Lil Wyte

When the quick-rapping, crunk to the core Lil Wyte first came to the attention of <a href="spotify:artist:26s8LSolLfCIY88ysQbIuT">Three 6 Mafia</a> it was with an all-white group of which Wyte was a member. The group fell apart but the Memphis-based Wyte was too skilled to be stopped. <a href="spotify:artist:26s8LSolLfCIY88ysQbIuT">Three 6 Mafia</a> members <a href="spotify:artist:5gCRApTajqwbnHHPbr2Fpi">Juicy J</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2ledyuziz6YjLK5Dw483Oc">DJ Paul</a> signed the under-21 rapper immediately after the group's disbanding and soon were working on his debut. Doubt Me Now appeared in 2003 and became a word-of-mouth hit among crunk and Southern rap's hardcore fans. Wyte's "Smoking Song" started to appear on numerous street-level mixtapes and Internet message boards were filled with Wyte talk. The <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner+Bros.%22">Warner Bros.</a> label took notice and approached the rapper about becoming a flagship artist for the relaunch of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner%22">Warner</a>'s Asylum imprint. He signed, and brought <a href="spotify:artist:5gCRApTajqwbnHHPbr2Fpi">Juicy J</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2ledyuziz6YjLK5Dw483Oc">DJ Paul</a> along with him. The trio's work made Wyte's 2004 release, Phinally Phamous, one of the most "real" and "street" releases to appear on a major label under the crunk banner. His <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner%22">Warner</a> follow-up, 2007's The One and Only reached a very respectable #46 on the Billboard Top 200 and became his most successful release to date. Two years later, Wyte's <a href="spotify:artist:2ledyuziz6YjLK5Dw483Oc">DJ Paul</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5gCRApTajqwbnHHPbr2Fpi">Juicy J</a>-produced fourth LP, The Bad Influence, made a decent showing on the charts, but would be list last for Asylum.

Year Round, a 2011 collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:19k8AgwwTSxeaxkOuCQEJs">Jelly Roll</a> and BPZ recorded under the name <a href="spotify:artist:4bSZaSMnuCrHBFr4lDpoYJ">SNO</a>, became the inaugural release on his own Wyte Records, which appeared in conjunction with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hypnotize+Minds%22">Hypnotize Minds</a>. It was followed a year later by Still Doubted?, Wyte's first post-<a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner%22">Warner</a> solo effort. A welcome return, the album was well-received by critics and was accompanied by Wyte Out, one of many mixtapes delivered during this era. After a pair of collaborations, first with <a href="spotify:artist:19k8AgwwTSxeaxkOuCQEJs">Jelly Roll</a> on 2013's No Filter then with <a href="spotify:artist:4sdwGT5t9Ws5vIosKccjIn">Frayser Boy</a> on 2014's B.A.R. (Bay Area Representatives), he returned to solo work with No Sick Days, his sixth solo LP. Throughout this period, the prolific Wyte maintained a steady stream of mixtapes, often releasing several per year. Alongside the <a href="spotify:artist:19k8AgwwTSxeaxkOuCQEJs">Jelly Roll</a>-accompanied sequel, No Filter 2, 2016 also brought his sixth holiday mixtape, Wyte Christmas 6, with DJ Ritz. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi