Exclusive: The Tampa, Fla. rapper and his hitmaking mentor spoke with theGrio about LaTheGoat’s rise
There are few producers as consistently successful at molding young hip-hop talent as Jermaine Dupri. Having written and produced Kris Kross, being an early supporter of TLC’s Left Eye, writing number-one singles for Bow Wow and Da Brat, or crafting R&B/Hip-Hop hybrid hits for the likes of Xscape and Usher, his track record is undeniable.
For that reason, the spotlight is on his latest protégé, 26-year-old Lader Andrews, a.k.a. LaTheGoat, whose debut EP, My Time, drops Friday. The Tampa rapper displays a knack for storytelling and affirmation in his lyrics, all while rhyming with a youthful southern drawl over eclectic samples. theGrio spoke with Andrews and Dupri about their collaboration, Andrews’ come-up, and Dupri’s uncharted experience of signing an artist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LaTheGoat (Credit: YouTube screenshot)
As a child growing up in Tampa, a city not known for its hip-hop community, Andrews was influenced by a full range of artists and sounds.
“I was influenced by like so many different types of music, from Michael Jackson to Sam Smith to Wu- Tang Clan, all that type of stuff,” he told theGrio. “So like, the rap scene is definitely growing now because everybody is starting to find their own sound and stuff, but Tampa’s on the rise right now.”
Although music was always omnipresent in Andrews’ life, he was 13 when he began to take music more seriously after watching rap battles on SMACK DVDs. From there, he embraced one of rap music’s biggest hallmarks: competition.
“I just think, like nowadays, the world’s so soft, that everything is just such like a tender subject, and like, music should be the last thing that such be a tender subject. That’s like, the only pure thing left,” Andrew said of today’s rap game.
After obtaining his GED, Andrews enrolled at Tampa Community College. Four months later, he transferred to Florida A&M University (FAMU). He loved the party culture at FAMU a little more than going to class, so he left and enlisted in the Army. “I made it through basic training, but I was fighting, so I got kicked out of there,” he said.
LaTheGoat (Credit: Instagram)
Andrews returned home and worked at call centers for a while, but when that didn’t work out, he decided to put all his energy into his music. “So I got fired from every down job, but I could always rap good,” he said. “So I mean, that’s when I was like, ‘I’m going to be a rapper or I’ll have to do something.’ But the rap paid off, I guess.”
He began making music and honing his craft as an MC, freestyling and even sneaking his way onto other rappers’ video shoots to battle them. After a video of Andrews freestyling over Dupri’s “Money Ain’t a Thang” went viral, viewers bombarded the Atlanta music maestro’s social media to bring Andrews to his attention. Dupri ignored it at first, but his interest was piqued when he realized how many different people were sending him the freestyle.
“I’m like, If this many people were like, whatever this is, at least I need to listen to it, know I’m saying, and I just don’t want to miss out on something,” Dupri said. When he finally heard the freestyle, he reposted it himself, then looked Andrews up and found his song “8 Bands.” It impressed him enough to reach out.
“I think I went through all of those the process of elimination of all of those things, and I’m still not as bad a manager,” Dupri said. “Then I was just like, ‘You know, let me manage you, I’ll get you a deal.’”
Dupri was apprehensive about taking on Andrews because of the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic in its early days. He couldn’t go through his regular routine of meeting face-to-face with the artist and was instead forced to make moves remotely. But he believed in Andrews enough to take the gamble.
