Exploring the Creative Journey of Fairy5100: A Versatile Artist in the Underground Rap Scene | INTERVIEW

April 29, 2025 | Online Exclusive

If you’ve been tuned into the underground music scene, chances are you’ve already come across Fairy5100, an emerging artist based out of Portland, Oregon. If not, it’s only a matter of time until you're familiar. Fairy’s melodic flow shines through the dark orchestral melodies of Glo, and the vibrancy within Plugg. I recently had the chance to sit down with him to dive into his early beginnings, creative process, collaborations with powerhouse and rising producers, and what’s next.

Your name really stands out, especially in the underground scene. What inspired it?

I get this question a lot and the answer couldn’t be more simple if you know me in real life. My real name is Ranferi, pronounced Ran-fairy, and fairy has been a nickname that my family and friends have call me since I was younger so I thought it would be fitting as the name I use as an artist. The reasoning behind '5100' is a little more complicated though. I started making music for fun my sophomore year of high school in 2019 with a close friend at the time. He came up with the idea to call our little group that was making songs 5100, to be honest, I forgot the reasoning on why he decided that to be the name, but I put it at the end of my artist name at the time to reflect my appreciation to that person because they were really pushing me and all of us to make music. We’re not friends anymore, but I will always have love for them for putting me on this path.

Your tracks ‘Save Me’ and ‘Unstable’ have resonated with a lot of listeners, can you walk us through your writing process for those songs? My recent favorite its ‘Tell Me.’

Thank you! ‘Tell Me’ was really fun to make. Those 2 songs though really got a lot of traction on TikTok. I feel like the emotion I put into those lyrics really resonated with people. I usually never write when it comes to my recording process though. I always punch in each bar as it comes to my head. I spend a lot of time finding flows and melodies that draw people in. When it comes to the lyrics, I choose to say a lot of them are situations or feelings I’ve felt before. No one has a unique experience and I tend to talk about things people can relate to. My hooks are definitely my strongest points in my songs, in my opinion. [My writing process] varies on each song sometimes I can take an hour trying to find the next flow and sometimes I can just feel what sounds right immediately after each bar. There’s a lot of intuition that comes with it that I can’t explain. I wish I could because that feeling I get when I know a song is going to be a hit or when a good melody comes naturally is so euphoric, there’s nothing like it. One of the reasons why I love making music.

You’ve worked with some incredibly talented producers like meo, 48glock, wvstend, and mend. What was it like collaborating with them on ‘Save Me’ and ‘Unstable’?

I have so much love for every producer I work with. There’s really no good song without a good producer, glock and mend are really some of the best. I’m just grateful that they found me, believed in my music enough to send me the beats they make, and trust me enough knowing I’ll do their amazing production justice. They give me the canvas and I paint on it. Shout out to mend though for producing my biggest song and actually being the one to push me to drop it. Without him telling me to, I would’ve never released on my main page and ended up promoting it on TikTok a month later. Me and mend have been close friends for years and I appreciate him so much. Glock also produced some of my biggest songs, and I can’t be more grateful that he can share his gift with me.

What was the vibe like creating 'Tell Me' and 'Like You' with Auxmit? Did anything unexpected come out of those sessions? In what ways does working with Auxmit push you creatively.

Auxmit is a really great guy, he’s really successful on his own with beats on TikTok of his going viral he really has his shit together. Those two songs were actually placements that he paid me to hop on. He didn’t even have to but he really wanted me to make songs on those beats, and I’m grateful that he felt like I was the only one who could make something out of them. Those two he mixed himself, and for ‘Tell Me’ he had the genius idea of putting the hook at the start of the intro, he should really get the credit for how good that song came out. I have one more song I have to work on for him that I’m trying to get done right now. His beats are really up my alley and they’re also unique enough to stand out, so working with him was a breeze. Super talented guy he deserves all the success he has.

‘Pull Me Down’ with Vili has a really distinct sound, how did the beat creativity challenge you? It's fairly different from other songs in your discography.

Vili is a genius genuinely. I don’t know why but I really gravitate towards the experimental beats, especially if they use a sample in a unique way. The second I heard [the beat] I knew I needed to make a song out of it. It sounds different from my other songs mainly because of how experimental that beat is. I had to find a flow that would fit its vibe. Funny enough, even though it was so different, making the song came really naturally to me. It goes back to that feeling I get when making a song I really resonate with; my intuition just guided me on how it should sound.

You’ve tapped in with powerhouse producers like Korea and Kinden, what’s it like working within a creative space with names that bring such a strong identity to their sound, and how do producers like Korea and Kinden challenge or inspire you as an artist?

Korea and Kinden are so gifted, it’s insane. We worked together very early in our careers and we’ve really come a long way. Those two are definitely some of the most talented guys I've worked with. It’s funny how so much talent can gravitate towards each other, even back when we weren’t as successful as we are now, we still knew we were going to make amazing music with each other. They make such distinctive sounding beats that can really overpower an artist, but to me that was the best part. Beats with a personality that sort of feels like they can come to life are the best. [It's] never a challenge whenever I made a song on their beats, they were honestly inspiring. [They] really pushed me to make a song that meant something, because if not, I’d put the beat to waste. [I] have so much love for how their work pushed me creatively. We need to work on more, but with time sounds evolve, and sometimes they don’t align anymore. Still would love too though.

You've also worked closely with rising producers like Ivy, Becker (formerly: heynovakk), Bailey, Vili, and most recently, Auxmit. How do you decide who to work with, and what stands out about these emerging faces in production?

All super talented guys. Generally when deciding on who to work with, it’s pretty simple to me. None of the people you named are following a trend, or catering to whats considered quote-on-quote "hot" right now. They’re all genuinely talented and make beats that can be their own songs by themselves. Those are the producers I gravitate towards nine times out of ten. When someone can carry their own weight in any field it’s so much easier to work with. Beats also carry feelings with them as well not just lyrics. If a beat can convey something, I’m more likely to use it and these producers are amazing at doing that.

Is there a different energy when you’re working with an up-and-coming producer versus someone more established?

I don’t think theres a different energy at all, in my opinion. They could have three-hundred followers or ten thousand, if they’re talented thats all that matters. I don’t think the number attached to your name dictates anything. I’ve had established producers wanna work with me, and I just couldn’t because they make the most generic sounding stuff. Numbers can’t move me really. Some of the most talented people are still on the come up.

For anyone just discovering you, which songs of yours do you think HAVE to be included in their playlist?

The must have songs in the playlist have to be, 'Unstable,' 'Save Me,' and I’d say 'Entitled 2.' All those songs really mean something to me, and I feel can resonate with a lot of people. Honestly, just go through my whole discography you’ll find at least five songs you’ll like.

Lastly, your streaming numbers have seen huge growth over the past year, how has that momentum influenced your vision for what's next, both creatively and strategically?

The growth is truly a blessing, theres some personal things that have set me back some this year, but that spike I had just inspired me to push myself more into the public eye because the talent is clearly there and people see it. I just have to keep that ball rolling. I really believe in the idea that everything happens for a reason and that my time is coming. I’ve been doing this for so long and it’s a matter of time, and commitment that will push me towards that next step. I’m glad people can recognize that though, I don’t take anything for granted and have so much love for the people that believe in me. I got a lot of things planned next, shows, music videos, interviews, streams. I have big goals and want to be the best, I know I’ll accomplish anything I set my mind to.

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