Good Life Music Group is a collective of artists out of Atlanta who are putting their own stamp on the musical mecca’s sonic imprint; these rappers have built their reputations on hard work and credibility. There is a grit and honesty to what the Good Life crew represents, and artists like Issa and Front Street are poised to kick-start a new movement in the New South. These are all artists with their own unique voice, what they have in common is an indomitable will to succeed and the way each has absorbed the sounds of the city and loves the creative climate for burgeoning artists.
Front Street is an Atlanta native who’s seen the city grow and shift — and along with it, the music has also gone through many transitions. The Bankhead product was signed to Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label and worked with chart-toppers D4L, co-writing some of their biggest hits.
“I’m from the rough streets of the Westside,” he explains. “That’s where I learned the game. I was in the music business for a long time. I was doing the D4L thing and the snap music, so I’ve watched the times switch. I feel like music is fun — it’s a part of making people move. Atlanta got its start with bass music — people called it ‘bootyshake.’ That’s what it was about.”
And coming together under the Good Life umbrella has given all of these talented individuals a collective sense of purpose and connection. They all speak of the “family” that they’ve forged, and with the release of the Family Ties mixtape last month, they’ve made it clear that they stand with each other and are ready to give notice to the entire industry that Good Life has arrived.
“The mixtape we just dropped makes a lot of sense,” says rapper Law. “You have to have real within your camp. You’ve got to go through other people, [so] it’s very important to have positive energy around me. It just makes it so much better. That’s for a lot of artists. Whoever is really passionate about it — positive energy is very important.”
“[There are] a lot of artists out here who would love to be in the shoes I am,” he adds. “Because I love what I do and I have a real passion for it and I get a chance to prove that. I always thought I’d make it in music, but the biggest blessing is being able to do it with the same people I grew up with. The passion for it is times 10.”
“It’s more of a family than a label, that’s how we move — like a family,” adds Issa, who’s lived in ATL since he was 12 years old. “That’s what it is to me. It’s hard to find good people in this music industry with how cutthroat it is and how much b.s. goes on. I’ve come across a lot of people, and I’ve learned that good people who have your interest at heart. Being at Good Life, it’s comfortable knowing that there’s good people around me and they’re family. A lot of artists don’t have that.”
The Good Life camp is all about support for each other. This collective of uniquely talented artists doesn’t take anything for granted and they aren’t compromising in what they’re bringing to hip-hop in 2015.
“We are really real,” says Law. “There’s no sugarcoating. There’s no extra. We just keep it all the way 100, always. This music game is hard. The people that I grew up with, it’s so much easier for me to focus on music because I know what’s up with the people around me. I can grow because I don’t have to worry about getting played. It’s really a blessing. We are really a family outside of blood. So it makes everything 10 times better. Everybody’s pushing and we’re all one. If one person makes it, everybody makes it.”
ISSA: “Whips & Chains” (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
