Pooh Shiesty

Wielding an impenetrable Southern drawl, steely autobiographical detail, and plenty of dexterity, Pooh Shiesty is perhaps the best Memphis lyricist of his generation. Born Lontrell Donell Williams Jr. in 1999, he began rapping seriously as a teen, and in 2018 he released his first big song, "Breaking News," along with BIG30, Kayy Shiesty, and CHOPPA TEE. By 2020, he had signed a deal with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records before releasing the menacing, Lil Durk–assisted "Back in Blood," a track that was easily Shiesty's biggest to date. He dropped his debut commercial mixtape, Shiesty Season, in 2021. Powered by a subtly hilarious and irresistible single called "Neighbors," the project proved his knack for piercing street raps. That summer, he was indicted on charges related to a 2020 shooting. After pleading guilty to a gun conspiracy charge, one of the more distinct spitters of his era was sentenced to five years and three months behind bars.