Born and raised in Atlanta, PRYZMS has been soaking up game since he was a youth. With his father a part of the iconic Dungeon Family, it’s no surprise he ended up creating music of his own. With influences ranging from Outkast and Organized Noise to Gucci Mane, Future, HXV and Mayhem, you can bet his sound is ATL to the core and his love for 808s is strong. After grinding for years he had the pleasure of connecting with one of his idols in Mayhem. With Mayhem instantly impressed with his music, it was only a matter of time before he ended up on Skrong. Today we have the pleasure of premiering his latest and greatest work, ‘Sovereign’.
‘Sovereign’ is an absolute beast of a banger. Drawing inspiration from Game Of Thrones and mixing it within his own emotional turmoil, PRYZMS concocts a track that is epic in its sound and style. It pulls elements of future bass and dubstep and hammers them into a gritty trap framework. With just over 300 followers on SoundCloud PRYZMS may be Atlanta’s best kept secret, but we don’t expect that being the case for much longer.
Stream ‘Soveriegn’ below and be sure to check out our interview to get familiar with the talented producer.
Were you born and raised in Atlanta? What impact has the city had on your music?
Born and raised in Atlanta. My dad actually made music and was a part of the Dungeon Family, so being around them as a kid, music stuck with me ever since. I grew up listening to Hip-Hop and EDM so much that it made me want to start producing. My top influences from Atlanta that sparked my interest in producing are Organized Noize, OutKast, Gucci Mane, Future, Mayhem, HXV, FKi. And listening to them growing up, influenced the music that I make. I’m a sucker for thumping 808s lol. The city has given me the hustle and grind work ethic.
How did you link up with Skrong?
It’s actually a crazy story. A couple of years ago, Mayhem was doing a remix contest for a song he produced, ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ by Lil Silk. With Mayhem being one my all-time inspirations, I entered the contest, hoping that maybe if I won the contest or at least got his attention, I’d get the chance to work with him in the future. Sadly, there was a problem with the site, and the contestants never got the results back. Fast forward to a few years, Boombox Cartel was playing in Atlanta, and I saw who I thought was Mayhem, in the VIP section. Later that night, I checked on Instagram and saw Mayhem’s story. Turns out, in his story, I was standing at the front of the stage. So, I messaged him and told him that was me in his story, he clicked on my profile and told me he liked my music and that we should link up. The rest is history.
Where does the title ‘Sovereign’ originate and how does it tie into the song?
The song title came about because at the time, my girlfriend and I were watching Game of Thrones. I was aiming for a powerful sound, and while creating & listening to the song, it made me think of a king or powerful individual.
The song relates to me almost quitting music. While I was losing my mind, I had to lose myself, in order to level up my music.
Can you speak to importance of the vocals “I’m losing myself”? What do they mean to you?
The song tells a story about someone who has just become a king. The people of the city have their doubts that the new king will be good at his job, because he is perceived to be weak. In the first drop, “I’m losing myself” are the words of the king, getting negative energy from the people, all these tasks being given, the city being under siege. He ends up losing his mind. In the second drop, “I’m losing myself” is him arguing with himself. He’s thinking about giving up and surrendering. The words take a turn as he “loses” his old coward self, stands his ground, and gives his all. Then the words “level 3” come in and basically he leveled up and won the battle. The song relates to me almost quitting music. While I was losing my mind, I had to lose myself, in order to level up my music (if that makes sense).
What emotions or experiences shaped ‘Sovereign?’
This song means a lot to me and is very special. My girlfriend gave me the idea of bringing flash drives to shows we went to. They’d end up getting thrown out, forgotten, or most of the time, not even listened to. I’m glad I brought one to the Boombox show because not only was I able to give it to him, I also got in touch with Mayhem, So right after I met Mayhem, it gave me more motivation to try even harder with a “go big or go home” mentality. Which is the feeling I felt creating ‘Sovereign.’
