Posted Wednesday, February 28, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
If you think the rappers on Jermaine Dupri's "The Rap Game" are too old, then you might get a kick out of Atlanta rap trio Mannish - two six years old and an eight year old.
They are adorable and create their own lines. And they brought down the house during this Thursday's season debut of "Showtime at the Apollo" hosted by Steve Harvey on Fox.
Harvey liked them so much, he also flew them out for his talk show in Los Angeles, airing locally on Fox 5 at 3 p.m. Thursday. And they'll be on "Good Day Atlanta" live on Fox 5 as well that morning.
On "Showtime," they sing a song with the catchy chorus "I need a girlfriend, so tell me where you at?" This video below has already been seen on Facebook 4.9 million times.
"The show was really fun," said Lil G, the oldest at age 8, visiting the AJC last Friday. "It was fun to meet Steve Harvey."
"He was really funny," added DJ, Lil G's nephew who lives with them. (The third member is six-year-old Vinny.)
Lil G, who said they rehearse one to two hours a day in the playroom, watches over the two younger members: "I make sure they're straight, make sure they do right."
The trio has been performing publicly for about a year, including "Atlanta's Got Talent" and the famous Cascade skating rink.
Tamara, their mom, said she knew they could see how talented her kids were "but I didn't know it would be this early."
"It's our time to do our thing." Lil G said.
They watched videos and on their own began making up songs, their father Greg Vinson said. They also have musical genes. Greg said a lot of his relatives have performed professionally including an uncle who worked with Curtis Mayfield's band.
The trio's name came from a producer who described them as "man-nish." And a friend hooked them up for the gig at the historic Showtime where the audience will frequently boo acts off the stage.
Mannish got no boos.
"We could do a lot of stuff," Lil G said. "And we have the style to do it."
TV PREVIEW
"Showtime at the Apollo," 8 p.m. Thursday, Fox
About the Author
