Sounds From The Front Porch: YGTUT’s Preacher’s Son

Sounds From The Front Porch is a series where I will unravel some of southern hip-hop’s most overlooked and/or underrated artists and albums of the past and present.

“Ain’t yo dad a preacher? What you doin’ smoking reefer?” That’s the line that lingers in my head when considering YGTUT’s breakout mixtape Preacher’s Son. Preacher’s Son follows a southern coming of age story akin to fellow Chattanooga, Tennessee native Isaiah Rashad’s phenomenal debut and my personal favorite project of all time, Cilvia Demo. Where Isaiah Rashad mixed rich braggadocio with his musings on life and mental health, YGTUT’s boasts accompany broader explorations of his past street life and the relationship his lifestyle takes with organized religion. Born as Kevin Adams Jr., YGTUT grew up going to a Baptist church every Sunday with his mother as a gospel singer and his father as a preacher. Although there was a little distance between himself and Christianity at times — when interviewed by Noisey, he detailed how he’d often show up in t-shirts and sweats instead of dress clothes — his influences bleed strong on Preacher’s Son. “Sheba With Angel Mae” is a duet with tons of religious imagery, using intimacy with a woman and references of Jesus Christ’s actions (washing his disciples’ feet in the Bible. Songs like “Sunday Service” complemented with Isaiah Rashad ad-libs and “Fall of…