The Rise of Bryson Tiller and The TRAPSOUL Movement

Although it’s been less than a full calendar year since the release of his, now platinum-plus, much heralded debut solo LP, T R A P S O U L, singer-songwriter-rapper Bryson Tiller has quickly become a household name. Fueled by the set’s two lead offerings; “Don’t” and “Exchange,” the 14-track opus later reached number 11 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The 23 year old wunderkind, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, was initially courted by the “Champagne Papi” himself as a potential signee to OVO Sound, but ultimately rebuffed both Drake and producer Timbaland’s offers of a deal opting instead to ink with powerhouse RCA Records. Tiller, who cites Omarion, and then in no particular order R. Kelly, The-Dream, Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown, as some of his biggest musical influences, is currently in the midst of the North American leg of his Trapsoul Tour but has also recently returned to the lab in order to construct what has become his highly anticipated sophomore collection, She’s Got My Soul, slated for a 4th quarter release.

Being that a few of the extra songs written for T R A P S O U L didn’t actually make the final cut, he did, however, land a writing placement on the aforementioned Brown’s latest entry, Royalty. For this very reason, Bryson admits that he would love to collaborate with any of today’s greats; including J. Cole, Kanye West, the above mentioned The-Dream and Jazmine Sullivan.

The self-proclaimed “shy dude” who is not fully comfortable with all the trappings of fame has rightfully so created an alter-ego, Pen Griffey, who completely takes over – as in full control – once Bryson hits the stage. Although unfortunately he didn’t win one trophy despite garnering three nominations at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, and he’s up for an additional four; Best Male R&B/Pop Artist, Best New Artist, Video of the Year and Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice, at this year’s BET Awards ceremony being held on June 26th, Bryson Tiller, a proud father of a toddler daughter, has come an awful long way ever since his days back being employed at both UPS and Papa John’s Pizza.

“I truly believe that anybody can do what I’m doing. I don’t say it as a cliché. I really believe it,” Tiller emphatically tells Global Grind before concluding sounding all-too-pleased with life these days. “I’m on a natural high right now. I’m really on a high. My homeboy came up to me like, ‘Yo, are you high right now?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, on life.’ [laughs] It’s amazing. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life.”

Watch The Video for Bryson Tiller’s “Exhange” below: