Fresco Trey and the Current State of Memphis Hip-Hop

Having just released his latest single ‘Feel Good,’ Fresco Trey, has had a productive 2020 with releases including ‘Ja Morant’ (which received nearly 150,000 views on YouTube), and ‘Die Young’ (which amassed nearly 400,000 on YouTube). Speaking of ‘feeling good’ the artist chopped it up with ONE37pm’s Mike Boyd on this edition of ‘Checking In.’

Boyd: I know you were in L.A. where you shot the ‘Feel Good’ video, how was that?

Fresco Trey: It was a movie! It was crazy. All the scenes that we shot were magnificent. The party scene we shot was crazy, and we had a lot of people come out and support us. This is a video that is definitely one to look forward to—it’s one of those videos where everything falls into place. Also we had a party for the video and the police came and shut it down like three times!

Boyd: Talk to us about that song? What does ‘Feel Good’ mean to you?

Fresco Trey: That song is really important to me because of the time that everybody is in right now with Covid, and everything that’s going on in the world that can be looked at as sad. I feel this song is a representation of uplifting and feeling good. I feel like we need that right now. Everything ended up working out with the song, video, etc. ‘Feel Good’ means a lot to me. I was taught that in life, you choose to pick your mood. You can choose to pick if you’re happy or sad. Being able to choose happiness is important right now.

Boyd: I also like ‘Die Young,’ talk to us about the inspiration behind that track.

Fresco Trey: ‘Die Young’ is another track that’s important to me because that song on the opposite brings people into my life and how I feel. Making ‘Die Young’—there was a lot of stuff going on such as police brutality, racism, and everything. On the other hand, there’s a lot of us killing each other. Where I’m from in Memphis—everyday is a war. You’ve got to be cautious and look over your shoulder. I sometimes have people tell me that I should make a lot more crunk music, but me personally, I like to make things that people can relate to. I like getting those text messages from other people saying that my music helped them get through things they were going through. When I was coming up that’s what I needed.

Boyd: For anyone new to you and to your sound. What song should they listen to to get intro’d to you?

Fresco Trey: I would just say any song really because my vibe is contagious. If you listen to ‘Die Young,’ you’re gonna get in that state. If you listen to ‘F*cked Up,’ same thing, it’s going to do something to you and you can resonate with it. 

Boyd: What’s the scene like in Memphis?

Fresco Trey: Memphis is poppin! There’s a lot of artists coming out of Memphis. Everybody’s doing their own thing, in their own lane, making their own music. I’ve been blessed to be from Memphis and see how everything used to be, and how it is now. Honestly I love Memphis music—I listen to a lot of Memphis artists. I also feel like my sound is different.

Boyd: How do you see yourself in the future and why are you choosing this production that’s more pop?

Fresco Trey: I always tell people that I make music that I like. My favorite artists are Post Malone, Justin Bieber, and people like that. So it kind of just falls on my lap. I feel like I can do it! I’m the type of person that’s a trailblazer. Anything that’s different, I like to do it. I feel like that’s what separates me in the long term. With guitars—I love rapping over guitars! In the future I plan on being successful, owning my stuff, and making good music that people can connect to.

The future is certainly bright for Fresco Trey. You can follow the artists’ journey on his Instagram and Twitter.