Overshadowed by the South’s rap capital, roughly 60 miles east of Atlanta, the artists of the Athens hip hop scene often struggle to let their voices be heard. For many, it’s a daily battle of lyric and beat. Quite often, local hip hop takes a backseat to the mainstream artists who stroll through town, leaving each Athens rapper grabbing for scraps, trying to find their musical seat.

For act one of a three-part series showcasing local artist Anthony Little, aka Versatyle tha Wildchyld, Flagpole dropped by the home studio of Athens sound engineer and music producer Joel Hatstat, as the two joined forces to create some new tracks. Versatyle sheds light on the origin of his song “Grinding and Shining,” as well as his newest single, “When I Write.”

More work than play when recording, Little says, “When I’m in the studio—that’s my money.”

Watch the clip below (warning, NSFW due to language):