• 2013-

  Khalif "Swae Lee" Brown

  Aaquil "Slim Jxmmy" Brown
• Real life brothers Slim Jxmmy and Swae Lee, were born in California, but moved to Tupelo, Mississippi at an early age. The seventh-largest city in the state, Tupelo is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
• The Lee brothers were raised in the notorious Ida Street housing projects, some of the worst, most crime-ridden in the Mississippi state. Their parents split while the brothers were still young and their mother struggled to support them. The brothers moved out as teens, seeking shelter in abandoned houses scattered throughout the area and working dead end jobs. From a young age music became a way for Slim and Swae to escape the desperation of their surroundings. "When we were growing up, it was just about perseverance," said Slim Jimmy. "Regardless of the situation, we couldn't let the haters win."
• The brothers taught themselves how to record, make beats, and DJ. Swae and Slim earned the attention of fellow Tupelo native P-Nasty, a producer signed to Mike WiLL Made-It's Ear Drummer production team. P-Nasty introduced Rae Sremmurd to Mike WiLL. The hit-making producer was impressed by the brothers' energy and the quality of their music and signed the duo to his Interscope-backed label, Ear Drummer Records. "When I met them," recalled Mike WiLL, "they just had a real young dope energy about them. So me and the Ear Drummer team locked in the studio like we normally do, had a lot of fun, and cooked up some amazing music."
• Their name is Ear Drummers backwards and it is pronounced 'Ray-Shrim-er.'
• When Mike WiLL Made-It took on the duo, he called them, "A hood 'NSync."

Comments

More Songfacts:

RosannaToto

"Rosanna" by Toto got its name from the actress Rosanna Arquette, who was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro.

Summer BreezeSeals & Crofts

On the surface, "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts is just a song about a guy coming home from work, but the duo claimed it had a deeper meaning about finding direction in one's personal life.

Stop Your SobbingPretenders

"Stop Your Sobbing" was first recorded by The Kinks in 1964. It became the Pretenders first single 15 years later, leading to a relationship between Ray Davies and Chrissie Hynde.

YYZRush

The instrumental "YYZ" by Rush got its title from the transmitter code for Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto, near where the band is from.

KatmanduBob Seger

Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, was the archetype for faraway mysticism when Bob Seger wrote a song about it in 1975.

3 AMMatchbox Twenty

The Matchbox Twenty song "3 AM" is about the difficult times lead singer Rob Thomas spent caring for his mother, who had cancer.

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.