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Nobody said succeeding in the rap industry is easy, but twin brothers Sandman and Lowkey are ready for the challenge. Together known as the group SouthBound, they released their first underground mixtape "The Come Up" with DJ Rapid Ric in mid-2006, and already it has begun making waves for the up-and-coming duo, grabbing the attention of more than one major label. But, the two have turned down every offer up to this point.

"We don't want to just sign to anybody, because when you're unknown, you're at the mercy of the record label. They have complete control over you because you have no chips on the table. So, we want to get our city and state behind us first, and sell as many records as possible independently...........then we'll have all the chips on our side of the table. We want longevity in the game."- Sandman

At only 21 years old, the two have experienced and seen more than most people twice their age, growing up on the Southside of Austin, Texas. Like many young kids living in the middle of any major city, they were easily seduced by the street-life they saw being promoted around them by gang members and drug dealers. At 13, Sandman joined a neighborhood gang. After watching no less than 10 of his friends either die at early ages or get sent to prison for years and even decades, he decided to quit the active lifestyle, a decision that was not met with much support from his friends.

"At the time, nobody understood. They thought I was just scared to die. The truth was that I saw how self-destructive it was after one of my good friends was given 40 years for a drug charge. There's a lot of positives to being in a gang, especially the family aspect of it, and the girls that are always around (laughs). But, the negatives always outweigh the positives. I just wish certain people were still alive. I would give anything for that. It's a pointless thing to die for."- Sandman

Sandman's life wasn't the only thing that changed. His dreams for the future did, as well. He had been freestyle rapping for a couple years already, but it was at this point that he decided to start taking rap seriously as a lifelong career. His twin brother Lowkey soon followed in that dream, and decided to improve his own writing skills. Witnessing everything from robberies, drug distribution, to prosititution, the two began writing songs drenched in unglorified street reality.

"We like to tell stories in our rhymes. It's easy to just rap about what you done or what you seen, what you got or what you wanna have, but it's a challenge to tell a story in your lyrics that actually play in people's heads like a movie. If you consider yourself an artist, you gotta challenge yourself."- Lowkey

For 2 years, SouthBound struggled to find stable management, recording studios, and financial backing for a full album. After going through many setbacks, the frustration was beginning to be too much, until one day they were called to do a live radio interview. That's when they met Tyrone "Bone" Jones, a local radio DJ, who was about to start his own record label and was looking for artists.

Their first project, The Come Up Mixtape, was completed in late 2005 under 2 Da Bone Records, and released the next year. They began a street campaign, handing out free copies of the mixtape all over the city, from downtown Sixth Street to the Eastside and back to the Southside neighborhoods. They then began to travel to events in other Texas cities to spread the mixtapes, as well as selling copies online all over the world. To date, the two claim they have handed out more than 5,000 mixtapes all over the state of Texas, and sold many more worldwide through the internet. Although it's not the best money-making tactic, the street campaign has given them a solid fanbase of supporters.

"It's crazy to have real fans who really love what you do and can't wait for your next project. It's the best feeling any artist can have. Because of people spreading the mixtape to their friends, we have fans in New York, Sweden, Germany, Kansas, England, Brazil, Canada, and all over. We get e-mails every week from people from the most far-off places that we can't even point out on a map, saying how much they love the mixtape. It's crazy."- Lowkey

As 2006 comes to a close, the group is hard at work on their first full-length debut album, which will be titled "Vice Verses". With a solid fanbase to please, and much more fans to obtain in the future, they consider this as the most important project of their career. The anticipation continues to grow with no release date set yet, but time will only tell whether it will live up to the high expectations many have already given the album.

Until then, you can (and should) hold yourself over with the Come Up Mixtape as an appetizer. They're still free if you catch Sandman or Lowkey in the right neighborhood at the right time.

Written by Kevin Holden for Intelligent Hoods

For Booking or Mixtape feature info, send an e-mail to SouthBound@04life.net