At the top of 2018, a track reached Soundcloud that ultimately became a sleeper hit turned viral. The song was titled, “Jammed Up” from rap upstart BandoPop, an artist whose life was reflected within the bars of the song. “I started that song when I was 14years old,” the now 21-year-old artist recalls. Having been in and out prison since the age of 12, Bando pieced together the idea in his head from realizing he was “jammed up” in the prison system, threatening a risk of permanencythere. “I was doing things like breaking and entering and then breaking my probation curfew,” he recalls. The song began piling on streams (currently clocking in at close to 1.5 million), though record labels took notice from a small snippet on Instagram, which set off what is now a wild ride for the North Carolina native. Now with a home at Republic Records, BandoPop aims to bring his truth to hismusic, a refreshing new break from the current hip-hop norm.Raised in the turbulent neighborhoods ofDunn, North Carolina, life for Bando was rough as a kid. The product of a family with strong gang ties, Bando saw his father in prison serving a 20-year bidalong withhaving23 siblings scattered throughout his life. “My mother and brothers and sisters were my mom and dad,” he explains. Losing his grandmother to cancer and grandfather to heartbreak only added to the pain, as the self-described “project baby” turned to the streets for solace. Bando found himself in and out of jail for nearly a decade, and it all came to a boil when he was falsely imprisoned in a murder case that could’ve led to a potentially lifelong stay in prison. However, Bando remained true to his “no capping” credo, though it was clear he was caught in a vicious cycle that needed to be broken. That’s when “Jammed Up” truly took form. Realizing his God-given talents, Bando was ready to level up. “I just realized enough was enough,” he says, following that final fraudulent bid. It wasn’t until he left prison for the last time that Bando decided to put his thoughtsdown completelyon a cut that was a long time coming. The song was quietly dropped, following his IG clip and that’s when it all started to take shape.The fans soon followed and the world began to notice. “It was crazy to see it all happen,” he expresses of his Soundcloud fame, “but it felt really good.”The song carried a poignant message that Bando feels was necessary to deliver to his fan base and anyone feeling lost in circumstances similar to his. “I don’t want nobody to grow up like I did: getting locked up, in and out of jail, going down that path,” he says. “It’s a positive song about a lot of negatives.”Inspired by the storytelling likes of Kendrick Lamar, mixed with the street anthems of Young Dolph and Yo Gotti, BandoPop found his ownvoice. “I never even wrote rhymes until last year,” he admits. “But I listen to music 24/7,so I know music.” Putting the finishing touches on his debut mixtape, his process includes stepping into the studio recording booth with stories on his mind and simply freestyling his thoughts. “I just go in and do my thing,” he states. “When it’s real you don’t gotta write.”His upcoming mixtape will detail his journey, with all of its ups and downs. “All of my music is about my pain,from the streets and growing up,” he says. “I have things to say. I want all eyes on me.” The project will lean on BandoPop’s keen ability to craft honest tales within his music, something he says is lacking amongst the new generation of rappers. “I just want to come in with a different lane,” he adds. “No one is making real music anymore, so I want to do it. That’s all I know: is real shit.”While “Jammed Up” is a clear indicator of what’s to come from Bando’s project, he’ll continue the street narrative with more stories of survival, as he lived many lives in his twenty-one years.As BandoPop continues his steady rise to stardom, he comes with both a strong message and work ethic, proving that passion and perseverance come a long way. It’s time to make room and take notice. “I’m comin’ for every artist’s neck,”he confidently says with a laugh. “It ain’t easy to become who you wanna be. You’ve gotta work hard and stay down to come up. Anybody that knows me, knows.”