Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
LOS ANGELES, CA - There is a feeling of longing and desire for acceptance in all relationships, especially when love is at stake. Those emotions are at the heart of Mothh’s latest single, “More Love, Calypso,” and its accompanying music video.
Indie recording artist Mothh spends her life creating art, whether it is with paint or in a music studio. Her latest masterpiece is a culmination of her artistic abilities in which she accumulates and refines color and sound to draw herself and others towards light. In the case of “More Love, Calypso,” the light is the sense of longing towards the one you most desire.
“I’m inspired by music and nature,” said Mothh, an Atlanta native. “I’m at my best creatively after spending time decompressing in nature. Doing so allows me to translate feelings about my relationships into melodies and words.” Mixing those inspirations with music forms Mothh’s signature sound - a serial and pure blend of dynamic melodies with a strong bass and rhythm section to stabilize her pensive lyrics.
“More Love, Calypso” is a love song that enumerates the feelings of trepidation in sharing your inner-most feelings with a potential lover while facing the possibility of losing that person in doing so. “It’s about starting to crush on someone and not having control over how you feel,” she explained. “There is a distance between you and another person, like a dance. You’re dancing around, trying not to break the spell at the beginning of a romance. You’re not saying too much but not saying too little. Otherwise, the magic might disappear.”
As a bicoastal resident of both Atlanta and LA, Mothh is no stranger to movement. As such, it felt natural to travel to Venice to shoot the music video. In typical Mothh fashion, the visuals are not like other videos - this one was shot with a Super 8 camera, harkening a sense of dreamy retro romance characterized in ‘50s movies.
Set to premiere on December 10th 2021, the music video was shot by Mothh’s friend and creative collaborator Sarah King. Instead of opting for multiple angles and numerous takes, the duo made the video in the canals of Venice in a gondola cruising down the iconic streets of Italy. Additional footage was captured on the Amalfi Coast.
“I want people to feel carried by the song,” she said. “As if they are on the gondola with me, floating through the canals, sun-kissed and dreamy.”
An artist of multiple mediums, Mothh’s primary goals are immaterial - namely, to live life as a loving person in service of others through soul connecting work. “My highest gift is to bring everyone into the present moment. Presence is what my intention is - to be present for myself and to be able to bring everyone to that place through art,” she said. “Presence is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give someone as an artist.”
With “More Love, Calypso,” Mothh has achieved her goal as fans from across the globe connect to her honest expression of the vulnerability of new love and the beauty in the journey of finding it.
Make sure to stay connected to Mothh on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mothh/1594012529
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mothhmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6P7rwXE9UYbbrO6oq5hJeW
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfD4xXikobqC65jRkWoP1UQ/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gentlemothh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlemothh/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gentlemothh
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Up-and-coming artist, Giffy Pluggo, is creating a stir in the hip-hop scene. Straight off the stage of his recent SXSW performance, the rapper is reminding us that dreams do come true and television isn’t always based on fantasy through his latest album, Douda.
Based off personal experience with a dose of the hit television series, “The Chi,” Douda is a shout out to the character Otis “Douda” Perry. According to Giffy, “Douda is one of the characters in the streets—he’s both a villain and the Mayor of Chicago. My story is similar, because I’m a person who grew up in the streets but got an education and went to school and all of that. It’s kind of showing two worlds and what happens when those two worlds collide.”
“Douda is a corrupt villain but he’s showing that you can come from the streets and come out of the streets and see positivity and light at the end of the tunnel. You can be whoever and whatever you want to be in life.”
Giffy Pluggo’s life tells a similar tale—sans the villain title. Born on the Southside of Chicago, Giffy Pluggo was raised in the Roseland area with his mother and two younger brothers. “My family always believed in education and going to college, but we always enjoyed listening to all types of music,” shares the artist, who began writing poems and raps at a young age. At 16, he began recording his first songs and continued rapping and putting out mixtapes during his studies at Illinois State University.
After college, Giffy Pluggo went on to become an elementary and high school math teacher. After a while, he realized it was time to return to his true calling: music. He took on the stage name Giffy Pluggo to represent being gifted and being “the plug,” always in the know of people and resources.
“A lot of my music details who I am and what I’ve been through. If you start listening to my first album all the way to now, that’s about five projects of personal material that talks about growing up in Chicago, in the streets,” tells Giffy. “But it’s also about going to school and working a job and all the things that come with maturing and becoming an adult. And then taking a leap and going back into music to do it again. Listeners just have to haul it in and really enjoy it. It’s real and comes from a personal space.”
The album, released by ATIP Records, was produced by Benny the Butcher’s label; Benny the Butcher is a talented artist known for his lyrical style and a member of the Black Soprano Family. According to Giffy, he wanted it to be “edgy with a street element.” “Brainstorming what would make sense to me being from Chicago, what came to mind was, ‘I’m kinda like Douda.’ The album has an edge, a soulful lyrical sound. It’s about merging two worlds known for their soulful sound.”
The 10-track album includes the featured single, “Casino.” Three variations are included: the original “Casino,” “Casino - Remix” featuring Jae Skeese, and “Casino - Radio Edit.”
Giffy enjoyed working on the album with fellow collaborators and family. “One of my friends is also an artist—Brandon Ross—so I got him on there as well. Getting the Benny the Butcher stamp gave the whole album a cohesive, edgier sound.”
With support from collaborator Rick Hyde, Giffy Pluggo gained traction quickly on social media. “I opened up at SXSW and performed with Rick Hyde, and Benny showed me love and told me ‘Casino’ was one of his favorite songs. The album was also reviewed by different magazines who love how cohesive it is and incorporates the TV series throughout the album.”
“Working with Myles on production was natural,” shares the rapper. “When I heard the beat [to ‘Casino’] on his Instagram, I inboxed him, ‘let’s do this.’ It was the first beat I recorded to. We did that song last summer, and from there, he wanted to do an EP after hearing the love we received.” The months-long endeavor paid off with the release of the full album this past month.
Up next for the artist is more music and touring. Coming off the high of performing at SXSW, Giffy is excited to share his music with live crowds. “Performing was exciting,” he shares. “Seeing the crowd’s reactions… Sometimes you don’t get to see strangers’ reactions when you make songs. I had people say ‘keep doing what you’re doing—your style is unique.’ That reassured me to keep going.”
Giffy Pluggo is also working on the Deluxe version of Douda, slated for an autumn release.
At the end of the day, he just wants fans to know that “anything is possible.” “That’s how we came out with ATIP Records. People need to chase their dreams and realize it’s not over until it’s over. If you can wake up every day blessed on this earth, then dream big and keep trying. It’s all up to you to go after it.”
Make sure to stay connected to Giffy Pluggo on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
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