You might not know who he is, but without KEY!, modern hip-hop wouldn’t be the same. The rapper has indirectly brought a new dimension of Atlanta hip-hop to the world through the dozens of SoundCloud rappers he's inspired. He’s collaborated with artists like Playboi Carti, Post Malone, and A$AP Mob, and even helped an upstart named 21 Savage with his career. KEY! has always been on the verge of bigger things — but that doesn’t take away the foundation he’s laid for others.
2018 was a banner year for KEY!. He released 777, an exciting and vibrant collaboration with Kenny Beats, and performed with a full live band at SOB’S last October in New York City. The FADER was on hand to capture the madness for our new short film, Spectacular, Immaculate, and traveled to Atlanta to catch KEY! at work with producer Sonny Digital. You’ll hear testimony from Rico Nasty, Kenny Beats, and Playboi Carti as KEY! prepares for his show with quiet confidence and impeccable swagger.
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Director: Scott Perry Producer: Chloe Campion
Executive Producers: Rob Stone, Jon Cohen, Andy Cohn, Anthony Holland, Scott Perry Senior Production Manager: Madison LaClair Associate Producer: Claire Lilly
Director of Photography: Sammy Suh Assistant Camera: Devlin Bolton and Jabari Canada Sound Recordist: Genesis Tibbetts and Miliken Gardner Production Assistant: Iben LeMetayer Editor: Chris Beckman Colorist: Na Thirakomen of Dungeon Beach Sound Mix: Jake Viator AE: Anthony "Tony G" Giambrone
Archival Thanks To KEY! Geo Moya Malcolm Fareli @ZeusTRAPPIN International AWol Prestley Snipes Biff Lawson SOBs NYC Father Kareem West Mister Watt Terminally Mill Lucid Footwear and Clothing Manman Savage Joseph Alexander GT Films Productions J'von Keller McIntosh Bros Productions @Cshot @AmberLamps22 Kenny Beats Cameron Whittaker Alexa Leighton
