Holla Point

More than just another Dirty South act, Holla Point is a trio of Mississippi-born talents who rap as well as sing, and can produce their own songs as well as write them. The three Holla Point members — Malachi, Aimos, and Trap, all of whom were in their mid-twenties upon their 2004 debut — were born in the heart of northern Mississippi: Clarksdale. Well known as the birthplace of the blues (as well as soul legend Sam Cooke), the deep Southern city is also known as the home of such Delta blues icons as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. So from a very young age the Holla Point boys held a deep appreciation for music. Of course, they grew up in a much different age than Cooke did — an age defined not by the blues but rather by hip-hop — so their own style ended up being a mix of old and new: singing as well as rapping, music-making as well as beat-making. There weren't too many opportunities for the aspiring youths in Mississippi, unfortunately. The longer they stayed down South, the more likely they were to find themselves in trouble with the law and with baby mamas. For instance, Malachi in particular got caught up in trouble, at age 17 finding himself an imprisoned baby daddy. It was then, at that especially troubling moment, that he knew he had to set himself on a straight path. So the three decided to focus their concerted energy on something positive — music — and they decided to work the best angle they had: Malachi's brother Darkman and Aimos' brother Stiggy began managing the talented young men and decided to ship them off to hip-hop boot camp, the South Bronx. There Holla Point set up shop in a house of their own, and they began making music in their home studio. They worked hard, recording numerous songs a day and aiming for a major-label contract. That contract finally came in January 2004, when the group signed to Sony Urban Music and began working on a debut album, Long Time Comin'. Though the singing-and-rapping group writes and produces most of its own music, Holla Point did collaborate with outsiders for the album's lead single, "Baby Mama." Those "outsiders" were Memphis legends DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, who graced Holla Point with an unforgettable song that is as controversial as it is potent — a commercially oriented song certain to garner the guys some initial attention for their album debut.