State Champ Radio Key Glock
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Source: Paul R. Giunta / Getty
Welcome back to New And Making Noise, your source for the hottest new artists making waves in music right now. In this episode, Memphis rapper and Young Dolph protégé, Key Glock, joins hosts Incognito, DJ Misses and A-Plus in the studio to talk about his latest album Glockoma 2 as he goes back on tour.
Fresh off the success of his album Glockoma 2, the first project he released since the tragic loss of his cousin and mentor Young Dolph, Glock is back on the road performing live with “bigger venues” and “more energy” than his last tour. “The energy is going to be there anyway, but we might cause a little earthquake,” he says.
Glock came up as a young artist under Dolph, the Memphis icon tragically lost to gun violence in his hometown in 2021.
The late rapper found success in creating music for his Memphis community and achieved mainstream success with chart-topping tracks like “Major” featuring Key Glock and “RNB” featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Dolph has collaborated with Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, O.T. Genasis and T.I.—all while operating his own independent record label Paper Route Empire (PRE).
Key Glock released his debut mixtape Glock Season in 2017 under PRE. Since his debut, the young artist released more projects including the first Glockoma mixtape and the Dum and Dummer joint album series that he made with Dolph.
Glock, who is still a PRE artist, is keeping the legacy of Dolph’s empire alive by setting his sights on future projects as he continues to perform and make music. “I ain’t got [the music] where I want it yet. I’m still on the music but I’m slowly but surely going to work onto other things,” Glock says.
The Memphis-born artist is not limiting himself to music. “I thought about [acting],” he says. “I’m still thinking about it.”
The young rapper also touches on the making of Glockoma 2, his favorite food, the music he’s currently listening to and his favorite piece of jewelry—his first PRE chain gifted to him by Dolph. “My first chain I ever got, my first PRE chain,” Glock says. “It was my first chain Dolph gave to me, so it’s probably my favorite chain.”
So far, the 25-year-old artist is in no rush to define his career. When asked, “What’s your proudest moment right now?” Glock candidly answers, “I ain’t got one yet.”
Listen to the full conversation with Key Glock below or here.
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Source: Paul R. Giunta / Getty
On Saturday night (March 18), the New York City stop of Key Glock’s Glockoma 32-city tour celebrated the February release of his highly anticipated Glockcoma 2 album, but it wasn’t without flaws. Pain-staking patience was required to enjoy the show at the the Knockdown Center in Queens as the crew battled massive wait times switching between show openers Tia Corine, Jay Fizzle, Kenny Muney, and the headliner.
However, it wasn’t enough to ruin the overall experience. Each artist dazzled fans with high-energy performances, showcasing why they were handpicked to join the late, great Young Dolph’s independent label Paper Route Empire.
First up to hit the stage was Jay Fizzle, a cousin to the late Dolph, who appeared 40 minutes earlier than expected from the promoted 8:00 pm showtime. Those interested in watching the performance saw the ski-mask-wearing rapper perform “Standin On Top Of Sh*t” and “Hood Rich.”
By this point, plumes of weed smoke filled the air as the crowd waited 30 minutes for Kenny Muney to arrive. Dressed in a purple puffer, the rapper kicked off his set with “Ashtray” before flinging a wad of cash into the air during “Big Muney Sh*t.” He took off his coat to jump in the crowd for a more intimate performance of “Lowkey.”
Tia Corine also performed while fashionably dressed in a gothic outfit with a blonde mullet. Her set started with the hit single “FreakyT,” a fan favorite. Her voice energetically bellowed through the speakers with “FYK” until her DJ ruined her set on “Dipset.” By this time, she was noticeably annoyed but powered through during “Boogie,” “Pancake,” and “Lotto.” The set wrapped with an encore of her opener.
Key Glock’s set was a painful 40-minute wait that involved a complicated stage breakdown as a hypeman repeatedly promised he was “on his way” to the show. Just as the complaints of leg pain echoed across the crowd, the houselights dimmed, and stage lights suddenly turned on, when a focused Glizzock emerged. It was showtime.
His performance formula is simple: don’t talk too much and just let the music do all the work. To say it was a clever strategy is an understatement.
Glockoma 2’s “Chromosomes” opened the show, the first of 20 songs carefully selected from his vast catalog while cleverly themed video graphics flashed in the background. The crowd remained invested as he performed “Work,” “Bottom of the Pot,” and “On My Soul,” but pure fandom erupted when “Jigsaw” dropped. The crowd pushed closer to the stage as a giant white head darted laser beams out of its eyes with smoke. At this point, the audience joined in tandem with Key Glock as both rapped in the chorus for the remainder of his show, including on standouts “I’m Just Sayin,” “Like Key,” “Juicemane,” and “Dough.”
To hear these songs and not see Young Dolph beside him to recite his parts left a void that was felt all night. This cued Glock to take a well-timed break to pay homage to his mentor with “Get Paid,” “Preach” and “Water on Water on Water.” It was the closest anyone could get to experiencing the fallen rapper live on stage again. The crowd celebrated to pay their respects.
Finally, the show was nearing its end as “Mr. Glock” and “White Russian” whiplashed the audience back to high-energy mode, before wrapping with a closer from “Frozone” by the late Big Scarr. The crowd was pleased, proving that Paper Route Empire remains dedicated to upholding Young Dolph’s legacy by delivering high-quality performances. And they did just that.
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