Swae Lee Essentials

Tupelo, Mississippi, is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, but Swae Lee is well on his way to earning his own key to the city. Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown was born in California in 1993 but raised in Tupelo alongside his brother, Slim Jxmmi, with whom he went on to form Rae Sremmurd. Together, the duo came to define the sound of popular rap in the 2010s, as Swae crafted inventive hooks that pushed the boundaries of how the genre could grow and mutate, making rap from the period more minimal and more melodic. Whether on thundering, maximalist cuts like “Powerglide”, playful singalongs like “Come Get Her” or on the megahit Gucci Mane collaboration “Black Beatles”, Swae warps every record into its strangest, most irresistible version.