This past Tuesday, HipHopDX spoke with up-and-coming Atlanta group Mullage. With the highly infectious, R&B-flavored single “Trick’N,” emcees B Town and B Boi have found success on radio and TV. The duo discussed the universal appeal of their sound and how they hope their as-of-yet untitled debut album will redefine what people perceive to be Atlanta music.
“We always make sure that we’re delivering a strong message in our music and you need a universal sound to do so,” said B Boi. “Our music applies to everybody who lives everyday life, so if you live everyday life, you’re going to relate to Mullage. That’s what makes our music universal: [people] being able to relate to it.”
B Town added, “[With our album], I think we’re going to be taking it back to our roots. One of our big influences is Outkast and the way that they can touch people, just going back to our universal sound, just being able to touch a wide range of people with different ethnic backgrounds. It think real it’s important because just because we are from Atlanta doesn’t mean we feel we need to limit ourselves. Sometimes…people find themselves [categorizing musicians] in one row, so they look at us as just dance music or whatever it may be, [but] our music is far beyond that. We just feel like we’re going to incorporate our sound and almost reinvent Atlanta’s sound.”
B Town and B Boi didn’t begin working in music as a group. It was only after meeting while serving in the Navy that they first began making music together. The duo explained how working as a team has opened new creative doors for them as artists.
AD LOADING...
“I can definitely say that by me being in a group, it has opened my lane and my thoughts and my limits,” said B Boi. “I have no boundaries with where I want to take music. Before, as a solo artist, I was afraid to try things and sing. I didn’t do much singing as a solo artist. I did it, but I would only do it on hooks and like, in and out of my music just a little bit. Now, I would incorporate [singing] just as much as I would a rap verse.”
B Town echoed his partner’s thoughts, adding, “I’m more in tune [with] “the streets.” Me personally, I was trying to be…far beyond what’s going on right now. I didn’t really learn how important it was to look at what’s going on right until e became a group. [B Boi] kept me aware, he kept me in tune to understand that it’s just as important to connect with your audience…as it is to connect people who think outside the box.”
Yet their experience in the Navy afforded them much more than just the chance to meet. Their service imbued them with a strong sense of determination and gave them a chance to view the world from a different perspective.
AD LOADING...
“You go through a lot in the navy,” said B Town. “You have to persevere and you have to continue to keep going no matter the situation…it’s about what lies ahead of you. For us, we understand that. Me personally, I have situations that I have seen that I have yet to talk about on the record and which I’m waiting to do so, and o that gives an edge as well, being able to talk about things in which people would never think that you would see coming from the military.”
Their time in the service not only inspired them with their music, but also with their humanitarian work. The group will take part in the Walk a Mile in my Shoes program, which will send aid to the people in need and American troops stationed around the world.
“[We’re taking part in] the Walk a Mile in My Shoes campaign,” said B Boi. “We’re actually getting started up around December 12. We’re going to raise shoes for the needy and also the troops overseas, [send out] autographs and all types of things…to them just to let them know that we appreciate what they’re doing for the country. We’ve been there first hand, so we know what they’re going through.”
AD LOADING...
Mullage are set to release their Don Cannon-hosted mixtape Elevators on September 7, and their debut album following shortly on From the Ground Up/Jive.
