slowed down since the release of his 2019 mixtape War.
Raised by parents who were DJs, Faygo always knew he had the talent and ability to become one of the most popular artists in rap, and so far, he’s stayed true to that testament. Signed to Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records, Faygo has gotten the cosign from some of the prominent artists in rap including Lil Yachty and Lil Tecca.
Despite his rise, Faygo has minimal experience performing live in front of fans. His first live performance was less than a year ago, so the 20-year-old rapper is here to prove that he’s an artist that’s here for the long haul and put his own stamp on the industry. Beaming with youthful energy, the rising young rapper is ready to show the fans at the Brisk “Enter Dragon Paradise” activation in Miami what a live performance is like with SoFaygo.
The Root spoke with the rapper about performing live, his meteoric rise and how he stays grounded.
The Root: For people that haven’t heard your music, how would you describe it?
SoFaygo: I would describe it as a nostalgic feeling, beautiful, out of body.
TR: How does love differ from online to when you are at a live show?
SoFaygo: It’s so different. It’s a lot more motivating because seeing that in person makes me want to go harder and just make everybody in the crowd go “Faygo! Faygo!” you know what I’m saying? Like it just makes me want to gain more fans and go crazy.
TR: You always had a feeling you’d be famous, where does that confidence come from?
SoFaygo: It was more of a belief during my childhood. I wasn’t always trying to become famous or an influencer, you know what I mean? It was more me just having a love for music.
TR: Your parents were DJs in Atlanta, did they prepare you for what it’d be like in the music industry?
SoFaygo: They knew a lot of things about what the industry brought. But I was always doing things on my own. So a lot of things I had to learn by myself.
Coming into the music industry I was just blessed to meet like Lamaar (SoFaygo’s manager) that could grow with me and help me through this journey.
TR: Now you’re getting attention from huge artists like Lil Tecca, Lil Yachty and obviously Travis Scott, how do you stay grounded and not complacent?
SoFaygo: Back to my team. I thank god for my team and them being as blunt as possible, not sugarcoating anything. They make sure I don’t get too far off and get too big-headed in this shit.
TR: What can you say about your upcoming debut album, Pink Heartz?
SoFaygo: Making Pink Heartz was definitely a learning experience. Because of new things and tactics, I learned while making this album, it won’t be the same going forward into new projects.
For new albums, I just always try to push myself to new levels. Push my sounds, push my vocal range, continue to push more clarity and just push new things. I’m always trying to grow.
TR: What can fans expect at the “Enter Dragon Paradise? concert”
SoFaygo: It’s going to be hype! It’s gonna be lit! That’s really all I can say it’s going to be hella hype and lit.
It’s funny because my first live performance was at this event with SoundCloud not too long ago. After that, I just jumped into big crowds. Since that first performance, I’ve seen a change in my comfortability on stage. I’ve seen a change in the way I engage with crowds and how they react to my performance.
TR: What was it like your first time performing on stage for a live audience?
SoFaygo: It was multiple feelings because I’ve never been in front of that many people. All of those people were there to see me. I’m panicking, I’m very anxious and I’m just nervous. But being on stage in front of those people and them singing my lyrics back to me and knowing them word for word gave me a sense of confidence and comfort. I carried that into my future performances. I was just like, “Man if I can make those people do that, I can make all these other people in the world do the same thing.” As long as I push myself and I just keep going hard and just continue to grow in my performance.