SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: Young Drummer Boy

With one hot summer on the horizon, we decided to bring back our Saturday Spotlight series. Not only because dope artists deserve their props, regardless of how the clout chasing public feels, but because... why the hell not? For the first installment comes West Coast rapper/record producer Young Drummer Boy.

Hailing from the same part of town as rap OGs Suga Free and Kokane (Pomona, CA), Young Drummer Boy is the son of Mexican immigrants with deep musical roots. His father was a member of Mexican rock band Banda Ruby and his grandfather was a real-life Mariachi in the streets of Zacatecas, Mexico.

Learning to play drums at a young age, Young Drummer Boy gravitated towards all genres of music. However, Drummer was heavily influenced by the rapping and production of DJ Quik, the slick street rhymes of Suga Free, and the lyrical prowess of Tha Dogg Pound, (Kurupt & Daz Dillinger).

"Ain't no competition. You see me winnin'. But I risked a lot. Haters tryna catch me slippin'."

Before venturing off on his own, Young Drummer Boy was part of King Lil G’s AK47Boyz. In 2015, he released his second solo project "High Forever," producing the hit “Coke Dealer,” featuring rapper Krypto. Riding high off of his solo and AK47Boyz success, Drummer left the group and turned the heat up in 2017 with "Barjud Ave."

The well-received album spawned a video for “Talk About Me,” accumulating 2.7 Million+ views and over 565K Spotify streams. Drummer produced his fourth full-length project in 2018, entitled "High Forever 2," featuring a lone guest appearance from Hi Tone.

2019 finds Young Drummer Boy in his bag with a brand new album, "Same Click", featuring $tupid Young, Rucci , Roland Brooks, Kiing Khash, and fellow EMPIRE fam, Azjah. Coming with 12 tracks of vivid storytelling over hella hard production, the project shines in Young Drummer Boy's raw lyricism and ambition.

Same Click's lead single, "Everything Go" keeps the same sentiments, reaching over 700k views since it's May release. Further proving Young Drummer Boy has got what it takes to reach his highest goal of making a way out "without having to sell out".

Photo Credit: Jordan Jamal