Travis Porter

All Music Guide:

Originally formed in 2006 as the Hard Hitters, the trio officially switched to the enigmatic moniker Travis Porter in 2008. MC’s Ali (Lakeem Mattox), Quez (Donquez Woods), and Strap (Harold Duncan) grew up together in Decatur, GA, and got together with the hope of taking over the rap world from the underground up. The irreverent group began to cultivate a strong internet presence, releasing videos through their YouTube page and releasing four mixtapes, Who Is Travis Porter?, I’m a Differenter, I’m a Differenter 2, and Streets R’Us in 2009. The group caused some controversy that year when they inadvertently released a Roscoe Dash single they did a guest spot on, “All the Way Turnt Up,” on one of their own tapes. Dash eventually re-recorded the song with Soulja Boy and released the new version the following year. After releasing three more mixtapes, Proud 2 Be a Problem, I Am Travis Porter, and Differenter Gang, in 2010, the band found themselves being courted by labels hoping to bring them to a larger audience. Travis Porter eventually decided to sign with Jive, where they felt they would get the most attention, near the end of 2010.

Wikipedia:

Travis Porter is an American hip hop act from Decatur, Georgia. Ali and Quez are step brothers; the two met Strap while attending the same middle school. The three grew up together and in 2006 began exploring music. The group’s biggest hits are "Go Shorty Go","Bananas", "Ayy Ladies", "Bring It Back" and "Make It Rain" produced by F-K-I. Travis Porter released a biographical film titled Proud to be a Problem on May 18, 2010. Travis Porter has a YouTube channel with over 100 million views and a Twitter page. In November 2010 the trio signed with Jive Records.

Appearances

Besides performing throughout the USA, Travis Porter has performed internationally. In 2008 the trio took a tour through , Kaiserslautern, Germany and Bamberg, Germany. They appeared in one of Atlanta’s biggest concerts, Birthday Bash, during the summer of 2010 and on the The Mo'Nique Show. They performed with Canada’s own Drake at BMI’s Unsigned Artist showcase in Atlanta.

Label and recognition

Travis Porter now belongs to Jive Music and Porter House music. They also recently joined the BMI family. The trio was honored in the Underground Music Awards 2010 in New York City with other well-known underground artist like J. Cole with the “Most Dynamic Rap Group Duo” award. Though when they were unsigned they still worked with notable signed artist such as Roscoe Dash, Fast Life Yungstaz and Waka Flocka Flame. Travis Porter was also featured on MTV Jams Feb 5. The group also received Myspace’s #1 unsigned group title. Their single “Go Shorty Go” made it on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and in fall 2010, their track “Make it Rain” hit number 50 on the urban radio charts and debuted on the charts at number 97 then climbed to number 46. Gucci Mane reportedly announced interest in signing Travis Porter to 1017 Brick Squad Records, saying "Just give me 12-15 songs. I don't know about that other stuff. Handle your business". The group ended up signing a record deal with Jive Records. On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding Jive Records along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, the group (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release their future material on the RCA Records brand. In 2012, their single "Ayy Ladies" with Young Money rapper Tyga peaked at #56 on the Hot 100 and topped the Heatseekers Songs chart, becoming Porter's most successful song to date. Their debut studio album, From Day 1, will be released on May 29, 2012 on RCA Records and Porter House Music.

Musical career

The group started out as the “Hard Hitters”, but changed their name to Travis Porter in late 2008 to be more marketable. Four of their biggest hits “Black Boy White Boy” "Uh Huh (Produced by 706HITZ)" "Go Shorty Go (Produced by Spinz n Fresh) "All the Way Turnt Up" also turned out to be huge controversy in their career. “All the Way Turnt Up” caused controversy with Roscoe Dash. After Roscoe Dash came up with the song and asked Travis Porter to be featured on it Travis Porter added the song to their mixtape causing fans to believe it was not Roscoe Dash’s song, but Travis Porters’. Soon Roscoe Dash released another version of the song through his label Interscope Records featuring Soulja Boy. The song “Black Boy White Boy” caused a bit of controversy with Young Dro because he and label-mate Yung L.A. say that the song title was initially theirs. There has also been rumors that Travis Porter has a feud with fellow Atlanta group Cloud 9 who has the underground hit single "Shawty Shake Yo Ass". Cloud 9 confirmed that this was a rumor in a recent interview and on Twitter.