Last October, Midway native James Barrett boosted his musical career when he signed a contract with Low Country Management, Low Country Warriors Record Inc., in Atlanta.

Barrett, who goes by his rapper alias 380, said he was a student at Liberty County High School when he was first told he had a gift for poetry, which sent him down a musical career path.

Recently, he took some time out of his busy schedule to share the names of the five musicians who he said most influenced his career.

“Wow, this is a hard question because there are so many,” the rapper said.

Barrett said there are many major and independent artists he’s learned from, but his top five are:
• Michael Jackson
• Ludacris
• Plies
• Notorious BIG
• Tupac