In my first long photo essay, I spent six months with Salazar Diego and Xavier Green. Live music venues across Memphis, their apartment (affectionately called The Zoo), studio recording sessions, radio or newspaper interviews and their workplace formed the backdrop for the rise of two young rappers and roommates.

Stage personas often intertwined with their daily lives, where performance and identity converged. Even in moments of exhaustion, when sitting around The Zoo doing nothing but sharing silence, there was a sense of presence and unspoken spectacles unfolded in real time.