Photo by Catherine Elizabeth Patton
AWFM
“I don’t think I’m crazy, I just think that you’re too normal…”
A Weirdo From Memphis, also known as the acronym AWFM, is simply and complicatedly just that. Hailing from a city defined almost solely by its rich and worthy music history, the rapper represents a generation of young adults igniting a silent riot against the gate keepers of his city. They’ve stopped asking for help or permission. They’ve stopped needing the cosigns of those that came before them. AWFM aims to break the meter turning up the volume on who and what he is in order to inspire others anywhere struggling with similar glass ceilings to do the same.
In 2016 after impressing producer and Memphis native IMAKEMADBEATS, AWFM signed with Unapologetic, a label devoted to exposing the potency in unapologetic individuality and has spent thousands of hours in the studio with his producers crafting his debut LP “Live From The Fire” and a collaboration project with producer Kid Maestro titled “Weird Maestro.”
Known for his uncomfortable, undeniable honesty, energetic live show and often disturbing stories of a strange childhood, the Weirdo explores dark ideas and depressing self images in order to get past them. He’s a 20-something year old black man from the Bible belt of the United States who is addicted to street fashion, wears 4 gold teeth engraved with the word “SHIT” on them, a rabbit ears as an ode to “Bunny Boy” from avant-garde director Harmony Korine’s “Gummo”, and red contact lenses in his eyes. Upon speaking you immediately hear a lisp that survived his childhood and become his signature speaking and rapping texture. He finds all of these elements pouring out of him over some times surprisingly happy beats and other times challenging and volatile compositions. Let’s face it, you’ve never experienced a rapper like this before.
You should listen to what he has to say.
EJECT
RUN F. CAMERON BETHANY
THRASHER MAGAZINE JUNE 2019
