The Break Presents: SahBabii – XXL
Atlanta rapper SahBabii is going to be something special. After dropping his breakout single “Pull Up Wit Ah Stick” featuring Loso Loaded, which was released in October of 2016, he became one of the artists to watch in 2017. The record has gained over 10 million views on YouTube and that’s before Warner Bros. Records. signed him to their label. Can you believe he almost threw “Pull Up Wit Ah Stick” away?
“At first it was a 15-second clip of the song on Instagram and people kept commenting about it,” he tells XXL of the Loso Loaded-assisted track while in New York City. “That’s when I knew it was kind of going to be something. I thought I was making better music. I was going to throw the song away but it kind of grew on me. But when I seen the people liking it, I put it on the mixtape [S.A.N.D.A.S.] and dropped it in October. Atlanta was on it, the girls twerking to it, the whole clubs singing it, radio. Atlanta was definitely behind it.”
But don’t call him a one-hit wonder. If you listen to his 2016 mixtape, S.A.N.D.A.S., SahBabii shows off his songmaking ability with cuts off the tape like “Chit Chat” and “King of the Jungle.” The project took about two years to make.
“The first song on the mixtapem ‘S.A.N.D.A.S.,’ I made that in 2014,” he shares. “I had the concept for like two years. I finished [the mixtape] the same day it was being uploaded to Spinrilla.”
2017 is off to a great start for Sah. Fetty Wap and T-Pain made remixes of “Pull Up Wit Ah Stick,” Drake told SahBabii he wants to put a verse on the official remix of the song plus Young Thug and the youngin have recorded music together. The plan now for the 20-year-old rapper is to drop videos from songs off of S.A.N.D.A.S. and re-release the mixtape as his major label debut project with bonus songs. Sahbabii is looking to set himself apart from other Atlanta MCs.
“I think I’m unique and I’m really coming with wordplay and bars,” he adds. “A lot of [other Atlanta artists] have bars too but I think I’m talking about something different than your typical subjects like lean or weed because I don’t smoke or do nothing like that. I’m talking about something straight down to earth.”
Get to know Sahbabii before he blows up.
Age: 20
Hometown: Atlanta
I grew up listening to: “I grew up listening to Future, Rich Homie Quan, my big brother [T3], Young Thug, Cash Out, a lot of stuff like that. 2010, at my uncle’s house [is the earliest memory of me making music]. My brother at first was recording me. I didn’t really know how to use the program. I just seen everybody in Atlanta making music so I wanted to make music too. I started playing around in the studio, making my first songs and I learned how to work the programs myself. My big bother and cousin do music.
“I started taking rap serious in 2014, when I started hearing my music getting better. I just told myself, Man, I can do something with this. I started progressing, my vocals was getting better, it was sounding clearer, I was having more stuff to talk about. My first mixtape was in 2012 called Pimpin Ain’t Easy.
“My aunty gave me my [rap moniker] when I was little. Her name is TeeBaby, so my first name is Saheem. So ‘Sah’ is short for Saheem and she just gave me the babii.”
My style’s been compared to: “A lot of people compare me to Young Thug but I describe my sound as melodic and catchy, melodic trap.”
Most people don’t know: “I love animals; I watch a lot Animal Planet. My favorite animal is an ape. I just like how strong they are and the look. I like King Kong too.”
My standout records and/or moments to date have been: “’Pull Up Wit Ah Stick,’ the beat was a vibe, it was just bangin’ hard and I just started singing, ‘Pull up wit ah stick, let it hit,’ and I put that on there. Then I heard how the hook was going and it needed some adlibs so I put the bird noises on there because I’m a big fan of animals.
“I talked to Drake when I was in London when Young Thug flew me out. We went backstage to pray with him and we shook hands and he told me he was putting a verse on ‘Pull Up Wit Ah Stick.’ I was geeked. Drake one of my favorite artists so I was real excited I got to see him perform live.”
My goal in hip-hop is: “I’m trying to be big like Michael Jackson. I’m trying to be diverse and make the best music that I can. Not putting out any trash. I’ll make sure every bar and everything I say is correct and sound right.”
I’m going to be the next: “Michael Jackson. He was a superstar, he connected the world together and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Follow SahBabii on Twitter and SoundCloud.
Standouts: “Pull Up Wit Ah Stick” Featuring Loso Loaded
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