Don't sleep on those Tillman brothers, Arkansas' kings of rap and hip-hop
*The audio track below is titled “Work Boots” by earFear, which is 607 and Itsjustbobby. You can stream or download the entire EP here.
Little Rock-based rapper 607 probably seems like a conundrum, especially if you've never had the pleasure of getting to know the human, Adrian Tillman — who by any account is the hardest-working rapper in the history of Arkansas, probably in the history of the South.
His interviews in the mainstream media are limited mostly to quotes that don't reveal much about the man, and most reviewers don't know or care enough about his music or his character to bother writing too much about either.
I gotta say, both his music and his character make Arkansas a better place. Same goes for his brother, Bobby Tillman, a gifted rapper and songwriter who’s released some fantastic country-rap and melodic-rap tracks in recent years.
If you appreciate rap as a form of modern poetry and blatantly honest commentary on the current conditions of both black culture and American society as a whole, then you should make every effort to catch both of them live — ideally together.
Here's a 607 video from 11 years ago:
And here’s a playlist of a recent performance by the brothers, called earFear as a duo.
Adrian Tillman, 607's real name, and I first met 15-ish years ago when I was working at The Gypsy on Dickson Street. Tony Gray, aka DJ Shortfuze, was throwing these rap battle shows, featuring rappers from around the region and state. Adrian at the time was performing as half of a duo called Trauma Team.
[Side note: I'm from Little Rock, but I was pretty ignorant about the Little Rock rap and hip-hop scene when I lived there. My cousin and brother blasted Eazy-E, Tupac, Dr. Dre and the like every time they had access to a speaker and a tape deck. But our home was a very religious, strict one; non-religious music events were banned — except for some bluegrass festivals when I was a kid, because my dad was performing at them.]
So Shortfuze’s first rap battle show at The Gypsy circa 2003 was my first live rap or hip-hop show to attend, ever. It made me a lifelong fan of good rap and especially battles.
The background beats and music were pretty good, but the freestyle battles, with rappers ad-libbing in perfectly poetic rhymes about everything from poverty and social injustices to the nerdy sneakers their competitor was wearing was simply ASTONISHING to witness. As a writer I was in complete awe at their ability to not only compose meaningful lyrics – and on whatever topic was at hand at that moment – and on the fly? AND to make them rhyme? Simply unbelievable.
I don't remember who officially won the rap-battle competition every time, but I am certain that Trauma Team, and Adrian in particular, won my brain. He is a rap powerhouse and a linguistic genius on stage. His rhymes either cracked me up or had me hollering “OH NO HE DIDN'T!” every single sentence he uttered. The hundreds of fans there for nearly every rap battle show we hosted at The Gypsy were right there with me. He was obviously a crowd favorite.
After the shows, I remember clearly how Adrian’s demeanor would change from “all business” to “all friendly” as he met audience members, joked with fellow rap battle competitors, and shot the shit with the bar staff. He was an amicable gentleman, with a vocabulary and a demeanor that commanded respect and admiration.
Not long after, I learned that Adrian had already put out several albums as a solo rapper, under the moniker 607. I eventually quit The Gypsy, other staff moved on, the rap battles ceased, the venue later changed hands and names, and I lost contact with Adrian for years. All the while, though, he was honing his craft and pumping out albums.
I heard stories now and then from my Little Rock music friends, during the mid-2000s, about his constant presence in the River Market entertainment district downtown; seems he was there nearly every night with his KGB-style briefcase, handing out his CDs to anyone who would take one, inviting people to his next show.
By the time he was named the winner of the 2008 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, Adrian had released something like 29 albums. In about 8 years of working as a rapper: 29 full-length albums. Each a little different, but all with hard-hitting messages about everything from love, travel, human nature, his feelings about God, his feelings about life, and, yes, frequently also about the life of a Southern black man who faces challenges every day that white folks don't understand much less have to deal with.
About a year or two after that – following 607 tours across Russia, Africa, and Asia – I started working at Stickyz Rock 'N' Roll Chicken Shack and Rev Room (I was the publicity and website manager, and occasional door/security! Ha!). Within the first year working there, I heard that Adrian and his brother, Bobby, had teamed up in a new group called earFear, and they had a new album and some videos they were soon to premiere at Stickyz.
They were PHENOMENAL.
After that show at Stickyz, a few friends of mine and I ended up hanging out with the Tillman brothers and one of their friends. While my girlfriends and I sipped on adult beverages, smoked cigs and kept our buzz going, Adrian declined all substances, sticking with his water – and then whipped all our asses in a three-hour game of Scrabble. I laughed a lot that night; I was embarrassed even more. (As a journalist, I should be good at Scrabble, ha ha.) After our resounding loss, just before the sun came up, they made sure we got home safely, as gentlemen do.
I moved away again not too long after that. Since then, 607 has continued to pump out quality rap records. He has taken a few short breaks here and there, frustrated with the state of the industry and unwilling to compromise the quality of his messages in order to “fit in” with commercial rap, sign with a label, and make that money.
Adrian has been featured on numerous mainstream hip-hop and rap websites (they all praise his records and his artistry), and he appeared on a CNN docu-series about black culture — they described his music as “everything that's good about rap these days.”
In 2017, he released his 44th album is out – yes, I said 44 – and it's gooood; it's called “New Wave Arkansas.” It's relatable. It's accessible. It's authentic. Its production is relatively simple, but appropriately so. You can understand the words, and when you listen, you aren't forced to imagine a bunch of scantily dressed “backup dancers” hanging all over the artist. (LOL.)
His lyrics don't glorify violence; they demand justice (and judging from the lyrics, he doesn't give a shit how it happens, as I imagine a lot of blacks in America feel).
He doesn't boast about the typical rapper party life; he bemoans measuring up to the responsibilities of being a human, a black man, and a role model for younger rappers.
He doesn't curse God or whomever you want to think of that may be calling the shots in this country and universe, nor does he curse any oppressors, real or perceived; instead, he asks, “Am I doing good enough? How can I do better? How can I be better?”
Bobby — who likes to say he’s known for playing the long game — has undergone a transformation the past few years, and it’s been amazing to witness. He’s an incredible human and one of the bravest men I’ve ever met. He’s shared his journey and struggles on social media, and lately he’s been showing us the process of learning guitar. No f*cks given. He’s out there learning chords and making up songs on video and posting them to Facebook every week. I call it “growing out loud,” and it’s hella inspiring.
Plus, the dude can sing. He’s got gifts, yo! Rapping, lyrics, songwriting, composing, and singing.
Y’all, go support these artists. Stream their albums. Buy tickets to their shows. They are Arkansas treasures. (And they will kick your ass at Scrabble!)