BIOGRAPHY
Where it all began
Breedlove was born in Akron, Ohio but his maternal grandparents moved him nearly 800 miles south to Columbus, Georgia, at the age of two. His mother was dealing with personal struggles at the time and initially stayed behind. However, his grandparents remained a constant in his life, providing the attention and structure a growing Black boy needs. His mother rejoined the family in Columbus when Breed was seven and remained in his life until she passed away in 2018. Their influence affected both the man and his art in myriad ways.
He started rapping at age 17 in a group with two friends, and while he showed some promise as a writer very early, the substance wasn’t quite there yet. “When I was younger, I started out rapping trying to be this gangster or whatever, “admits the Georgia MC. “At the time, I was trying to rap about 99% of the stuff that we hear. I was the complete opposite of what my music is now.” However, after some time and thought, Breed encountered a crossroads requiring him to choose. Thankfully, he received some divine intervention. “This was God because I don’t know where this insight came from, but I made a conscious decision to myself that: One, I was gonna talk about some real shit. The stuff that actually applies to me. And the second thing was, ‘I love these boys. I would die for these boys. But I’m a have to separate myself to get to places I envision myself being’.”
Sidney’s Music
Now a solo artist with a new sense of direction, a drive to get better, as well as continued
support from his family and new mentors and collaborators pushed him to be the Sidney
Breedlove you see today. From his uncle encouraging him to leave his traditional college to go to school for music and his mother informing him about the Art Institute of Atlanta’s music program while on a college visit with his younger brother, to connecting with mentors and opportunities on and off-campus after moving from Columbus to Atlanta, it started to feel like destiny was playing a role in what was happening.
His time spent working on others’ music helped Sidney refine his work, from mastering the
songwriting process to incorporating Auto-Tune into his sound. “What was huge for my artistry was the engineering and just being around those guys and the environment as well. Just being in the Twelve as much as I was, it changed the sound of my music. People tried to put me in that box of having too many bars but can’t make a song. I love it now because I can say something and still put melodies in there, too. The process of being in the Twelve really made my music what it is today.”
« “This was God because I don’t know where this insight came from, but I made a conscious decision to myself that: One, I was gonna talk about some real shit. The stuff that actually applies to me. And the second thing was, ‘I love these boys. I would die for these boys. But I’m a have to separate myself to get to places I envision myself being’.” »
– Sidney Breedlove