A Brief Interview With YUNGDROP

Happening my dude, am YUNGDROP, a Scottish artist currently writing and recording a fusion of metal/downtempo vocals and music with Trap/Trap Metal inspired layers/808’s. The best n also most cliched way to put it; think of Scarlxrd but Scottish accent and a lot more metal/downtempo vibes and certainly more drops.

This journey I’m on right now began as another one ended. I’d only ever been a vocalist in actual metal bands but as my time in the last band I was in was coming to an end (different mentalities and a clash of heavy; I wanted to go heavier and they wanted to be more melodic if anything) I understood that I needed to part ways, take some time to myself and work out the next steps in the music industry for myself. I’ve always strived for heavy music. Whatever the latest heaviest band were making, I definitely would be listening to it. This along with my love for heavy ‘drops’ in songs paved the way for the heavy music I do now, without any question I’ve always aimed to make the heaviest and most recognisable of heavy music. Combined with the fact I always knew and felt that a solo project would arise, it wasn’t until after multiple failed attempts that someone from work put me onto CityMorgue as Vol.2 had just dropped from them. Ye nah that completely changed my vision and made me realise that I could do what they were doing but much heavier and more to the fact that there would also be a market for it too. Long story short; as my love for one sound ended, a new one had arisen and to be honest I feel in the best headspace regarding creativity, sound and overall direction than ever before.

The ‘cool’ answer for this is ‘nobody’ but swear down artists forget all the time that they more or less would still be doing nothing if it wasn’t for a vast majority of people around them. My first beats were created by a local producer called COMISKIE. He smashed out so many hours of vocal editing, beat mixing and mastering and creation in the very early days of YD. If it wasn’t for him helping me more or less in my first year, I wouldn’t be in the place of understanding I have now. I wouldn’t have made the mistakes or learned how to even record vocals if it wasn’t for him. He’s a proper solid artist himself as well as producer and deserves so much recognition for helping fuel that initial spark. Honestly this lad will never know how grateful I am for the hours he put in that helped me regain the creative drive and love for making heavy music again. 4thandisles is the producer who helped take my sound and harness it in a way that really helped to show my style of heavy to it’s full potential. When I say ‘genius’ I’m not trying to big up a close friend, I really mean it. This guy elevates every artist he works with, not just me. The man puts in countless hours for artists across the globe that if anyone deserves to be credited with igniting the UK underground scene, then it’s probably 4thy. He helps so many artists out, not just myself, it would probably be unfair for me to say he just deserves the credit for helping me. He literally helps every underground UK artist, it’s frightening to think of his potential. My family and friends. They put up with so many years of me striving to reach my ‘heavy goals’ and still do. The confidence they help to instil in me along with the willingness and selflessness to always try and help me gain a new foothold towards my career path is unquestionable. When I was unemployed in the very early years of being in those first teenage bands, there was always a helping hand for contributing towards the first rehearsals, my first guitar, anything you could think of, they always tried to help and provide for me to have the best possible chance at life. If I make any money from music, it’s first and foremost going to them.

I released my first EP of 2021 on the 20th of April (ye you know that date hahahaha) titled PLAGUE DAZE which has already amassed 2.5k Spotify streams alone and introduced my music to a bunch of new countries and people! I’m currently in the process of recording my first full length album, PLEASURELAND. Working alongside 4thandisles again, we’ve got a new sound of heavy, it’s darker much darker. I don’t like when artists say ‘it’s the best music we’ve ever created, you’re going to love it blah blah blah’ like for real, you should always be bettering from the previous release, it shows that you’re growing as an artist. So ye, still striving to create the heaviest of music within our field but with more of a purpose to connect and relate to those listening. Be it through current political times, emotional connections, the current thoughts and general issues within the generational dynamic without forgetting the complete and utter agressive nature that first lead to YUNGDROP. The songs will hit hard to those listening and hopefully resonate with each individual in a unique way.

Ghostmane CityMorgue OmenXIII YUNGDROP 4thandisles Goffwater Top 3 are all headliners and artists I respect massively. To play a show with them would teach me so much while definitely guaranteeing a solid night for all those in attendance. Bottom 3 would be opening acts including myself. I’m a great believer in the fact that you should always support and promote your local artists and those that help you. Both 4thy and Goff would have to be on the tour with myself, I can’t go anywhere in the industry without knowing they are benefiting or growing alongside me, it just won’t work otherwise else.

To be honest with you, the biggest pro is there is a new realisation, more than likely courtesy of lockdown, which has shown all the different genres and artists that definitely once disliked each other, that they need to stick together to even come close to getting out of our city, forget Scotland. There is this new respect that has been lost for a long time and it can only work in every artists favour when it comes to promoting and filling local venues once proper live shows return. Cons? We just don’t have a big enough population or local reach to make a music career viable in our city without becoming a cover act. This alone makes pushing and promoting music very difficult because there are not as many local target markets to influence. In turn this worries me for the next generation of musicians and creatives, if the world of music we live in becomes so commercial and contemporary, how are we supposed to incite future culture and creative development? Room for improvement? Stop building pubs and restaurants next to already built venues. This always leads to good venues getting shut down because of the lucrative nature established through pubs and restaurants. Noise complaints are laughable but sadly listened to by the courts, all in all we need more venues and less complaints about live music.

5 years? On tour, creating music with artists I meet each day, a lot more heavy songs in the catalogue. There are endless creative options but for me I’ll always be making music or involved in it, it’s a very addictive process. 10 years? I own a studio, a small WW2 bunker that is under the ground, it’s actually really cool and is going to be unreal when fully finished, in the process of having electric installed with the relevant cabling just now. I would really like to help record and produce the next generation of local artists by giving them a quiet and isolated place to be alone with their creative thoughts while having the privacy and escape from the modern world to record. This along with running my own monthly events at various locations throughout the UK with the hope of expanding into Europe at later stages. I suppose my honours degree in music business does help a lot also too hahahah!

INEBRIATED SPECIES (uploaded to Crybox YouTube Channel) is definitely the coolest and heaviest music video I have done so far. Heavy song, all about missing going out and getting mashed with the squad, it’s a wee headbanger to say the least plus u get a nice view of Dundee (city where I live) in certain shots too! Currently my favourite song is FIGHT CLUB taken from my new EP PLAGUE DAZE. It’s a nasty tune and realistically was created with live chaos in mind or should I say the return of live chaos. It gives me shivers when I think of playing this at the first show back from lockdown and how the crowd will respond. Have a listen to it and you will realise it’s hard to find a reason not to move. All my music can be listened through just about all streaming services that currently exist. Thanks to DistroKid (distributors) my music is available on all services so whatever you like listening to music on or through, make sure to search up YUNGDROP!

Just know the Scottish/UK underground scene is not to be slept on and it’s not because of Scarlxrd but the fact we have a vast range of artists that are all helping to fuel the underground fire we have. I’m telling you this in advance because I am that confident in what we do, the releases coming up from myself, 4thandisles and Goffwater; do not sleep on us but most importantly don’t sleep on Scottish and UK underground rap scenes collectively. The sheer raw power and nature of the lyrics and music alone is enough to help many people listening, relate to certain aspects of life. We will be touring soon, we will be playing live shows in new cities across the globe and we can certainly match the ferocity and heaviness of our favourite artists. Honestly, it’s probably worth listening to our music, preferably the latest couple of releases because we don’t shy away from talking points and hard topics. Anything else? Drink Amaretto (Disaronno if u got the cash) n use silver rizzlas.