“When I even first thought of the name Spillage Village, I was still sleeping in my mom’s basement type shit,” WowGr8 remembers warmly.
Dorm room cyphers and recording sessions laid the groundwork for the more serious journey the trio would face once they were kicked out of school. The collective first formed in the early 2010s after J.I.D and EarthGang met while studying at Hampton University. I felt this energy while listening to members of Atlanta’s Spillage Village collective-rappers J.I.D and WowGr8 (of EarthGang), vocalist Mereba, and producer/vocalist Benji-crack jokes and reminisce about the group’s origins. Groups from the Wu-Tang Clan and the Dungeon Family to Odd Future and Pro Era were founded on this ethos, feeding into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Placing trust in people who are on the same wavelength can sharpen skills and tease out unrealized talent. The best rap collectives operate like chosen families.
