Augusta's Best Kept Secret

Who's the hottest in the city?

A question you hear quite often throughout the Garden City's musical scene. On the other hand, an artist from the Southside of Augusta, Georgia..."Uptown" to be exact, keenly answers he doesn't care who the hottest in the city is because he's the hottest [from] the city.

Shaudy Prince! A well-known rapper from arguably the second most talented city in the state of Georgia. When asked why do you call it Disgusta? The Prince answered simply yet modestly!

Shaudy Prince: "Disgusta was never a term I created, but I embraced it."

"Disgusta was a way for me to create my own lane, yet still represent my hometown to the fullest despite if they accepted me or not!"

"So many people where I'm from try to place me in a box. They try to compare me (or my sound rather) to other industry artists. Some will even go as far as to say that the "white" crowd would love me, but why can't I just sound like me without putting any limitations on it?"

"Why can't everybody love my sound simply because it's a dope sound? Hood Royalty!"

Shaudy Prince definitely doesn't come off to be your average Augusta rapper, or even your average rapper for that matter. Actually many people are in awe when told he's from such a small city because his sound is so big time!

Shaudy Prince: "Even when it comes to rap music as a whole I've always felt I needed my own category. Which is why I created my own sub genre within the Hip Hop, or Rap genre called Royal Ratchet Rap!"

"To keep things simplified you can just label it Alternative Rap if you'd like though."

With an arsenal of various flows, lyrical precision, along with a lot of remarkable word play it's safe to say that Shaudy Prince (who refers to himself as "Your Royal Ratchetness") is in a caliber of his own.

Shaudy Prince: " Being innovative is what my brand has always been about."

"For one, it takes a creative genius to take a word like Disgusta that really was just sitting dormant, and give it a global personification. Two... imagine taking a negative word as such, and turning it into a positive connotation."

"It truly takes someone who thinks outside the box to even do creative things of this nature, so you could never place me in something that I live my life outside of!"

Prince reiterates that he already knew beforehand that projecting Disgusta in the public manner that he has would result in him being ridiculed, and his name being slandered as well.

Yet it's still something he proudly represents due to the fact it helps him to identify those who he should, and should not, do business with... process of elimination if you will.

Shaudy Prince: "I honestly find it hilarious when I get backlash for creating awareness around the word because it wasn't like I was the one who degraded the city's name by creating it!"

"The very essence of this word didn't come from no out of town folk, no outsiders, or even tourists. It came from the people in my own community."

Shaudy Prince also stated that there has been establishments within the local area that won't do business with him solely because of how he has broaden the horizons, and brought attention toward such a controversial term.

It seems people don't want the word to tarnish their reputation, and image; so instead of bringing out the positive perspective around the word (which was the initial goal of Prince from the start), they rather not have any dealings with him altogether.

Shaudy Prince: "If you ask me... people just don't want to work with me because of their egos."

"They're more worried about me outshining them than us actually making money together. Makes it easier for me to pick the bad apples out the bunch so it really doesn't phase me at the end of the day."

Prince believes that the talk and hype about who's the "hottest" in the city is a smokescreen used for financial gain. He also feels it is what is keeping Augusta stagnant along with procrastination and poor business models!

Shaudy Prince: "Me, personally, I feel if you're the hottest in whatever it is you do, or wherever you're from... not just the city, but the world should acknowledge it! Most of the time your own city won't even admit it until you actually blow."

"I don't feel we have fully evolved as a city to be crowning anybody (despite if my name is Prince or not!) because if we truly had a market people wouldn't feel they had to leave the city to make it."

Shaudy Prince doesn't think that Augusta as a whole is on the map in comparison to the rise of other major cities in the industry. So the constant parade around who's the hottest (or most popular) is minuscule, and stunting the growth of the musicians mentally.

Shaudy Prince: "Most people leave the city to go ride somebody else's wave. I'm creating my own! I'm showing not just the city... but the world that James Brown isn't the only musical great to come from Augusta."

"When I look at James Brown's legacy it wasn't like Augusta made him the legend he is. He made himself a legend, and Augusta became a by product of that! So I don't see my rise to greatness being any different."

Could Shaudy Prince very well be the best kept secret being held not just from the world... but his own city?

We can't wait to see what happen's when the word gets out!