When Lil Playah first emerged on the scene in 2018 with his debut album Pain Must Love Me, his underground hit “Little Did I Know” was one he wasn’t too fond of right off the bat.
Saying he treated it as a “filler” track for his then-buzzing tape, it wasn’t until a full year later that the Houston rapper unknowingly played his cards right — as the track ultimately gained immense traction on TikTok.
“The crazy thing is with ‘Little Did I Know,’ I hated the song,” he said. “It was actually a song that was supposed to be a filler for my mixtape… it was a song that was just ‘whatever’ to me. A year later, TikTok gets a hold of it and it shoots up. And this was 2019, no one cared about TikTok that much then… and it was just like ‘what the hell’ is this?“
Representing the evolution in music and speaking on his journey following his path to acclaim, Playah is a true product of the internet era — detailing the role social media has played in his career this early on. Starting off as a Lil Uzi Vert fan page then signing to Internet Money only to part ways after a short tenure, the rising Texas artist views all moments — both good and bad — as growth. Stressing the importance of trusting the process (i.e. “Little Did I Know”), Lil Playah seemingly found his sound and direction by revolving his mindset around a positive light.
Amassing over 62,000 Spotify monthly listeners, Playah’s turned his initial SoundCloud success into bonafide underground stardom. Just in 2021 alone, Playah’s released a handful of singles and a pair of EPs in you THINK I CARE! and his recent fan-favorite Playah Cards Right.
Linking up with rising teen phenom Baby Santana on “Shut Up!”earlier this year, Playah’s style is a brash mix of new wave rage and fleeting pluggnb production. His voice, however, is the star of the show, as Playah finds pockets to spit colorful animated hooks that the listener can’t help but sing along to. Dropping his recent single “Money Hungry!” in September, Playah continues to play the game his way — further displaying his knack for hypnotic melodies all while rapping with a sense of poise and urgency.
🔰 𝗢𝗚𝗠 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 🔰
— Our Generation Music (@OGMusicCo) December 19, 2021
.@dontplayahself chopped it up with #OGM host @ayoohakeem to speak on #LilUziVert, #BabySantana, “Little Did I Know,” ‘Playah Cards Right’ & more! ⬇️
READ + WATCH: https://t.co/LFCUb6GE3t pic.twitter.com/s6YRM4utKL
As the young Houston native strives to assert himself as one of the underground’s heavy-hitters — with co-signs from Autumn! and other new wave stars — Playah has seemingly kept his cards close to his chest, ready to reveal what he truly has in store.
Amid his latest endeavors, Lil Playah sat down with OGM host Hakeem Rowe to speak on Lil Uzi Vert, Baby Santana, Autumn!, Pain Must Love Me, Playah Cards Right, “Money Hungry!” and more in his Our Generation Music exclusive interview.
Watch Lil Playah’s OGM interview below!
