The rappers who inspired Pooh Shiesty: “It was the lifestyle I was living”
Pooh Shiesty’s rise from South Memphis to national attention was lightning-fast, but his sound did not appear from nowhere. In recent interviews, he has gone on record to acknowledge the artists and scenes that shaped his career, from Lil Wayne’s word play, to Chief Keef’s drill impact, to Memphis’s trap foundation, even the battle rap clips dotted around YouTube.
Add Gucci Mane’s mentorship, and the blueprint for Pooh’s style becomes much easier to see.
Pooh has said he “watched Chief Keef come into the game” and saw how much the Chicago rapper shifted the culture. Keef’s arrival signalled a new direction for up-and-coming artists, where raw energy and unpolished authenticity could be enough to move an audience. Pooh’s own music echoes this lesson: blunt hooks, bass-heavy beats, and a delivery that values impact over polish.
Even before Gucci Mane’s legendary co-sign, Pooh enjoyed great local credibility. His breakout came on a remix of Three 6 Mafia’s ‘Weak Azz Bitch’, tying him directly to the group he calls “the OGs and legends”. While he was too young to catch them at the height of their success, the chant-driven hooks of Memphis rap remain central to his music. His 2020 track “Hell Night” is a direct nod to that tradition.
Beyond records, Pooh Shiesty spent many hours on YouTube watching URL and SMACK battles, which featured icons such as Tay Roc and Hitman Holla, who provided a tangible model for timing, crowd control, and one-line payoffs. This growing interest in punchlines is audible in his own verses, which often hinge on short, declarative statements designed to stick with the listener.
When Gucci signed him to 1017 Records in 2020, Pooh Shiesty already had momentum, but the partnership gave him the structure to kick-start the next stage of his career. Pooh has called Gucci “the G.O.A.T.” and credits him with teaching the murky art of studio discipline, as well as how to manage a career in hip hop. The trap lineage is obvious: Gucci provided both a business framework and a musical context in which Pooh’s style could thrive.
When asked why he started rapping, Pooh gave a simple answer: “It was the lifestyle I was living”. From a young age, he had already built a strong reputation in Memphis, and came to view music as the next logical step. Naturally, his strong selection of early work caught attention quickly, in its rich combination of lived detail and stylistic lessons he had absorbed from his influences.
Put together, those elements explain why Pooh Shiesty’s songs cut through. The Wayne-inspired wordplay, Keef’s drill energy, Memphis’s dark backbone, and battle rap’s focus on punchlines all surface in his verses. Under the banner of Gucci Mane’s mentorship, he was able to translate this wealth of stylistic influences into a viable career.