The Break Presents: TisaKorean

A former DJ, TisaKorean has been curating the vibes since his days in high school. Now he’s able to get the party started with some famous friends.

The 23-year-old entertainer recently connected with Chance The Rapper for their Murda Beatz-produced collaboration, “Groceries.” Grateful for the opportunity, he found that working with the Coloring Book artist also provided some inspiration. As he puts it, the collab made him want to “go harder.”

TisaKorean had already been going pretty hard prior to linking with Chance. A certified viral sensation, he’s been a part of a wave of new artists with Texas roots making a splash nationwide. Synonymous with jigging and the #woahchallenge, the Houston native began to gain traction through his dance moves and successful singles (see last year’s “Dip,” which has more than 4 million plays on SoundCloud, and 2017’s “Werkkk”).

Influenced by the music he heard his father playing growing up, as well as everything from Linkin Park to Dem Franchize Boyz, the artist and producer, who's signed to Atlantic Records, released his first official mixtape earlier this year. The 17-track school-themed project—titled A Guide to Being a Partying Freshman—is collection of options for the turn up, such as the Travis Porter-esque “4th Period Test (TestingSwag)” and “Gabby.”

Get to know TisaKorean a little better in XXL’s The Break.

Age: 23

Hometown: Houston

I grew up listening to: "Pharrell, The Clipse, Nelly, Dem Franchize Boyz, Soulja Boy, Linkin Park and Michael Jackson. I was around my pops, so he would listen to a lot of old music."

My style’s been compared to: "I can’t even say who I sound like. I’m not even sure."

My standout records are: "My standout record to me is 'WatchOut.' I was fully able to show different sides of me and I like that. But my blow-up record is 'Dip.' I appreciate both of those songs."

My most slept-on song is: "I have a song called 'Frunt.' It’s on A Guide to Being a Partying Freshman. Later on, when people go back to listen, that song is going to standout. It’s an unusual track. Each generation has a certain sound and I feel like 'Frunt' is the exact opposite of what this generation is used to listening to. But I feel like it’s one of those songs that’s going to live a long time."

My standout moments to date have been: "Definitely the Chance feature ("Groceries") and the opportunity that Chance has given me. What up, Chance! People had already been seeing it with their eyes but I feel like this has opened their eyes even more. We come in as new artists, so all we doing is looking up. We low, so all we doing is looking up. So when somebody up puts their hand out, it’s a big thing. I’m grateful, but it feel so damn cool."

Most people don’t know: "That I’m germaphobic. I’ve always been that way."

I’m going to blow up because: "Of the positivity I’m putting out."

I’m going to be the next: "TisaKorean"

Follow TisaKorean on Instagram and SoundCloud.

Standouts:

“Dip”

“Werkkk”

“WatchOut”

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