Meet the Woman Behind the New Memphis Rap Tour

Memphis native Taylor Nicole Barksdale is on a mission to celebrate the city’s powerful influence on hip-hop culture. As co-founder of Memphis Rap Tour, she offers a guided journey through the neighborhoods, studios, and stories that shaped the city’s unmistakable sound. With deep roots in Memphis and a passion for storytelling, Taylor Nicole is helping locals and visitors alike see and hear the 901 in a whole new way.

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What was the inspiration behind the Memphis Rap Tour?

My brother, Carlos, and I started this project last Thanksgiving, over our family dinner table. What started as a conversation grew into real work towards our goal of creating a bus tour centered on the heart of the city. We saw a gap in the tourism industry surrounding this genre of music history, and we wanted to do something of our own to give back to our community.

What role has music, especially hip-hop, played in your life?

Music has helped define who I am as a person, and rap and hip-hop have given me a voice. In 2014, I was entering a new phase of my life — graduating from high school and moving into adulthood. Our country was also going through growing pains and dealing with changes never experienced before.

I found my calling was activism, and when I needed the words to help me cope with the atrocities I saw happening — and are still happening — within the Black community, hip-hop was what I turned to. Just as blues served as the voice of Reconstruction, hip-hop was the voice for the Black Lives Matter Movement.

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What kind of experience do you hope guests have on the tour?

I hope guests experience authentic musical journeys from the artists’ point of view, as well as the view we see in our daily life as citizens. The tour covers over 12 artists and multiple neighborhoods, so guests should expect to experience Memphis and music not only from an informational standpoint, but also to form an understanding of what artists experienced when they wrote the music. When guests see the murals, stop at the local shops, and hear the music, they won’t be able to help but feel like a Memphian — even if it’s only for two and a half hours.

How did you curate the stories, landmarks, and music featured on the tour?

First, my business partner (and brother!) and I compiled a list of artists and important locations to their stories. We created them all on a map, and chose our locations from there. We selected popular songs or songs that specifically mention the artists’ neighborhoods and other authentic experiences that are true to their storytelling.

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What do you think people misunderstand about Memphis rap culture?

In general, Memphis is often misunderstood as a city. And the Memphis rap culture has the same negative connotation attached. I think people should know that Memphis rap isn’t all about money, drugs, dancing, and sex. Although that is the basis for much of the music, there are layers that go much deeper into the personal connections, circumstances, and experiences.

There is a reason vices are a part of Memphis’s narrative, and I really wish people would look past the words and truly understand the story about the artists’ lived experiences from this city specifically.

If you could ride along with one Memphis rapper, past or present, who would it be, and what would you ask them?

I would have to say Young Dolph. He was a legend who always showed love to the city and was a wonderful family man. I would love to ask him how he was able to take such risks in his life and career, yet still be successful and maintain his own value in such a potentially corrosive industry. I would also ask how he maintained his luxury cars! And of the cars he gave away, did he help with maintenance for people who were unlikely able to afford the upkeep?

As an honorable mention, I wouldn’t mind riding around with Glorilla and having a girls’ day! I relate to her as being authentic to my Memphis self, no matter the room I’m in. My question to her would be how she keeps her natural hair healthy with all the different styles she has to do, and whether she is still able to eat healthy while being on the road so often.

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What do you love most about living in Memphis?

The main thing I love about living in Memphis is how fun it is. There is always something to do; you just have to know where to look. I can always find events around the city and my neighborhood that remind me why Memphis is such an amazing city. From music to food to friends, and especially the beautiful view of the river, I love living in Memphis.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My mother told me, “Be the best Sister Hailia you can be.” Storytime! In 11th grade, I performed in a play with the Stax Music Academy, and I wanted the lead role. In the end, I was cast as an elderly church lady, Sister Hailia, and I was very upset that my friend got the lead part instead of me. I was very discouraged and wanted to drop out.

My mother encouraged me by telling me that I cannot focus on not getting the role. If I loved acting and =wanted to be serious about my craft, I needed to be the best Sister Hailia I could be. In the end, she was teaching me to run my own race and not covet what other people have, because if it were meant for me, I would have it. In the end, I stole the show, and people remember me in this role almost 15 years later.

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We always ask: Aside from faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?

I cannot live without eating soup. I don’t care what time it is or what season it is. I could absolutely eat soup daily. Another major thing I need in my life is soft blankets. Fuzzy blankets will uplift anyone’s day. Lastly, I cannot live without true crime podcasts, specifically Morbid and Cemetery Row.

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Meet more inspiring FACES of the South in our archives HERE!