Atlanta undoubtedly serves as the mecca to some of hip-hop’s greatest names, and it seems the new talent continues to be birthed from the city at a rapid pace. Hunxho is a self-proclaimed Street Poet who wears his heart on his sleeve with each release, calling himself a “pain artist from the East side of Atlanta.
Embodying the definition of an emcee who speaks his truth and delivers powerful messages to the people, the rising star is directly inspired by real-life experiences and struggles in the hood.
Exploding onto the scene with his standout single “Let’s Get It” which organically went viral, Hunxho doubled back and released a standout remix with fellow Atlanta rapper 21 Savage. If that’s not enough, his newest project Street Poetry boasts a guest feature from NoCap and notable production from Internet Money, Jetsonmade, and Buddah Blessed.
Regardless, Hunho turns his pain into something positive, and reminds audiences around the world that they too can change their life for the better.
AllHipHop: Atlanta got a crazy wave right now. How was it growing up on the Eastside?
Hunxho: It’s a typical hood, a regular hood. I didn’t have a lot growing up but my mama made it happen. It was 8 of us in the house, but she had 6 kids. It was 6 of her kids. My grandma and my mama came together, we had to make it happen.
AllHipHop: When did you start taking music seriously?
Hunxho: I’ve been taking it seriously since I started. I started 3 years ago, I just tried it out. When I was younger, when I was a kid I used to want to sing. But I can’t sing lowkey, you feel me? [laughs] I just know. When I got older, I tried rapping and that stuck with me.
AllHipHop: Who inspired you the most?
Hunxho: I listened to Tupac, Anthony Hamilton, India.Arie, music like that. But nobody really inspired me.
AllHipHop: Were you working anywhere?
Hunxho: I never had a job, I was in the streets.
AllHipHop: What did “Let’s Get It” do for your career?
Hunxho: My song “Let’s Get It” started me off. I dropped it in 2020, it started going up in 2021. It just caught on. It was leaked, somebody else had posted it. Somebody posted themselves dancing to it and it started going up so I dropped it.
AllHipHop: Were you mad it leaked?
Hunxho: Nah not really. I don’t even know [how they got it], I have a lot of leaked music.
AllHipHop: What’d it mean to get 21 Savage on the “Let’s Get It” remix? So hard!
Hunxho: He hit me up on Instagram one day and told me I’m hard. When I hit him back, I texted him “what do I gotta do to get you on this ‘Let’s Get It’ remix?” He ended up getting on it.
AllHipHop: You know how he caught wind of you?
Hunxho: I’m not even sure, but my bro is one of his bros. I didn’t even send it to him, I think the label sent it to him. When I got 21 on the phone, I told him I appreciate him. A lot of people who are already made ain’t doing that for the people who are trying to make it. He reached out to me right on time. He’s one of them ones.
AllHipHop: What makes you different from the rest of the artists?
Hunxho: I got a whole different sound, if you hear my music you couldn’t even tell I’m from Atlanta. A whole different wave, a whole different sound.
AllHipHop: What was your reaction when you heard 21’s verse back?
Hunxho: Hard. It was hard. But I didn’t expect anything less because he’s been dropping hard music lately.
AllHipHop: What do the “2” tattoos on your eyes represent?
Hunxho: My block where I’m from, Second Ave., 2200.
AllHipHop: What’s the inspiration behind your name?
Hunxho: I got my name in middle school. This is when the word huncho started really buzzing, so I changed my name on Instagram to @hunxhoseason. People started calling me hunxho and I stuck with it.
AllHipHop: Highly-anticipated new project Street Poetry out now!
Hunxho: Oh yeah, it feels good. It’s doing good. I could tell, I’m elevating every time I drop. I just stay locked in, I got so much music. Not that I was doing too many Street Poet’s, I just felt I needed to come up with something different. Give them Street Poetry, then come back with Street Poet 4 or something like that.
AllHipHop: What is it you want fans to get from this project?
