Q&A: Atlanta bass music king Raheem the Dream set to rattle speakers at Athens concert

As a testament to the staying power of his sonic innovation, Atlanta bass music king Micaiah Raheem "The Dream" recently received a pair of 2023 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards for writing credit on Jack Harlow's "First Class," which contains a sample of Raheem's 1991 club banger "If U Ain't Got No Money."

Known for creating the soundtrack for Atlanta's massive Freaknik parties in the early 1990s, Raheem is scheduled to rattle the PA system at the 40 Watt Club on July 1 as the headliner for the first annual 706 Fest, produced by 95.9 FM The Beat of Athens and United Group of Artist Music Group.

Raheem spoke via telephone with Banner-Herald arts and culture reporter Andrew Shearer about returning to Athens after 15 years, a brain aneurysm that threatened to put him out of the game, and the origins of his signature trunk-thumping sound.

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Andrew Shearer: Following your success in the 1990s with songs like "Freak No Mo'," "Hell Naw" and "Short Shorts" that pulsed from clubs and car radios throughout the South, what were the 2000s like for you?

Raheem the Dream: By that time, I was running my own label Tight 2 Def Records when I put Drama and Shawty Redd together when they were still teenagers. That combination resulted in "Left, Right, Left," which hit No. 37 on the Billboard charts for Atlantic Records. After that, I got behind Young Dro ("Yes Sir"), Dem Franchize Boyz ("White Tee") and D4L ("Laffy Taffy") and all three ended up with major label deals.

I suffered a double brain aneurysm in 2004 and was in ICU for three months. The doctors said I would lose most of my memory and that I wouldn't be able to walk again, but by the grace of God I was out of the hospital within six months. While I was still learning to walk and talk again, I heard a song in a club called "Ain't Gon Let Up" by DG Yola and got him signed with Atlantic Records. I was like, "What is going on here?," so I decided I should just relax, take some time to chill and grow from the outside looking in. I've been an artist, a record label owner, CEO, and a producer putting groups together. I ended up writing three books about independent music.

Shearer: I know you're choosy about when and where you perform these days, and how often. What made you choose Athens for your next concert?

Raheem: It's been 15 years since I performed in Athens; I think it was me and The 69 Boyz ("Tootsie Roll") and an independent promoter brought us through. I'm excited to come back for a few reasons, one of which is I think people are much more familiar with all of the music from that Atlanta era now. You put that together with the fact that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop, a history that I'm a part of, and we're gonna pull so many people out to 706 Fest. This is party music, good time music. It's not about killing someone or getting so high that your head falls off.

Shearer: The Atlanta bass sound has a timeless quality. I can remember being in my friends' cars worried that the vibrations would shake the fillings out of my teeth. But it also affects the human brain in a positive way that gets their bodies moving. What's the secret formula?

Raheem: When my producer DJ Toomp and I were coming up with our bass sound in the late 1980s, I told him what I wanted the effect to be and he combined the 808 with the DMX drum machine. When the bass hit, it vibrated in the studio, so you can imagine what happened when you put that sound in somebody's car. Back then, the cars didn't have back seats because that whole space would be taken up by speakers. You just ride, and that's why you can hear and feel somebody coming up the street. Nothing but two seats in the front and the whole back is the woofer cabinet. I have a song on "U Don't Know U Betta Ask Somebody" called "Warning: Woofers May Blow." We were selling cassettes like crazy out the trunk, holding tapes out in the air like 10 at a time for years. One time, a guy blew out his speakers and came up to buy another copy of the tape like, "It's cool, I'm getting new speakers tomorrow."

For tickets and information about 706 Fest, visit eventbrite.com/e/706-fest-feat-raheem-the-dream-90s-vs-2000s-hip-hop-and-rb-tickets-624410577847.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Q&A: Atlanta bass music king Raheem the Dream headlines Athens concert