Local rap artist to play in Newport

ST. MARYS - To those who know him, Brandon Mullins is a hardworking father who hustles for his music career full-time while studying audio production at the Los Angeles Film School.

To his growing audience of nearly 20,000 Instagram followers, Mullins is 6B.Low, a burgeoning country rap artist blending the flow, production and attitude of hip hop with the blue collar lyrics of country.

Ahead of his new single "Losin My Mind" set to drop on March 31, Mullins will open for Colt Ford at the historic Thompson House in Newport, Kentucky, on Feb. 24.

Originally hailing from Deltona, Florida, the 29-year-old moved to St. Marys to rejoin his family after his grandmother died.

Music and songwriting have been a longtime passion since childhood, he said. He decided to pursue that passion full time after he was laid off during the pandemic.

"After COVID I was in a spot where I was laid off and I had nothing to do," Mullins said. "I thought 'Well, I've always wanted to make music.'"

Along with the desire to make music came the motivation to further his education and an opportunity to get the professional training to start his career.

One of his biggest breaks came in the form of a short video from fellow country rap artist Smo, formerly known as Big Smo.

Using Cameo, an app where users can pay celebrities to make brief custom videos, Mullins asked Smo to listen to his music and share his thoughts.

"I've listened to him since I was 14, so I paid him $40 to shout out my EP," Mullins said. "He listened to it and gave me an awesome review."

Since then, Smo has taken Mullins under his wing, coaching the up-and-coming artist and collaborating with him on joint music projects.

With features from his mentor Smo and country rapper Pa Pa Fresh, Mullins released the gritty, hard-hitting rock, country and rap crossover "Jacked Up" in September.

"That's what really set me off on country rap," he said.

At the same time, Mullins said his music is more than just trap beats and down and dirty lyrics. Songs off his "Never Ending Roads" EP tackle topics like addiction, loss and depression. "Lost Soul" was created after almost losing his family due to his drug and alcohol addiction, according to his website.

"I make music that's personal," he said. "If I can just help one person a day realize what they're doing is not helpful to them, that's good enough for me."

While having thousands of Instagram followers is a plus, Mullins said exposing his music to new listeners and garnering hometown support is the biggest thing on his mind.

"Without (social media), it's like nobody even knows who you are anymore. It's not like you can walk into a radio station and ask (them) to play your CD," he said. "I'm here, I'm local. I'm actually doing something with my music. I've got the support nationally, Southern Ohio and Tennessee. I want people to support me locally."