Since the late 80’s, artists such as Skinny Pimp, Lord Infamous, and Tommy Wright III have gained notoriety for their gritty, hard hitting lyrics that mirror Memphis’ image. Now, student-artist King Clover plans to take the torch from the pioneers of Memphis rap to paint his own picture of life in Memphis. His journey begins at One Sound Studio in West Memphis, Arkansas.
“This was something I wanted to put my focus in,” he said. “Music has always been a passion of mine so I already knew this was something I wanted to do with my life.”
The 26-year-old criminal justice major at the University of Memphis is known for also doing a “brief stint” in the Air Force. The Orange Mound native and former Melrose graduate said that since he first started recording music his mindset has changed. Now, he has a more “focused direction.”
“For me it’s about having more of a concept behind the music I’m trying to make,” he said. “When I first started rapping I wasn’t talking about a lot of positive things. I also didn’t have a lot of topics. I was just freestyling basically. Now, I’m learning how to really make a song. I also want a cleaner and more professional sound.”
Morris has said that making conceptualized music can be draining.
“I remember the mind state I was in when I wrote a song called ‘Angry Black Man,’” he said. “It was about a lot of the social issues that have taken place about the cops. It’s hard to write those type of songs because all the emotions I felt at the time.”
Morris still hasn’t penned an exact release date for his mixtape, but he expects the project to be completed “soon.”
“I don’t even have a name for it yet,” he said. “I don’t usually name a song until I’m done recording it. Always people ask me, ‘What’s the name of that track?’ I’ll just ask myself ‘What did I say the most?’ and just go with that.” The first single off Morris’ upcoming project is entitled “We the Realest.”
The song features local rapper Damien Anderson, also known as King Dangerous. Anderson, who has been making music for nine years, said he met Morris through a mutual friend.
“A friend of ours made the introductions and we just hit it off,” he said. “The first time we met we started talking about doing music together.”
Anderson also has an upcoming project that he plans to release as well.
“I was going to call it ‘Liberty,’” he said. “I’m not done with it yet but I’m close to finishing it.”
Though Morris has yet to decide on a name for the project, he does have a plan for distribution after releasing it. “I was thinking about passing them out to the streets,” he said. “I want to give the people some positive music that they can ride out to.”
University of Memphis artist, Larry Morris, known as “King Clover,” records his latest song titled, “We the Realest,” in West Memphis, Arkansas after class Wednesday. King Clover says that he is exploring a new sound and plans to drop some new music this season. He is recording his music at One Sound Studio.
