1K Phew

Among a new breed of Atlanta artists taking the trap sensibility and elevating it to great effect, 1K Phew’s rise from local rapper with swagger to compelling artist equipped with a message, has been refreshing to watch. He’s fun and engaging, no doubt, but he’s so much more, as evidenced by his mixtapes Sunday Night (2015) and Life (2016), Phew’s got plenty of swag and wisdom to impart. His sing/rap flow has an infectious quality that is as catchy as it is alluring, and commercially viable as it is street-wise. “I’m just a young kid from Atlanta with something to say,” he confesses. “I’m not worried about being politically correct. I just want to give people the real. That’s where the 1K comes from, always keeping it 1,000 no matter what.”