Travis Porter

Formed of childhood friends Ali (Lakeem Mattox), Quez (Donquez Woods), and Strap (Harold Duncan), the group, originally dubbed Hard Hitters, envisioned taking the rap world by storm. By 2008 the name was changed to Travis Porter in order to appeal to a larger audience, and the trio were honing their performing skills playing shows in the U.S. as well as Europe. Through a combination of underground mixtapes, well-profiled live shows, and apt use of social media, Travis Porter quickly gained recognition in the south, aided by the underground hits “Black Boy White Boy”, “Uh Huh”, “Go Shorty Go”, and “All the Way Turnt Up”.

In 2010, having already released four mixtapes, Travis Porter issued “Proud 2 Be a Problem”, “I Am Travis Porter”, and “Differenter Gang”, all of which caught the attention of labels hoping to sign the young, appealing hip hip group. Towards the tail end of the year Travis Porter inked a deal with Jive Records, however the label was closed by its parent RCA in 2011, which resulted in Travis Porter’s debut “From Day 1” being issued by RCA in 2012. The album, featuring Diplo, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League at the production reigns, peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, and No. Two on the Billboard Top Rap Albums. Featuring guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Tyga, Mac Miller, and Mike Posner, the album spawned the singles “Make It Rain”, “Bring It Back”, and “Ayy Ladies”. The latter single, featuring Young Money rapper Tyga peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the Heatseekers Songs chart. The group released their self-made film “Red Rock” in November 2012, followed in 2013 by the mixtape “Mr Porter”.