Imagine assembling a crew of local rappers, singers and songwriters to pull together one of the best mixtapes in Charlotte. It's anything but simple, but that's all in a day's work for emerging hip-hop producer Yung Citizen.
"Yung Citizen is about being humble, being original, being unique and just being different from the ordinary. It’s just having people get a different feel of music."– Yung Citizen, rapper/hip-hop producer
Interview Highlights:
On making music venues out of unconventional spaces:
That’s the thing that Charlotte needs to do, is to let us use some of the [art exhibits and storefronts] and not be afraid to use them. It’s not going to turn crazy, it’s going to be a dope event.
On venues closing:
Being a Charlotte native it really breaks my heart. There are so many talented people in this city and we don’t really even know who they are because they don’t have the opportunity to perform, and then they end up moving elsewhere.
On working hard:
You have to stay with it — you have to stay consistent. Consistency is the main thing to success, period. You have to stay with it and you just have to fight through the trenches.
On where his artist name came from:
It was something really corny, but then it turned into something. People like the name now. “Yung Citizen,” just goes, but it was — at the time — just something off the fly.
On if he would move out of Charlotte to get noticed:
I just refuse to do that, because I tried moving to LA. I tried moving to New York at one time, but it never did work out. That’s when I was like, if this isn’t working out, then I’m supposed to be here.
There is a way to tap into this city, tap into this music scene and make something pop with all the talent that we have in this city.
Music featured in this #WFAEAmplifier chat:
Yung Citizen - “My High” feat. Celeste Moonchild
Yung Citizen - “Cypher”
Yung Citizen - “I Got U” feat. Michael Remesi
Yung Citizen - “Heaven's Door” feat. Dexter Jordan, Modest Jon, Mori Bea & N'Chanted
Yung Citizen - “Bad” feat. Michael Remesi & DJ Sir Charles
Yung Citizen - “Final Destination” feat. Modest Jon & N'Chanted
Yung Citizen - “OutKast” feat. MoonLander & Rob Flo
Yung Citizen - “Beautiful Thang”
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