Southside
Co-founder of 808 Mafia, and one of the architects of the harder end of Atlanta trap.
| Based | Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Producer tag | 808 Mafia |
| Known for | Future, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott |
808 Mafia
Joshua Luellen co-founded the production collective with Lex Luger, and it became one of the most influential production camps of the 2010s. The name refers to the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which is the entire foundation of the sound.
What the production sounds like
Aggressive, brass-heavy, built on distorted 808 bass and rapid hi-hat patterns. Where Zaytoven is bright and Metro Boomin is cinematic, 808 Mafia is simply hard, and the template ran through most of trap's commercial peak.
Future
He is among the producers most responsible for the sound of Future's catalogue, particularly the darker mixtape run, and appears on We Don't Trust You alongside Metro Boomin.
The collective model
808 Mafia operated as a stable of producers under one banner, sharing tags and placements. That structure — a production collective rather than individual credits — became a standard way for Atlanta beatmakers to build leverage.
Waka Flocka Flame
The early work with Waka, alongside Lex Luger, produced some of the most physically aggressive rap records ever made commercially and is where the template was first fully realised.
Lex Luger
The partnership that founded 808 Mafia produced the run of records around 2010 and 2011 that reset how hard rap could sound. Luger's own output slowed considerably afterwards; Southside kept building the collective.
Running a collective
808 Mafia operated as a stable, sharing tags and placements and giving younger producers a route in. It is one of the more durable examples of that model, and TM88 and others came through it.
Future's darker records
The 2014 and 2015 mixtape run that rebuilt Future's career was split across several producers, and the hardest, most claustrophobic material on it is largely his. He and Metro Boomin represent the two poles of that period.
Later work
He has continued producing across Atlanta and beyond, including work on We Don't Trust You in 2024, and has released collaborative projects under his own name.
The 808
The Roland TR-808's bass drum, pitched and distorted until it becomes a melodic instrument, is the entire foundation of the style. The collective's name is not decorative — it is an accurate description of the method.
Frequently asked
Where is Southside from?
Atlanta, Georgia.
What is Southside's producer tag?
"808 Mafia".
Who has Southside produced for?
Future, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott.