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(Photo By Band Camp)
$Young Roy$ is an artist making a name for himself based out of Fresno, California. Readers may remember him being mentioned in a previous post with fellow artist Keeqs. He is just 17 years old and has been working on carving out his place in the world of Hip-Hop for some time now. His goal is to one day leave behind a legacy as an artist as well as an entrepreneur. He is currently working towards said goal by pushing his debut project Welcome 2 My World. The tape consists of a total of 15 tracks and serves as insight into the young talent’s life and way of thinking. Discover what gems The Illixer encountered during the journey through $Young Roy$’s universe after the jump.
“R.I.P.”
This track is a take on the single of the same name made popular by mainstream artists Young Jeezy and 2 Chainz. The original beat was left as is. For those who haven’t heard it before it’s a hard hitting number with savvy musical components, an upbeat tempo, and a street style club vibe. Definitely a high grade quality instrumental. The hook is decent. The delivery is clear cut and the lyrics are easy to remember. The verses are favorable. $Young Roy$ exhibits a lively flow, canny wordplay, and fetching rhymes. He does a striking job of flexing the cocky side of his persona. Observe as he spits: “R.I.P. to the competition. Bussing at these n—as. Not conserving ammunition. All my guns go rat-a-tat. Call it repetition. Laughing at these haters like I had some competition. Yeah $Young Roy$ on a mission. Catch me pulling up clean in the expedition. (…) I’m a real a** n—a. And to tell the truth I only f–k with real n—as. Real n—as, n—as that kill n—as. That’ll run up in ya house for running ya grill n—as.” Those are some cutting bars right there. Overall, this is a valid remix.
“Otis”
This song is $Young Roy$’s version of the Kanye West & Jay Z hit during their run as The Throne. Once again, he opted to leave the beat the same. The soulful spirited yet quirky groove still sounds just as good now as it did back in 2011. So it was a smart move not to alter it. There is no hook utilized here. This works out just fine as the bars are appropriately paced. The uninterrupted verse is kosher. $Young Roy$ presents a polished flow, impressive wordplay, and ornate rhymes. He fills the listener in on his sentiments towards the music industry as well as his place in it, in an official manner. A couple of noteworthy lines are: “They sleeping on me in this rap game. Someone hit the snooze than. Even though you winning, know that someone’s always losing. Never picked the game. But the game is always choosing. Funny using money when money’s what I’m abusing. A lot of cats in the game they just losing. My team winning. You other n—as is choosing like b—hes. We focus on the riches. So everything that you talking ’bout is coming in with interest.” One has to respect the creativity in those bars right there. All in all, this is another fresh rendition.
“The Bluez” F/ Keeqs
This is the very last selection on the tape. It opens with a clip that gives a brief explanation of what it means to have the blues. From there, the production kicks in. The production here is unique. The resolute bass, thriving eccentric musical elements, middling rhythm, and neutral vibe make for a quality combination. This is another offering that does not include a hook. The hand off between artists is flawless though, so a hook isn’t really necessary. The verses are adequate. $Young Roy$ gets the ball rolling on the first half of the song and Keeqs holds down the fort on the second half. Both artists serve up low-key flows, fair wordplay, and dignified rhymes. The duo set an unexpected tone as it relates to the title and intro of the track. A few lines to be aware of from $Young Roy$ include: “Hello America. Tell me how you doing. Back up on my brink. And yes it’s money I’m pursuing. Dream of all these women and the women I been doing. No L’s taken. Only winning that we doing. Change up. Speak of only hundreds never bring the change up. Shout out to my team cause we really came up. And when you say the greatest, better bring our names up. I thought you knew.” Those are some charismatic opening words right there. As a whole, this was an appealing way to close out the project.
**My Two Cents: Welcome 2 My World is a fine debut. $Young Roy$ is certainly working with some skills. For him to be so young, he truly held his own. The content of the tape was worthy of two thumbs up, the production was up to par, and the guest appearances were well matched. I would have like to hear $Young Roy$ take on more original beats instead of all the remixes though as well as rock more songs solo. It would have given a better scope of what he is capable of which is important to a debut. And his lyrics could use just a tad more complexity. I think these are all things he will be able to improve on as time goes on. He has a lot of potential and the chance at a very prosperous career. -MinM