Hunxho: I’m telling people I want them to take it and put it into their own life. Put it in to their own context, because everybody goes through different stuff.
AllHipHop: How’d you end up collaborating with NoCap?
Hunxho: I linked with him one time. This is before I had even got 21 Savage on “Let’s Get It.” I ain’t have no features. I usually like to do tapes with no features. If I do a feature, I’m a do a female. This time, I said “let me try something different.” Right after that, I had linked with him. He’s cool with my folks though, that’s how I got with him. It wasn’t even on no music s###.
AllHipHop: Why do you not like doing features?
Hunxho: I be trying to focus on myself, growing myself. I ain’t really too much into hearing people say “oh yeah, he wouldn’t of popped without this song. He wouldn’t of popped without this or that.” I want to do it myself first, before I start working with people.
AllHipHop: You have production from Internet Money, Jetsonmade, Buddah Blessed. How was it working with these all-star producers?
Hunxho: Hard, it was hard. Buddha Blessed was in the studio, Jetsonmade too. Me and Jetson lock in the studio too. Me and Jetson are working on an EP right now. It was cool, it was smooth. I only went to Jetson’s studio one time, we did 2 to 3 songs. I think I was in LA too. We did a lot in LA.
AllHipHop: “Been Thru” you say you’re fighting demons, how do you cope?
Hunxho: My mental health straight. Everybody got problems, everybody deals with them differently. I ain’t the type to really talk too much. I be in my head a lot, I don’t really talk. But it’s good though, I don’t be on no crash out s###. I find a way to deal with it.
AllHipHop: You talk about working hard, what’s the reality of the grind?
Hunxho: Man, if I can sleep in the studio I will. As long as I’m doing something that’s got to do with music, I feel good. I like moving a lot, I like doing a lot. I want to everyday, wake up and do something that has to do with music. I like working. I don’t ever want to feel like I made it. I don’t care if I made it yet, I’ll always want to keep working.
AllHipHop: How’d you find your way to 300 Entertainment?
Hunxho: I won’t say I found my way to 300, they found me. They were watching for me, the most genuine. I’ve been through a lot before I ever signed with 300, with the music and being signed to people. I’d been through a lot, I wasn’t trying to get into another bad situation. But they seemed more genuine so I went with them. It wasn’t just people trying to be in my ear: “do this, do that.” They’re genuine.
AllHipHop: You were completely independent before that?
Hunxho: Nah, I was completely independent when I signed to 300. I was signed before in 2020 when I first got out of jail.
AllHipHop: What’d you learn from behind bars?
Hunxho: I learned a lot. I learned my sound, I learned patience. I learned a whole lot. On the streets, what I was doing, I didn’t really have no time to think. I was go go go. So when you’re sitting down, you have nothing but time on your hands. You’re in your thoughts, you’re thinking.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Hunxho: I need cigarettes, that’s it. Dead serious, I don’t need anything else. [laughs] I used to need a Redbull but I stopped drinking Redbull. Cigarettes, Redbull, and I need Eli, my manager. We bros though, outside of all that. We f### with each other.
AllHipHop: What do you do for fun?
Hunxho: Work. [laughs] When I’m not working, I’m mad for real because I want to be working. I be trying to find work. I don’t play the game too much, I used to play games a lot though.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next?
Hunxho: I got an EP finna drop, and I got a song called “Fight” that’s I’m finna drop. I’ll drop that first, then come back with the EP called Chosen. I feel like I’m chosen, then my son’s name is Chosen too. He’s 11 months right now, he’s finna be one.
AllHipHop: How’s fatherhood?!
Hunxho: It’s smooth. I always wanted kids, low key. So when it came, it was smooth. My son will get to dancing when he hears my music.
AllHipHop: How old are you?
Hunxho: I’m 22. I’ll be 23 in June. A lot of people can’t tell how old I am.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us now?
Hunxho: Not really. If there is, they’re going to hear it in my music. Street Poetry out now!
