By Whitney Richardson
Coming into 2018, we at The Experience wanted to highlight artists and creatives across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Each month we plan on showcasing local artists with a variety of talents. From music, to clothing, design, sports, entrepreneurship- anything that displays the creative future of the DMV. Searching for the first artist of the year was difficult. After calling out to the community, getting a variety of responses, and several days of looking through portfolios and profiles, we thought of no one better to be our January feature than YVE$AIN’TLAURENT.
A couple weeks ago I got to talk with YVE$, a young, talented artist from Silver Spring, Maryland, over the phone. I got to ask him all of the questions I had after going through his musical arhive. His lyrics are the first thing that stood out to me. YVE$AIN’TLAURENT’s lyricism is definitely above par. His vocabulary is broad and he uses it to his advantage. His capability of switching tempos and evolving his flow along with the fact that he doesn’t use the popular triplet rhythm that’s making its way through today’s rap music. He’s creating his own wave. All of this puts him in the top ranks of up-and-coming artist, without even mentioning the fact that he’s only seventeen. YVE$ shouts out the DMV in his music and collaborates frequently with his equally talented and unique friends. I also noticed his style and the 80’s, 90’s hip hop influences within his production. With all this in mind, I knew our conversation was going to be interesting, to say the least.
YVE$AIN’TLAURENT and I introduced ourselves and we dove into the interview. First, I wanted to know the origin of the artist. YVE$ described where he was from and gave me insight into his background. He’s a mix of West and Central African. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and moved to Burtonsville when he was in elementary school. While in Silver Spring, he grew up in 16th Street Summit Hills Apartments with his parents and older brothers. This is where his early musical influences were developed. He notes his brothers listening to Go Go and Rock in his early life, before he really got into hip hop. It wouldn’t be until a few years later, in 2007, that he would start listening to rappers like Lil Wayne and Nas.
From there, YVE$AIN’TLAURENT says his taste for music evolved. In his early high school years he mostly listened to New York and southern hip hop artists. He frequently listened to artists like the Underachievers, Joey Bada$$ as well as DMV artists Fat Trel, Oochie and Young Gleesh. Now, he listen to his favorite Go Go bands, hip hop legends such as Pac and Nas, and a number of DMV artists. His ear for older rap resonates in his music. His freestyle, One Time 4 Ya Mind, and song, Don’t Sleep, display this the best. The flow is cocky but smooth, similar to most 90’s rap music. His delivery is phenomenal and way above his age bracket. YVE$ likes to incorporate sounds from the music he personally likes. He told me, he tends to merge the sound behind the culture, from places such as Houston and Louissiana, into his music. In the outro of his collaborative project with his friends, Yams World 2, that southern vibe is present and makes it an instant hit.
YVE$AIN’TLAURENT went on to tell me about the beginning of his features with his friends. He teamed up with his friends in early 2015 to establish their rap brotherhood called Yams. They are a collective of versatile, driven young artists with a passion for hip hop, and each has their own solo rap career. YVE$ broke down the members of the group to me: CMack, Dazz , Hughe$, Lil Kenny and his brother 1Z Ka$hh. They have one mixtape named after their brotherhood, Yams World 2, out now. Their friends created No Limit, which the group wears and represents heavily. Brothers Bobby, Isaiah and Jafari, from NoLimit (a crew heavily associated with Yams), are the masterminds behind the brand NoLimit247 Clothing. Each artist has their own style and brings something refreshing to the table and they all benefit from each collaboration the do. The mixtapes are filled with underground hits and the variety of sounds it utilizes are bound to resonate with a listener on at least one track.
To finish the over-the-phone interview, I asked YVE$ about the message he wants to send out via his music. With lyricism as promising as his, he’s capable of packing a message into two and a half minutes of an entertaining and socially conscious song. He says he does keep it in mind. He’s aware of the “mumble rap” title that has been going around over the last couple of years. YVE$ told me that he plans to slip in commentary and knowledge while putting his lifestyle into his music, the good and the bad. He invites his listeners to experience life and grow with him.
Before signing off, YVE$AIN’TLAURENT gave us the exclusive on what he and his group have coming up in the next couple of months. He revealed that he has his own tape Mr Indecisive rolling out, along with visuals and the second installment to the Yams World mixtapes with his brotherhood. At seventeen, and college in the near future, YVE$ is putting everything he has into his music. His versatility and awareness of the game make him a strong competitor for who’s truly up next from the DMV.
Links
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mbkyves/tracks
- One Time 4 Ya Mind: https://soundcloud.com/mbkyves/one-time-4-ya-mind-freestyle
- Don’t Sleep: https://soundcloud.com/mbkyves/dont-sleep-prod-by-max-freetown
- Outro: https://soundcloud.com/mbkyves/outroSpinrilla: https://www.spinrilla.com/YVESAINTLAURENT
- Twitter: @Illmaticyves
- Yams Members:
