SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - If you have driven on I-20 near downtown Shreveport, you will recognize the mysterious gold/bronze building alongside the interstate. That building, decored with bronze panels and a banner of a man, is owned by Shreveport rapper Baby Savage, also known by his real name Olanza Sanders.
Also known as the God of Grind, Baby Savage raps about business, success, and building generational wealth. He backs his lyrics up with the cash, as he reportedly owns multiple buildings across several states and plans to expand.
“I try to create music that’s not too boring, that’s going to run people off, but still is gonna educate them at the same time. Because you know a lot of people don’t read books after high school, basically, or college if you go there. So especially if you are talking about the demographic of people that I actually reach. Reading a book after high school is actually unheard of,” Baby Savage explains about his music. “The types of things I rap about can be educational financially to where it can spread a message that actually, you know, uplifting communities. We speakin’ about investing, stocks, real estate, crypto, or just business in general.”
Music for him started when he was 16, when he was trying to find something to do with himself he says. He didn’t take it seriously until he was 26.
“I didn’t wanna get a like regular 9-5 job. I always considered myself an entrepreneur so I just happened to take the music business serious.” says Baby Savage.
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Why he goes by ‘God of Grind’?
God to him means higher divine, and grind means his drive to succeed at everything he aims to do.
“When you think of God, you think of a supreme being. So when it comes to work ethic, and it comes to hustle, I’ve always considered myself a supreme being in that realm. So I feel like none other come before me. Of course you have people more successful than me. When we are talking about the ground level of people who haven’t made it to that A-list yet, if you are on my level, it’s no way you are gonna beat me,” Baby Savage says about his work ethic.
His connections.
Recently, his mentor, Percy Robert Miller, also known as Master P, visited him at his building during 50′s Humor & Harmony.
Master P is a New Orleans-born rapper, record producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur who founded the record labels No Limit Records and No Limit Forever Records. Baby Savage says Master P has always been his mentor and the two have met several times at shows and other places, but this is the first time he’s visited him at his place here in Shreveport.
“So Master P came by the building, he gave me a great interview, he gave some great information and knowledge. While he was there we talked for a good little while. He took pictures with everyone I had over there. You know, it was just a beautiful experience because he has been one of my mentors over the past 15 years ever since I started doing music and that wasn’t my first time meeting him. I’ve met him on several occasions, on tour, as well as backstage. We did interviews before, but to have him come out and visit my building and show support for me, you know that meant a lot to me.”
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Master P isn’t the only celebrity figure to visit his building. Baby Savage is connected to several famous figures and musicians, including rapper Young Bleed from Baton Rouge. Young Bleed placed on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip Hop albums charts with his albums, ‘My Balls and My World’ (Which placed 10 on Billboard 200 and #1 on R&B in 1998) and My Own (#61 on Billboard 200 and 17 on R&B in 2000).
Additionally, The Real Rick Ross (Freeway Rick Ross), a former drug lord turned prison reform activist, actor, and award-winning author also visits the Shreveport rapper.
Baby Savage says that years ago he was interviewed on 50 Cent’s YouTube channel.
What is his building for and what does he plan for the future?
Baby Savage refers to his building as the corporate headquarters for several businesses he owns. In the future, he plans to provide lessons for others to achieve success, like the successes he earned. Each building is going to be similar he says, with his dealerships, real estate businesses, and parts of his music business.
“The outside is going to be like an outdoor event center. Where we can throw, you know, concerts on the outside of each location as well as small meet-in-greets on the inside where we can do educational workshops. Education seminars so that we can teach people about the music business, and not only that, my Shreveport location is going to be a little different, because I’m actually going to allocate once a month to teach stocks, cypto and more. It’s a conference room in there, I’m setting it up to kind of look like the stock market. Not actually that big, but with the TVs and everything on the wall,” says Baby Savage.
He plans to teach low-income communities how to do stock trading on the spot and help them invest with as little as $5.
Baby Savage also has an open door for musicians to come to him about the music business. This includes all types of music, not just hip-hop artists.
Through his music and his success, Baby Savage aims to be an influential figure to young kids growing up in low-income areas and struggling with poverty by showing them they can succeed like he did.
“I’ve had younger children on numerous occasions who has seen me and say ‘Hey ain’t you the man on the building?’ and they’re young kids so they don’t know me by Baby Savage, and when I say yea, I’ve had several kids tell me ‘Hey, I’m gonna build a building bigger than yours one day.’
About 50 Cent
Baby Savage says he interviewed on 50 Cent’s YouTube channel and brought 50 Cent down to Shreveport about 15 years ago. He believes 50 Cent is giving hope to the people in the city and has already brought a lot of money in. He looks forward to the future.
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“I think it’s a great thing to see what 50 Cent is doing in the city. He’s actually giving hope to a lot of people, as well as he’s brought a lot of business to Shreveport. I can see the future he plans to bring a lot more money to the city of Shreveport, which is going to increase the economy, hopefully, increase the population, and build up parts of the city to where buildings are gonna get renovated or constructed from the ground up. You know it’s gonna be great to bring the entertainment industry to Shreveport.”
Why does he stay in Shreveport?
“When I look at all the major hip-hop artists who has came from Louisiana, none of them live in Louisiana anymore. They all live in Atlanta, California, L.A., places like that. So I always said to myself, I have to build something here,” Baby Savage explains why he’s staying around.
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