YN Billy is not just a kid from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a Kingston, Jamaica native with a lyrical mentality far beyond his years. YN has been able to see poverty and street life from two different perspectives. While the Bahamas is full of heart, personality and materialistic possessions not being the priority, Atlanta, Georgia is the complete opposite as cars, jewelry and sneakers are the main cultures of the city.
YN started his first day of school in America wearing a pair of Airwalks and eventually secured a pair a Jordans to which he traded with another classmate for two alternative pairs. Quickly, he learned the trade of the sneaker game until he entered high school and began hanging with the older cats. Noticing his new environment, everyone around him was getting money and it wasn’t from selling or trading shoes. YN took the formula he was witnessing from his peers and started establishing his own money for his pockets. With the encouragement of his close friend Ted #FREETEDBILLY, YN Billy joined the notorious Billy gang and changed his name to YN Billy.
“After I changed my name I definitely started going crazy and getting more noticed,” said YN Billy.
Now, let us get into the music. According to YN Billy, “RR Rockstar” is virtually the record that put him through the door but “Bud” is the one that pushed the door wide open. Billy’s right-hand, MiguelDaPlug produced those two records before YN tapped in with Digital Nas for “Heavyweight” and “Veteran.”
Last Friday, YN Billy released his latest project Redville which include buzzing records “O Man” and “Red Rag”. Production on the 10 track tape originates from MiguelDaPlug, Child Boy, Jungle Boy, B Hill, and Digital Nas. Redville is a compelling storyline into the street life that YN Billy lives. He lives up to this declaration on tracks like “Facts” and “Wrist” where airtight rhymes converge between bulletproof hooks.
Digital Nas discovered the “O Man” rapper after hearing YN’s music on Nas’ little brothers SnapChat to which he immediately DMed him on Instagram. Not too long after Lil Yachty came across the rapper and decided to also express interest.
Check out our dope conversation below.
CJ: What was the feeling like when you got the DM from Lil Yachty?
YN: At first I thought it was some bullshit. He direct messaged me and then I got a text from his assistant saying Yachty would like to meet or sign me or something like that. I was like get the fuck off my phone, bro. I thought someone was playing with me so I was like call me. Yachty called me and I didn’t know it was him because his voice sounded different. Then, MiguelDaPlug was like tell him to FaceTime so you know it is him for real. We get on the FaceTime and all I see is the red braids and I was like what the fuck, oh shit.
Miguel was walking up and down the hallway with his hands on his head like ‘Oh My God this is real’. I ran downstairs and gave my Mom the phone and said do you know who this is? She was like no and Lil Yachty said, your son is going to be a star one day.”
CJ: What was the conversation like?
YN: He said he wanted to sign me and be his first artist.
CJ: How did you begin working with Digital Nas?
YN: At first the plan was to sign with Lil Yachty and QC but then Digital Nas was like bro I just got an imprint label I’m trying to sign you. I was like I don’t know I might just sign with Yachty. I was in a real tough position. Lil Yachty was like I want you to go work with Digital Nas because I don’t want to backdoor him and make it seem like I stole you from him or something.
Then, Yachty called me back two days later with Pee on the phone and was like you’re hard, we want to sign you and talk some business. So, we ended up going to the meeting but I decided to go with Digital Nas cause I was just being loyal to Nas and you know he is the one that found me and put me on.
CJ: Getting into your new mixtape ‘Redville.’ What is your most favorite song of the mixtape and why?
YN: Every song is my favorite. It’s hard to pick. It’s not all the same tempo. It’s not just shoot a nigga, kill a nigga, run off with a nigga shit type music. There is some melody shit and real lyrical shit in there.
CJ: What song do you think is going to take over the streets?
YN: All my friends say that “Drugz” is going to take over. I really think that it is going to be this song called “Racks” and if not this song called “Intro.” I really think “Intro” is going to go crazy because that beat is hard and I went stupid dumb on it.”
CJ: What was the production like for this mixtape? The making of “O Man” and “Red Rag”?
YN: MiguelDaPlug, Digital Nas, Jungle Boy, Child Boy, B Hill are the five producers on this mixtape. “O Man” I just heard the beat. I was like this beat is fire, that boy Child Boy go crazy. I had goddamn lost my perc (Percocet) and I was like ‘Oh man I lost my perc Oh man over the beat.’ Oh man, oh man, oh man and I was like wait this shit fire and then we went and made the song.
I made “Red Rag” a year ago and I freestyled that in like a minute. I had something written in my notes and it wasn’t even supposed to go the way it went. I was recording at Quality Control studios and (Digital) Nas played the beat and I was like this is fire I gotta go crazy on this. I was in the booth and was like fuck it and started jumping up and down and then I fucked up. My bro Zae was in the booth with me and was like “talk yo shit” and I was like fuck it and did the song in one take.
