Superstar Pride Notched His First Hit With ‘Painting Pictures’ — But Has Much More to Say
Superstar Pride is a long ways away from Mississippi. The 20-year-old temporarily traded the forests of Panola County for the glitz and glam of Los Angeles on his first trip to the West Coast earlier in May.
However, the emerging rapper – born Cadarrius Pride – is enjoying the unfamiliar territory brought on by his newfound fame. Pride exploded onto the music scene with his candid “Painting Pictures” earlier this year, which finds him getting brutally honest about his come-up while addressing both of his parents.
Originally landing on his 5lbs of Pressure EP via United Masters in October, the breakout hit didn’t begin to pick up commercial steam until February when Pride turned to a TikTok campaign and got the attention of Steve Stoute’s independent distribution service to properly push the record.
Pride knew he might not be working at his uncle’s car shop much longer when the TikTok clip quickly went viral and compiled 2.3 million views in just four hours. Listeners couldn’t get enough of “Painting Pictures” — which, along with Pride’s unorthodox business in the front, party in the back style of haircut, allowed him to stand out in what’s a typically copycat genre.
He rode that tidal wave of views to the Billboard charts when the Faith Evans-sampling “Painting Pictures” cracked the Hot 100 in February, before reaching a peak of No. 25 and going gold in April. The track’s momentum helped bring it to the top 10 of Billboard‘s Rap Airplay chart earlier this month.
However, Pride’s dream turned into a brief nightmare when he had his first welcome to the music business moment, as “Painting Pictures” was pulled from streaming services in mid-March after Sony Music flagged Evans’ “Soon As I Get Home” sample for not being cleared properly.
“It kinda disappointed me that it even was taken down,” he says over the phone in a slow Southern drawl. “That was one of the disappointments I had with the rap game [so far]. At the end of the day, I’m just a young brother trying to represent other brothers.”
Fortunately, not much steam was lost, as “Painting Pictures” made its way back onto streaming services a few days later following a conversation with Diddy, and the track now boasts over 100 million streams on Spotify. Pride remains a hot free agent as record labels wave tantalizing checks in front of his eyes in an attempt to get him to sign on the dotted line.
While he’s taking his time on that front, Pride admitted he’s intent on signing to a major label prior to the release of his debut album, 777, which he’s planning to drop this summer on July 7. Find the rest of our interview with Superstar Pride below.
How’s L.A. treating you?
It’s really mind-blowing for me. Where I come from, it’s nothing but trees and the forest. Now I see buildings and lights. It’s different. It’s a fantasy world.
What was home life like growing up in Mississippi?
Growing up in Panola County was hard. My life shifted from Panola County to Fayetteville, Tennessee at a very young age. From four, I went to Fayetteville when I left Mississippi and made it back at the age of six going on seven.
I had just turned six that summer and it was hard coming from where people were more integrated than segregated. You get here and you see it’s different than how you were being treated. Therefore, I had to adapt real quick, because I had school in a couple days. I remember just trying to get back into the country and the racism.
What are some of the first encounters of racism you can recall?
At like two years old, I was in a drug bust and all the sheriffs had rushed the yard, and this one white sheriff snatched me up and shook me real hard. He was looking for criminals and he shook me real hard. I just cried and screamed and tried to get away from him.
What was the music scene like in Mississippi growing up?
Me growing up, of course, you know, it’s cool seeing the new wave — like me, Rae Sremmurd and guys coming out of there now — but growing up we never had nobody around our area that we could really just look up to. I didn’t find out Big K.R.I.T. was from Mississippi until I got into music. Most people I know don’t claim Mississippi. The thing about it growing up out here, you see people that’s making it and not playing in the state. It makes you go harder to be the face.
Who were some of your inspirations? I know you said you listened to Yo Gotti and 50 Cent.
50 and them — they were guys I wanted to be, like but I knew I could do what they were doing. I grinded to the point that I could do what they were doing. I could be on their level. I just wanted to be they lil’ man. Yo Gotti was the only access. He was actually hands-on with [handing out] his CDs. We never could get access to technology in the music.
What were you guys using to record back then?
I started off watching people record at studios, and I couldn’t get access to them because I was young. So then I started recording on my Android tablet. I was trying to use that so much. Then it got to a point that I had the earphones talking through the iPhone and recording using the tablet in the closet sitting down. I would lay tracks down on my tablet when I was like 12 or 13.
When did you get your Superstar Pride name from your uncle?
[When I was] 17 or 18. It really came off some s–t like the ultimate goal is to be a superstar and my goal is to be the biggest.
“Painting Pictures” is a hit. What was your mindset going into recording that?
I got to the point where my mindset was, “I gotta get up out of this struggle.” I recorded that October 14, 2022. That was the second one I recorded [off the EP].
Yeah, talk about using TikTok as a platform to leverage “Painting Pictures” and take it further. How did you feel about that?
I’m very appreciative of TikTok. Now I have to find my way to stay alive in the game without TikTok, because TikTok can’t hold you up.
Do you feel more pressure to find the next hit?
I don’t feel no pressure, but I also make sure my body is always uncomfortable. I only used TikTok because I didn’t want to use no promotion. That’s the only reason. I didn’t want to pay for promotion.
It sounds like you weren’t even into TikTok before this. Did you have people in your ear telling you what to do with it?
I always have a good feel and got people around me, like my mom. She was like, “You gotta post on TikTok.” I’m like, “Nah, nah.” I say, “If these videos keep blowing up, then why can’t I?”
“Painting Pictures” reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. How does your first entry feel?
Bruh, that reached No. 25. It’s different. The ultimate goal is to get rewards out of this. So when you go No. 1, you get rewards. I value [the charts].
How about even just getting the Faith Evans sample cleared? What was that process like? It must’ve been crazy.
The process of getting that cleared was crazy. It kinda disappointed me that it even was taken down. For the record to even come down was kinda harsh. But to go back and get it put back up was respect. I was thankful and grateful for it being put back up on platforms. Going about getting that record cleared was not easy.
That’s your intro to the music business. As far as your debut album, what is the title and do you have a release date?
Yeah, it’s July 7. It’s called 777.
Are you looking for any features?
I would love to have, like, Summer Walker, Latto or a Sexyy Red. I’ma just feel out the situation and if the time come and it works itself out, it works itself out. I’m not gonna pressure no one to work with me and I’m not pressuring myself to work with anyone.
What’s the 5lbs of Pressure EP title meaning?
I knew I had five pounds of pressure, because it takes five pounds of pressure to pull a trigger. I seen that I had five pounds of pressure at the age of seven, and that’s when a lot of my life changed. I just took that stage of life and I’m telling my story.
What’s the inspiration behind your haircut and how did that become a thing? Business in the front, party in the back.
My uncle, he made me famous for that haircut. He know the people always gon’ draw toward me, so he said, “You know, you need your own haircut.” Before I got my haircut, I didn’t know what it was going to look like.
Your fashion and style — what do you like about dressing in designer pieces now?
I just put that on so the supporters won’t be mad at me. I’m dressing the way I like to dress. The way I dress is the way we dress back home.
Do you have a biggest purchase you’ve made since your rap fame?
I don’t like spending money — so when I spend money, it makes me mad. [The biggest] was a $10,000 shopping spree.
Do you have any goals for the future?
Honestly, my goal really is to help people that’s not confident be more confident in themselves. I wasn’t confident in myself, but I knew I had the power within. But I was just never confident. Then when I got the confidence — look at it now.
Are there any other ventures you want to do — maybe bring something back home to Mississippi?
A waterpark and a resort. The waterpark hit different.
Michael Saponara
Billboard
