Look, I live my life on edge, not a ledge
‘Cause any minute I could slip
Neo had just about half left of a good clip
Shack on face, black on my waist, my hip burn
Actors on that Hepburn, fake make my neck turn
That boy’s snappin’, quit actin’ like you done just learned
Everything they gave you, they made you, I just earned
And now they sayin’ they tryna hear love
It’s right here cuz is them headphones or ear plugs?

The state of Mississippi has a violent history when you go back to the days of slavery. It had a serious racial divide (probably still does, but probably not as bad) and it has developed a reputation since then that has stuck with it for hundreds of years now. Music wise, the Blues was originated in the South because it was an evolved form of the music that was carried on through slavery. BB King is the face of the Blues, and he hails from Mississippi. That soulful background because of such a violent history is one of the reason why when artist do come out, it’s not only rare, but they’ll come out with something to say that will probably go under-the-radar. David Banner is the main face of rap for Mississippi, and it was that way for a long time. Big K.R.I.T’s rise to fame came within the last couple of years and he’s well on his way having released a debut album, but there’s someone else that has come about from Mississippi that has the potential to be a yet another impact rapper representing the ‘Deep South.’ He goes by the name of Tito Lopez, and no he’s not Spanish; he’s black (and he constantly makes references to that when introducing himself).

I was asked about him from one of my followers (Shout out to Matthew Rogers in Texas), and when I said I didn’t know who he was, he sent me this video to a song called ‘Mama Proud’

Initially, I said to myself “this dude sounds like Royce Da 5’9”. Literally right off the bat, that was the one voice that it reminded me of, but I liked the flow that he had and it was concrete. So, from there, I had to check to see what else he could bring to the table before I downloaded a mixtape. So, I found this freestyle…

Pretty impressive, I had to say that much, so then I went to look for a mixtape. He has a mixtape called ‘The Hunger Game, so I went to check for that, and as I was listening to it, I didn’t get much out of it, because the production was pretty basic, and the songs overall weren’t to my particular liking, but there’s no shred of a doubt that he can spit. I went to look for another mixtape called ‘The Lost Files of Tito Lopez’, and that’s where the sound I was looking for came from. He can dish out some punchlines while keeping up with a dope flow, and these days it’s difficult to find authenticity in rappers. He was already featured in XXL, and was in the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards Cyphers, so he’s definitely getting his shine. Don’t continue to sleep, because he has potential. He has a song called ‘The Blues’ that’s pretty dope too. That too was released a few months back.

I saw him perform in concert with Big K.R.I.T and he brings a lot of energy and could definitely be one to be talked about in the conversations of Cole, Kendrick, and K.R.I.T when it comes to the leaders of the newer generation of Hip Hop. It’s only a matter of time, but definitely check him out. You don’t want to be the last to know when he blows up bigger than he his now. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Enjoy.

Follow – @realtitolopez

That’s My Word & It STiXX