Southside, whose influential production work spans from early Waka Flocka entries to last year’s Drake cut “D4L,” says he’s “throwing the towel in” after the upcoming 808 Mafia album.
The recent Doe Boy collaborator announced his plans via Twitter on Tuesday night. initially telling fans he was “thinking ‘bout retirement.” After asking fans for their thoughts, he quickly followed up by saying he’s “done” after the new 808 Mafia project. According to the producer, he’s where he wants to be “in life as a producer” but will still work to help other producers find success.
“IM STILL GONE TRY TO PUT NEW PRODUCERS ON BUT AS A PRODUCER IM THROWING THE TOWEL IN AFTER THIS ALBUM,” he said.
A bit later, one fan (and a producer in their own right) urged Southside to publicly share some studio advice for up-and-coming producers before potentially bowing out. This prompted Southside to note that he’s recently been working on a book, as well as developing a production education resource.
In an interview with Kids Take Over last October, Southside was asked what it would take for a young producer or creative of any variety to land on his radar. As Southside explained, ensuring success is mainly achieved by remaining persistent in the pursuit of one’s chosen craft.
“Shit, you gotta, I mean, you gotta think about shit like this, like, when Chief Keef dropped, how’d Chief Keef get on everybody’s radar?” he said at the time. “He just never stopped. He never stopped. He kept at it, kept at it, kept at it. That’s what makes them great. Just keep at it. I see what you’re doing … Just ‘cause I don’t say nothing don’t mean I don’t see. I see.”
Last summer, Southside also went deep on the stories behind Future’s 2015 classic Dirty Sprite 2 for a Complex feature by Jessica McKinney. Revisit that here.
