The Rundown:
Ever since the Dungeon Family opened their gates and OutKast hootie hoo’d into the culture, Atlanta has been a hotbed for rap innovation. The city’s streets have birthed dozens of the game’s most creative emcees, from superstars Future, Thug, and Carti to influential favorites Peewee Longway, Bankroll Fresh, and Trouble. Atlanta’s current crop of young emcees are pushing the envelope even further than their forefathers, creating a sound designed to obliterate speakers and drive oldheads up the wall. Ealuhri, the young chief of LILYOGANG and one of the city’s most promising risers, represents the next frontier of ATL music, and he is catching the attention of fans and tastemakers alike with his head-spinning sound.
Born and raised in ATL, Ealuhri (pronounced in four syllables, like “Ee-ay-luh-ree”) has been the breadwinner for his family since he was 14, with a mother confined to a wheelchair and a father not in the picture. Refusing to be confined by life’s circumstances, Ri absorbed the music that surrounded him, teaming up with his cousin Double XL and best friend LIL YO to form an irreverent rap group. When LIL YO lost his life to the streets, Ri and company, including Double XL and Ri’s close friend Ydouble, named their crew LILYOGANG, vowing to honor their friend’s memory by running up numbers in the rap game.
Ealuhri and LILYOGANG first earned local attention with the song “Nickelodeon Slime,” a moshpit-ready anthem that showcases the rapper’s mutating flow over insistent 808s and rage-y synths, as he spits a freewheeling verse that touches on street themes with a childlike sense of mischief. “Nickelodeon Slime” precipitated a flurry of energetic mixtapes, building steam in the ATL scene until Ealuhri and the gang earned public co-signs from Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Gunner Stahl, BabyDrill, and more.
Hype for Ealuhri came to a head with his song “JODY JO.” Barely spanning 90 seconds, “JODY JO” finds time for three lightning-quick verses from Ri, Double XL, and Yung Rokk, who ping-pong between producer JaguarClaw’s 8-bit synths, setting himself apart from the titular Baby Boy manchild, animatedly asserting that if he were in Tyrese’s shoes, it wouldn’t have gone down like that: “If it was me, Snoop Dogg would’ve never got shot in the leg/Would’ve hit his head right like a dolphin,” he spits. The song’s whirlwind energy and out-of-pocket bars quickly gained traction online, generating over 100k TikTok creates en route to more than 10 million streams across platforms. Ri performed the song on On The Radar, and its success led to Ri’s placement on Underground Sound’s viral 2026 cypher.
Earlier this month, Ealuhri returned with his latest single, “WHIP IT.” Presented by Montreality DVD and featuring YTLILRIC and Yung Rokk, “WHIP IT” is an intoxicating blend of cloudy synths and rapidfire bars, as Ri and friends run circles around snares with rabid intensity. The song earned the attention of Pitchfork, who added “WHIP IT” to its Pitchfork Selects playlist.
“WHIP IT” is the first glimpse of YWW, Ealuhri’s upcoming mixtape. Executive produced by ATL sound architect Popstar Benny, the upcoming YWW is the perfect entry point into Ri’s wild world, showcasing the skills that have his city’s most valid figures singing his praises.
With YWW on the way and much more music to follow, Ealuhri looks to bring the ATL underground to mainstream prominence. Stay tuned.
Follow Ealuhri: instagram | youtube | soundcloud | spotify | apple
Watch “WHIP IT” ft. YTLILRIC & Yung Rokk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7AtURKOMy4
Please contact Michelle or Francesca for more info.
instagram | youtube | soundcloud | spotify | apple
“WHIP IT” ft. YTLILRIC & Yung Rokk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7AtURKOMy4
“JODY JO” ft. Double XL & Yung Rokk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olY_lGmAYUg