Even with a name like Hollyweerd, one still isn’t quite able to describe the look, feel and sound of the quartet comprised of Dreamer, Tuki, The Love Crusader and Staggo Lee. Their sound is an unique concoction consisting of heavy Southern bass lines, melodic jazz horns, uptempo swing and just a hint of funk. Their breakout hit ‘Have You Ever Made Love to a Weerdo?’ quickly caught on within the Atlanta underground scene and thus caused the group’s popularity to soar even quicker. But it is the lyrical dexterity that drives Hollyweerd to the forefront of this new era of rappers in hip-hop.
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(Tuki, Dreamer and The Love Crusader performing at The Standard in Los Angeles)
Hollyweerd has been heating up the ATL music scene since their emergence in 2007. The idea of Hollyweerd initially spawned within a conversation between Dreamer and Tuki. They felt it necessary to bring something make music that would take listeners to a place ‘where the rain was purple and where the rejects and weirdos reign supreme.’ Dreamer, already known around Atlanta as a lyricist and producer, and; Tuki, co-owner of famed Atlanta tattoo parlor City of Ink, quickly turned their idea into fruition.
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STAGO LEE FREESTYLE HOLLYWEERD – INSIDE THE MUSIC from Jeron Ward on Vimeo.
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They immediately recruited Staggo Lee, a trained saxophone player and lyricist and The Love Crusader came on board shortly thereafter. By January of 2008, Hollyweerd was live in every underground nightclub and hole in the wall performing their first single ‘Have You Ever Made Love to a Weerdo?’ The infectious and catchy hook followed by Staggo Lee’s sultry saxophone interlude closing was an instant hit amongst Atlanta. It was reminiscent of OutKast circa Aquemini yet also very progressive.
From there, Hollyweerd quickly began to gain notoriety as a group catching the attention of local press Creative Loafing and Rolling Out and kept the blogosphere heated with new tracks. They went to work on their first mixtape entitled <span style
