A little over a year ago, Louisville native Bryson Tiller was struggling, and working two jobs (UPS & Papa Johns) trying to make ends meet and provide for his then newborn daughter.
Bryson Tiller (aka Pen Griffey) describes himself as a shy guy who loves playing his Xbox, spending time with his daughter and recording music.
What’s makes Tiller’s story touch home for many including myself, is that his life changed drastically over the course of a year. He went from a super star sensation on SoundCloud to a mainstream mega star and the music industry is taking notice.
Tiller released his debut album TrapSoul Oct.2, 2015 and recently wrapped up his TrapSoul tour in Louisville, Ky. in which I attended. I must admit that I had never heard of him until August 2015 by word of mouth from a close friend. My friend mentioned that there’s this guy from Louisville making great music he felt was definitely your vibe. Boy, was he right! The first time my ears heard TrapSoul I knew whether the music blew up or not it was going to be a hit locally. What onlookers worldwide didn’t know at the time was that Louisville, Ky. is not a city that’s lauded for its music scene. People had no idea Louisville existed.
Bryson is the hottest thing out of Louisville since Muhammad Ali and Jennifer Lawrence. During Bryson’s homecoming, the city awarded the 23-year- old the key to the city and declared March 12, 2016 ‘Bryson Tiller Day’
Bryson definitely made sure his first show was one to remember when he brought out Big Sean to perform some of his hits!
This was definitely a huge moment for all of his fellow Louisvillians. For the first time, we finally see someone that’s just like us creating his own path in the music industry and using his resources to making it happen. Bryson does not do many interviews unless it’s discussing nothing more than his music.
Inspiration is what Pen Griffey hopes he can give. Inspiration is what I received from the TrapSoul concert.
Follow Bryson Tiller’s SoundCloud here
Who is someone from your hometown that has “MADE” it that inspires you?
I must admit that I was one of those who was late on finding out who Bryson Tiller was! Now I can’t stop listening to him! He’s definitely paving the way for other music artists in Louisville to be able to have that same shine one day! =) Being from DC, I see that it is pretty similar to Louisville as far as not really seeing someone from the area make it big especially music wise. I believe WALE was that person for us to help open that door, and now other awesome people are getting that shine such as Shy Glizzy and Fat Trel just to name a couple. Anybody creating their own path of success no matter where they are from is a huge inspiration for me! Great post!!
Thank you so much Lex! I loveeee Wale as well! I’m very excited to see what’s next for him 🙂