Rise & Grind: Pooh Shiesty On Relationship With Lil Durk & Gucci Mane's Genius

Rise & Grind is a new editorial series, meant to introduce and dissect new, buzzing, or underground artists.

Pooh Shiesty is the success story Gucci Mane’s been seeking these past few years of reconstructing the 1017 empire. The Memphis-born rapper's skyrocketed to fame over the past few months after securing a significant buzz across the South. He's the latest artist that Gucci can be credited for introducing to the masses, joining the likes of Young Thug, PeeWee Longway, and plenty more.

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"Back In Blood" has been an inescapable banger that's been climbing up the Billboard 200, earning Shiesty his first top 40 hits. Meanwhile, his first project, Shiesty Season debuted at the top of Billboard's Top Rap albums chart and in the top 5 on the Billboard 200. Along with his recent contribution to the soundtrack for Judas & The Black Messiah, Shiesty's a natural-born hitmaker that has a promising trajectory ahead. 

Fresh off of the release of Shiesty Season, Pooh Shiesty hopped on a quick Zoom call with HNHH for the latest edition of Rise & Grind where he answers 10 basic questions before diving into a quick Q&A, below.

Stay tuned for a new installment of Rise & Grind every Monday.

Memphis, Tennessee. South Memphis. Cane Creek apartments. 

You know, it was rough, you know? It’s like any other neighborhood. I’m from DHG part of South Memphis, though. Like, it’s split in sections, and train tracks. We from Cane Creek.

I’m a Scorpio.

I don’t know. I think I represent Scorpios. I’m what a Scorpio looks like. Moves like. Acts like.

Dead or alive? I’m gon’ put me on there, BIG30, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black, and Chief Keef. I dont even care about nobody else. Them five right there.

Shit, going number one. [I] never went number one before. We number one all the platforms and shit.

I don’t know what my crazy studio habit is yet. I probably got a habit that I don’t know about yet. I don’t know about my habit but I know I need weed in there, for sure. I don’t need it to be crowded, and I need me something to drink, you get me? Some water, for real.

Man, [Gucci Mane] put everything together, you know? He planned everything, knew the dates. When everything was going to drop, how I was going to shoot this video. He’s behind it all. That’s why I gave him the big ups. He’s the genius. Everything went as planned.

He let me know what’s the right move and what’s not. He might let me know his opinion and how he feels. He probably thinks this should go this way, and I probably don’t think -- you know what I’m sayin’? It’s like, with everything. He’s just an honest dude. Real n***a all the way around the board.

I remember the first bars I put out, yeah. I remember the first rap I made and the first one I dropped. “Choppa Talk,” with me and Big 30, was my first rap. The first rap I put out was “Weak A** B**** Remix,” by Three 6 Mafia. I remixed that song. 

I was doing shows in Memphis. They already was booking me when my first song came out. I remember my first show, it was a Memphis show. 

It was lit. A feeling like no other. They really wanted to see me. And actually, I paid to perform. I ain’t know nothing about the business at first. I was like, 18,19.

Family, for real. You gotta be there for family. Probably go to them when I leave the studio. They're gonna keep me going, for sure.

A couple of TV shows. I love Power, though. I know everything about Power. Seen every episode.

[Ed. note: Pooh Shiesty wants a role in an upcoming Power spin-off. 50, you know what to do.]

I ain’t going to stop.  You know, you can expect a video to every last one of my singles. Every last one of my songs, for real, that’s on the mixtape. You can expect a video from that. S***, more music. You know, I ain’t never stop dropping. I ain’t gonna never let up.

Your dad is a rapper himself, and also the CEO of Memphis label Mob Ties. You’ve mentioned that he provided you some game when you were coming up. At this point, who’s the better rapper between the two of you?

C’mon, man. What this shit look like? What it look like? He is, though. He got it. He taught me.

What’s the most important lesson he’s taught you as a rapper? 

Keep going. He know how hard it get, how many times a n**** want to quit, and how many times that you stop, you pull back, whatever. Anything can happen. A n**** could go to jail tomorrow, he’d just tell me, “Keep going. Don’t ever stop.” 

What was your reaction when you initially heard Lil Durk rap, “Pooh Shiesty, that’s my dawg but Pooh, you know I’m really Shiesty”?

Shit, I’m Big Shiesty. I’m Big Shiesty. 

I mean, it’s interesting that you’re working with Durk after watching the rise of drill music growing up. Since Chief Keef is in your top 5, I’m sure the drill movement meant a lot to you growing up. 

Yeah, I watched it all. It was crazy that he tapped in as soon as my chance came around. But you know, that’s what real n***as supposed to do. So, everything was real shit. We locked in. He means his words. He stood on his word. He said we're gonna do this the way, we did it. He stood on that. He a real n****.

Can you breakdown the “Big Blrrd” ab-lib? 

It’s the sound that Blrrd’s make. It’s the sound that drums make. Where we get ‘em from. 

No inspiration taken from Birdman? 

Nah, we get that from guns. No man influenced it. We fascinated with guns, bro. That come from a gun. I don’t know where they come from. They probably just be hollering, though. 

Would you release that as a ringtone?

Yup. Hell yeah. This month.