AshtonRon & MSFTUNO

Lifestyle » Young & fresh: Tupelo brothers have dreams of rap success
Young & fresh: Tupelo brothers have dreams of rap success
Posted on June 27, 2016 by Zack Orsborn in Entertainment, Lifestyle
Zack Orsborn | Buy at photos.djournal.com Brothers Ashton Ron, left, and Uno rap and produce songs in their home studio in Tupelo. The two developed completely different styles and have dreams of making it big one day.
Zack Orsborn | Buy at photos.djournal.com
Brothers Ashton Ron, left, and Uno rap and produce songs in their home studio in Tupelo. The two developed completely different styles and have dreams of making it big one day.

By Zack Orsborn

Daily Journal

TUPELO – In a duplex on Clayton Avenue, two brothers – Monte Warren, 20, and Koron Ashton Jackson, 16 – stand over a laptop while they search their files for music videos they made.

They both wear plain white T-shirts and grey cut-off shorts, their casual garb when working from home. A red microphone sits beside the laptop and a small, portable speaker.

Monte, better known as Uno, pulls up a video of him sitting on a roof as he introspectively raps about a wild weekend on a track called “Too Lit.” The shots are simple, matching the dreamy melody over a slow, atmospheric beat.

The two brothers’ styles couldn’t be more different.

Koron’s – known as Ashton Ron – video starts off with a shot of Bay Springs overlaid with a deep purple filter. He appears in the frame when a thunderous beat kicks in to his song “Million Dollar Dreams.”

He starts rapping while his mom, Kelly, sits beside him on the beach, bobbing her head to the music: “Have you ever made a million dollars? / I’m tryin’ to get it pronto / I’m still chasing dollar dreams / I’m tryin’ to get a million.”

In the over-saturated rap scene in Tupelo, the brothers call themselves “misfits.”

Each neighborhood – West Side, East Side, South Side and North Side – promotes their own.

“If all the Tupelo rappers were all to get on a track together, you could hear the similarities, but there’s a variety of different sound. The majority of Tupelo is the more straight hip-hop, straight rap,” Uno said. “When you get to us, we’re like outcasts. We’re gonna blend it all in.”

“We try to be different,” Ashton added. “We wanna be different.”

Sounds of the future

The brothers grew up in a home that fostered a love for hip-hop and creative expression.

Their father – local rap legend Coke Corey – set up a studio in a spare room while their mother listened to R&B singers like Brandy and hip hop groups like Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

As their personalities developed, Ashton became the brother that didn’t hold anything back. He had no secrets. His mother called him the “bully” of the relationship.

“I was the bully?” Aston said, raising his eyebrows. “Nah, Uno’s sneaky.”

Uno laughed, showing his laid-back spirit. The brothers rarely argue now. They are each other’s champions, critiquing each others songs and music videos.

“If we disagree, it’s like, ‘Alright, bet,’” Uno said. “But then the next sentence is like, ‘Let’s go make a song.’ We don’t hold grudges on each other. That’s my little brother.When Ashton was 13, he wrote his first song, called “Track Number 9.” Uno followed shortly with his first song in ninth grade, but lacked the confidence his brother had.

“My classmates told me it went hard and it was good, but I didn’t believe them,” Uno said. “So, I quit rapping. I started trying to play basketball, but I always had music on my mind. I gravitated back, especially when my little brother started doing it and taking it seriously.”

He realized they could take off and make it big one day.

Local producers began sending them beats where they would freestyle a rap over it.

“We don’t write,” Ashton said.

“We just go straight into it,” Uno said.

“We record, then stop, then record,” Aston said. “When we go to the studio in Atlanta, we remember what we sang, and we polish it.”

They formed their sounds, following a “new wave” style that doesn’t focus on violence and “getting women.” They wanted to make people dance, jump up and down and appreciate the fun in life. The music sounds engineered from the future, a sound they strive for.

“We want people to be like, ‘How did they do that? How did they make those sounds?’” Uno said.

But underlying their beats, their dreams of being on a national stage, hanging out on beaches, shaking hands with top producers and gaining a fortune ring throughout.
Uno focuses on getting as much exposure as possible. He shares his music on Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud and every other social media outlet.

“I just want some money,” Ashton said with a laugh.

As the future of hip hop develops with more eclectic sounds, so does the brothers’ personal styles. They don’t like the baggy jeans and tank tops. Instead, they prefer odd hair colors, skinny jeans and graphic T-shirts.

“It used to be strictly about lyrics, but now, it’s like, ‘Who can be different, and who can be the misfit,’” Uno said. “It’s like, ‘Dang, who is that with the blue hair with the sides shaved with the skinny jeans?’”

Last year, the brothers performed in Austin, Texas, at some outside concerts during South by Southwest, an annual festival that showcases the best and brightest in film, interactive media, and music.

They’re currently working on a press kit, led by their mother – also known as their “road manager” – so they can maybe perform on a bigger stage next time.

Hopefully, they both said, they can meet the right people to excel their careers.

“Right now, we are young and fresh,” Ashton added. - Zack Orsborn

Right about now I think 15 year old Ashton Ron is super slept on! He’s in a good spot right now because he’s only 15 years old and his lyrics and style of rapping could possibly could help him create his own lane. To me, he has somewhat of a Rae Sremmurd sound yet there’s something that sets him apart and I just can’t figure out what it is just yet, all I know is that this young artist might have what we have all been looking for in 2016. Hopefully, his music gets more exposure because once everyone catches on to his music, he’s going to blow! - DJ Ari

Hailing from Tupelo, MS is Uno MSFTS. Today we are happy to help bring to you his Two Lit video. The sound is fit for the party experience that summer brings, similar to his Tupelo brethren Rae Sremmurd. He has been working hard to build up his name following a strong showing at SXSW so check it out below and get familiar. - BEAMONDIDIT

Uno Msfts Pronounced Uno Misfits, 20 Year Old Versatile Artist From Tupelo,Ms AKA (Sremm Town Mississippi). Making noise for himself Been on the road on it since sxsw,building buzz in my city of Tupelo,MS. - DJ IceBerg

New Sounds From The Young Party Starter From Tupelo,Mississippi Yeah? Or Nah? Check Out The Sound Hosted By DJ LakeGang. - Dame Dizzle

Tupelo, MS rep MSFTUNO is back and bringing the persona of a rock star on his latest. The full project, LSTNFND, is coming soon. - BEAMONDIDIT