Hailing from Atlanta’s Southside, the LVRDS are a 3-man rap group with an unlikely origin. Before turning their attention to rhymes and beats, the trio made their presence felt in the city’s dance scene, compiling over 15,000 subscribers and more than 6 million view on their YouTube channel. In an effort to transfer this energy into the music, the three emcees—who go by Cassius, Horus, and Pharoh, respectively—released their debut project BroGods via Spinrilla in May 2017. Since then, they’ve performed plenty in Atlanta, opening for marquee names like 21 Savage and Trinidad James, while also being selected as one of the A’s “On the Come Up” acts by ASCAP Urban.

Recently, we caught up with the group for an interview, which led to a request to premiere their new single and video “Ridin.” You can check out the clip, directed by Jamil “Aries” Purnell, below, followed by the full text of our conversation.

What is your earliest memory of music?

Cassius: My grandma had the VHS of Michel Jackson’s moonwalk. It was my favorite. I watched it 100 times.

Horus: Other than being afraid of the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video, it would be my mom playing the Doc and “Humpty Dance” all the time.

Pharoh: My earliest remembrance of music was my magazine mic I use to rap into watching music videos.

Do any of you come from a musical family?

Cassius: No.

Horus: I don’t really have a musical family but me and my sister both play instruments.

Pharoh: My uncles have a band still to this day back in my hometown of Pensacola, FL… that’s where my musicality originated.

When did you come to realize the power of music in dance?

Cassius: Michael Jackson, James Brown, Usher were at the forefront when it came to dancing and music.

Horus: Spiritual dances from the indians to religious dancing in churches show the power of dance through music.

Pharoh: I realized the power of music when artists began to hit up dancers to make their records pop and become viral.

Who influenced your dancing from a musical perspective?

Horus: Michael Jackson.

Pharoh: Nobody influence my dance from a musical perspective.

What’s the hardest part about being in a three-man group?

The LVRDS: Scheduling. Having all our times and dates lined up without it conflicting.

Easiest part?

The LVRDS: Being able to rise with each other because we are friends first before the group. Also, three brains are way better than one.

How did you link up with 50 Rock for your debut single “Ridin?”

The LVRDS: We came across his beat on YouTube. [We] made the song before even meeting him. We let him listen to the song. He said he wanted to be part of it instead of just buying it like we initially planned, which worked out in our favor.

Thoughts on the state of the music industry today?

Cassius: I think it’s missing people being true to themselves. Everybody wants to have a gimmick when the gimmick is being yourself.

Horus: I love it; it’s always changing and evolving and spawning new sounds.

Pharoh: Thoughts on the music industry today… it’s trash as fuck. No content, just mumbling crap.

What does Atlanta mean to you, coming from the Southside?

Cassius: Atlanta is the forefront of music, period. Right now, most of the chart toppers are from Atlanta or have something to do with Atlanta. So it means a lot being able to rep the south side in the best way possible.

Horus: When I moved from Chicago to the Southside of Atlanta, it became my new home. It adopted me and I got to mix my old home with my new home.

Pharoh: Atlanta is the mecca right now. Coming from the Southside, we have a lot of talent that paved the way. Now it’s time for our contribution.

What’s the biggest misconception about dancers in hip-hop?

Cassius: That dancers can’t be rappers.

Horus: That dancers are soft or can’t be more than just a dope rapper.

Pharoh: That dancers can not be rappers.

What’s next for you guys?

The LVRDS: A lot of dope projects. A lot of dope visuals. Working with a lot more artists and just getting the world to know us and our sound more.

More Info
Instagram: @THELVRDS
SoundCloud: @thelvrds
Twitter: @TheLVRDS