Who Is Rising Hip Hop Artist Wix Patton?
Rising hip-hop artist Wix Patton recently dropped his latest song “Gelato Glued” to fuel his growing fan base with a new single during the shelter in place order. His most popular song to date, “100 Miles,” has been listened to more than 500,000 times on Spotify. Patton’s debut EP, “Everything OK,” will be released later this year.
Opening with distorted guitars and loud 808s, “Gelato Glued” is a song about Patton being glued to the studio for the past year to explore his own sound and style. While in a dreamlike trance, the song elaborates on his lyrical and musical introspection.
“I’m excited to share a taste of the new music that we’ve been working on throughout the past year,” said Patton. “‘Gelato Glued’ allows listeners to hear me from a different angle compared to any other record I’ve released. Fans will enter my headspace as I take them through the different thoughts I dwell on while creating new music.
Patton first rose to prominence with a viral video of him freestyling at a California comedy club in front of his University of Georgia football teammates prior to playing in the Rose Bowl. After shooting the “100 Miles” music video in Los Angeles while playing tight end for the Bulldogs, UGA compliance and the NCAA told Patton that he had to make a decision: music or football.
A music career was a boyhood dream of Patton’s, which initially took a backseat to sports. When Patton was cut from his 8th and 9th-grade football team, he spent his time playing basketball and recording music. After growing to 6’5” and gaining nearly 70 pounds, he played on his high school football team and earned an opportunity to play at UGA. Then, destiny intervened, and music took the forefront. Patton draws inspiration from musical influences such as Justin Timberlake, Linkin Park, Young Thug, and Coldplay, to develop his own style for songwriting and performing.
The Hype Magazine got Wix to weigh in on a few things!
From the outside looking in, who is Wix Patton?
I’m a work in progress, but motivated, ambitious, and hungry for opportunity. I’m somebody who’s in my head a lot, so music has been my best way of expressing myself. From the outside looking in, I feel as if I look like anyone who’s completely driven by their dreams. I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time alone over the past year which has been different for me, it’s allowed me to be much more secure in who I am and reflect and rebuild into the person I was meant to be and not who I wanted to be. My mission has stayed the same, but my approach has changed. I’m much more secure with the person I am inside and out now, which has made the music better and more transparent. I hope the music will open the door to people learning who I am and allow an understanding that we’re constantly developing and growing into the person we’re yet to be, moments and time periods don’t define you but are only the stepping-stones to get where and who you want to be. I’m a product of my experiences the good and bad and know that I represent those who are a work in progress on the path to greatness.
What brought you to the entertainment industry, music specifically?
I’ve always had a passion for music but it wasn’t until my sophomore year at UGA (University of Georgia) that I knew for sure that the music industry was where I belonged. Because I sacrificed a lot that year to make music in Atlanta five nights every week after football practice in Athens. Then, I would perform shows every weekend in the offseason and any weekend that I could. I received amazing support from the team, staff, University, fan base, and lastly the team that I built around my passion. At the time I wanted so badly to be perceived as an artist and perceived as somebody on the way up that I formed an identity around it. I wasn’t secure in myself at the time, so I tried to live a lifestyle that reflected what I thought was cool and what I thought people wanted to see from me to be accepted. I say that to say in the year proceeding me leaving UGA I became an “artist’s artist” and not a “UGA football player who raps.” I never wanted to be defined by a moment. Although it gave me a platform and a great start, it couldn’t be how I ended especially when I knew if I wanted to be taken seriously in the industry I needed to prove I was an artist and again “not a moment.” After being discovered by Don Perry, I started to work with OOMP CAMP Producers (Big Korey and DJ Montay) who helped transform me as an artist and enabled us to find the sound I’m looking forward to releasing. All in all, I say this to say, it was a multitude of things that told me this is what I needed to do with my life but it all started with having others believe in me, which gave me the confidence to believe in myself and put action behind my ambitions.
What do you want people to get from your music?
I wanna take the listener through a portal into my headspace, so they can feel what I am going through. Give them an escape from any thoughts that may cycle their mind and put them at peace knowing somebody else is struggling as well and that they’re not alone. I go through a lot of different moods and feelings every day that I try and paint on to the record that brings out these emotions and describe them in a way that gives people perspective, guidance, understanding, confidence or the ability to have someone articulate best how there feeling and how they should respond to what they’re feeling. I don’t have all the answers. Because I’m a product of what I’ve been through, I try and be as transparent as I can to what I’ve experienced and learned.
Tell us about your current project.
As of right now, we plan on releasing six singles prior to our first EP “Everything Ok”. The project has eight songs on it, each having different individual moods that transition perfectly into one theme. The project is a compilation of songs made throughout the past year and a half that represent the different headspaces and feelings I went through during this transition of being 21, outta school, finding not only my sound but myself as an artist and person. This project is about transforming into the person I’m supposed to be, rather than what I felt like I was expected or wanted by others to be. Unapologetically, you’ll hear me describe things from a perspective that’s honest and relatable to anyone that’s felt lost before, but this EP relays the notion that “everything’s ok” and sometimes you have to get lost to find a way.
For new listeners, what song of yours would you pick as an introduction to you as an artist?
I would say Gelato Glued is a great introduction to me as an artist because it showcases the different dynamics foreshadowing the rest of the music you’re going to hear. With the new releases upcoming and in hearing the songs already out, you’ll notice I’m working on a multitude of genres all influenced by the Atlanta sound.
Tell us a bit about your work and passions OUTSIDE of music…
I’ve always been heavily into sports; I played two years of football at the University of Georgia before dropping out and pursuing music. Not only sports but the overall training aspect that comes with progression in any field. One of my biggest passions though comes from giving and receiving wisdom, whether I’m a student and I’m learning from those who have already done what I’m hoping to achieve or learning the work ethics and ambitions others have towards their passions and figuring how I can apply the same principles. Or to be a teacher to those who need guidance or advice or direction on how to proceed with their passions. Everyone has goals; sometimes it may just be unclear on where to start or the steps proceeding.
Last but not least, HYPE wants to know…What’s your CRAZIEST “Where they do that at?!” aka WTF?! moment…
My Biggest WTF Moment, came when we were having a meeting about which songs we should put on the EP. As we were playing through one of the songs, my manager Tricky Stewart was texting someone, which led me to ask… “aye, you want me to run that one back? I know you were talking to someone. haha” and he answered “yeah, no problem” and five seconds later Lil Durk walks in the room. I looked up and was shocked not expecting that at all, and he walked right up to me to introduce himself and he dapped me up. We chopped it up for about 20 minutes and he listened to one of the songs off the EP and liked it, which made it even more of a moment to me. It was special to have someone I looked up to in the industry open up to me about their experiences and to be interested in mine. It was not only reassuring to me that I was where I was supposed to be, but lit another fire in me to wanna go harder.
For more information about Wix Patton, please visit www.Wixpatton.com, follow @Wixpatton on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as to check out his music on all major streaming platforms.
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Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
