Getting stuck in traffic isn’t always the worst. On Tuesday’s evening commute, WPLN was airing All Things Considered as I waded my way down Nolensville Pike. While Sacramento’s The Philharmonik took home the top prize in NPR Music’s annual Tiny Desk Contest, recent episodes of the daily national news program have featured standout submissions. The July 23 installment focused on hip-hop, and two of the four entries that NPR Music’s Bobby Carter brought to play are from Middle Tennessee folks.
First up is Brian Brown’s spin on “Free,” which appears on his 2023 Carmine Prophets collab BbGonProfit. In the clip, Brown sits front and center on a desk and relays the story, with support from singer A.G. Sully, Alex Murphy on keys and drummer Christian Kyleburgs and bassist Jackson Mayhall as the rhythm section.
“The thing I love about Brian Brown, and one of the things I love most about where hip-hop is and where it's grown into,” Carter says, “is that it's gotten very melodic … multidimensional. Brian Brown — he can sing, and he's got bars, too.”
Next comes nobigdyl.’s “Go With the Ghost,” which was also voted as the fan favorite among contest entries. The MC, born Dylan Phillips, has made Murfreesboro his home base, and he's supported by a band consisting of guitarist Court Clement, E.J. Ford on keys, and bassist Anton Nesbitt and drummer Derrek Phillips rounding out the lineup. Carter appreciates nobigdyl.’s vulnerability.
“As a kid, you know, you just want to dance, you just want to get into the mood, whatever, whatever,” says Carter. “But as you get older, you want to relate to these artists, right? ... With hip-hop, you have an opportunity to really tell us what's going on in your life. And in turn, you relate because, you know, many of us are going through the same things.”
It’s a cool little spotlight and a reminder that the work of Nashville’s extended hip-hop family stands tall next to rap from all over the country.
