Local rapper/poet Virghost Memphiasco (real name: Durand Somerville) will officially unveil his debut LP, The Memphiasco, this Saturday night with a release show at The Daily Planet.
Somerville, 24, is a native of the Mid-South area who began writing poetry and raps sometime in 2008 after befriending a group of like-minded hip-hop artists, including Knowledge Nick, Quake, 901, and Young Yayo.
“I was working on a spoken word intro for Nick’s first project which also led to me writing and recording my first rap to this song called ‘Higher Ground,'” says Somerville. “901 was so impressed with my verse that he let me join Memphis Boy Productions, and from there I began working on my first mixtape.”
“It was a really raw project. I was just learning to record and rap but people really liked it. It’s hard for me to listen to it now because I have evolved so much.”
