YL Speaks on NYC, Fashion, and RRR
WORDS WITH WORD$ INTERVIEW #4: YL
A MESSAGE FROM YL:
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Yo, it’s the Pope, 1000WORD$.
When it comes to NYC, there are very few people who embody the culture of the city to the fullest. YL is one of them. Everything from his clothes to his music reflects his upbringing as an inner-city kid in Chelsea, Manhattan.
He’s known for running around with his RRR crew, which includes Zoomo (producer), Noface (producer), and Starker (rapper). YL has a consistent catalogue of laid-back fly shit and numerous collab albums with Starker that everybody who is reading this should go and checkout.
In addition to being a talented artist, YL is a great human being that I would love for you guys to get to know. What you’re about to read is a conversation between YL and myself. We talked about his childhood in Chelsea; his earliest memories of getting fly; and the music he is working on right now.
THIS IS WORDS WITH WORD$.
1000WORD$: Ayo man, this is 1000WORD$. I'm here with YL.
YL: What's going on?
1000WORD$: Man, what's good YL. Let the people know where you from my brother.
YL: It’s YL, representing NYC to the fullest. Chelsea, Westside Boys, you know what I'm saying? Chelsea, Manhattan, city kid, you already know what it is.
1000WORD$: How was it growing up in Chelsea and around what time did you start going outside on your own?
YL: Chelsea's cool man. It's real laid back in the sense that it's a lot of family shit, but also, not laid back in a sense because it's in the middle of the city and shit. It's close to where it gets hectic on 34th and shit like that, you already know. But it's cool man, I love Chelsea. It's just my stomping grounds. It's what I know. By the time I was in like sixth, seventh grade and shit I was already just kicking it. People in my school was from all over so I was already just moving around, roundabout town, just kicking it with the homies, young shit.
1000WORD$: So you know me growing up, I'm from a part of New York City, I'm from the Bronx. And the Chelsea area around 34th street where you were at in the middle, I remember they had these mom and pop shops with all the old school sneakers you couldn't get anywhere, you know what I mean?
YL: Right, yeah yeah definitely. Man, I miss those shops on 34th. I don't really see them anymore. I feel like all of them converted into like...
1000WORD$: …Fake ass jewelry stores.
YL: Exactly exactly, shit like that or where they sell NYC snow globes or some shit like that like tourist shit you know what I'm saying? I know what you're talking about bro that's funny. I was thinking about that the other week I was like, "Damn, they used to actually have drip," you know what I'm saying? I don't even think I appreciated it as much when I was younger, but I miss it now that I don't see it.
1000WORD$: When I was going to school and you couldn't get a pair of sneakers somewhere like let's say Dr. Jays or fucking Jimmy Jazz, Chelsea fucking downtown like 34th Street, 42nd Street, in between the blocks they had these little shops with sneakers wrapped in plastic and all that shit, like heat.
YL: For sure, for sure. They used to have the kicks. They used to sell mad North Face backpacks and shit like that you know what I'm saying, like Timberland shit. Old heads could get their drip from there too you know what I'm saying, they would have like...
1000WORD$: Fur coats and leathers and all that, yeah. So what was the first pair of sneakers you fell in love with?
YL: I probably can't remember the first one but I remember I had these - they were like some Nike Vince Carter joints type of shit.
1000WORD$: Oh, the bouncy shits?
YL: Yeah with the Shocks. I used to ball heavy bro. That's when I used to think I was gonna be The League type of shit you know what I'm saying? Definitely the Vince Carters was like heavy for me. I would wear that with my school uniform type of shit and try to sneak it in because I had an all black pants type of shit, you know what I mean? But yeah, that was big for me. I just fucked with Vince Carter growing up because he had the fucking hops and the dunk contest and all that shit. That's probably one of my early sneaker memories for sure.
1000WORD$: For you, like when did you start getting your own sense of what you wanted to put together as far as what you wanted to wear? Do you remember the first time that — and you probably did this when you got your first job or when your mom gave you some bread — what was the first outfit that you can remember you picked out on your own? Like, “I need to put this on.”
YL: This is probably like eighth grade, maybe freshman year of high school type of shit. I remember I copped a pair of Levi 501s or whatever from Urban Outfitters, that's where you could buy Levi 501s type of shit, and I had a A Tribe Called Quest tee. I remember that was one of those fits that I laid out because I knew I would be able to do dress down day or whatever. And yeah had that shit laid out like on my bed type of shit. Kicks? I can't even remember what they was, probably some Barkleys, like black and red joints. I forgot what fucking model they were but they had the strap in the front and on the bottom it had a big… like on the sole of the foot it said, "Barkley" or some shit some crazy shit. But yeah I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do already because at that time I was already super consumed with just being a fan of hip-hop and watching video countdowns all day. VH1, MTV, BET shit, you know what I'm saying? I was like a super student so I was always looking, and back then bro there was a lot of fly heads outside just because it was in stores. Like the fire shit was in stores, you know what I'm saying, so anyone can get it. Now it's harder to obtain type shit. Bro, I feel like it was a very colorful time, you know what I'm saying?
1000WORD$: What were some of your favorite brands around that time growing up?
YL: I remember I had Pepe Jeans, I used to rock Akademiks, like Ecko was big, Sean John, Rocawear. I'm not going to lie, I had some G-Unit tees at one point.
1000WORD$: I think we all did, you know what I'm saying? Like real quick.
YL: Yeah, shit. I still had on Polo from Macy's and shit like that, you know what I mean?
1000WORD$: Do you remember growing up Macy's was a thing? Like growing up every fucking holiday season was like, you had to go through Macy's and smell them fucking sample perfumes.
YL: Right bro, I mean just take your time. That shit felt like a whole ass experience, you know what I'm saying? That's part of the reason why I still like Macy's. It has like a fucking place in my heart always, bro. I'd be there with my mom all the time bro, you know what I'm saying? Especially back to school vibes too. We like, "Oh, we gotta get some underwear, socks, all that shit," you know what I'm saying? I was just there not too long ago. I was with my shorty and it is definitely not the same at all. They redid it.
1000WORD$: Dang, that's very nostalgic man. Macy's is very nostalgic for like a n***a in the hood growing up and going there. Because my mom's ain't know no English and she knew about 34th street, you know what I'm saying?
YL: Right, that's for everybody. Exactly. It's like a melting pot by itself just being a shopping center.
1000WORD$: Where would you go around Chelsea to get mixtapes and music? For you, where would you go to be like "Oh shit?!" Because you know, they had these little mom and pop shops, or they had a dude with a blanket on the street selling mixtapes and shit.
YL: I think most of the music I was consuming was online type of shit on some like LimeWire vibes, but I know that there was a mixtape spot right on 14th Street and Sixth Avenue, like right by my high school type of shit. It's not there anymore they wiped it out, but it was just a tiny ass like little tent shit, you know what I'm saying?
1000WORD$: Yo shoutout to my man Amadou, 14th street that's who you're talking about. It was my boy Amadou, African dude, you know what I'm saying?
YL: Yeah exactly.
1000WORD$: He had like a little hole in the wall and it had the little racks with the mixtapes and then inside he had mixtapes. He would open the bottom and he had more mixtapes in the basement. Yeah, yeah man that's crazy 14th and 6th.
YL: Shit like that bro. I wish back then I was copping shit out there, you know what saying? But when I was really really young my pops was dating someone from Harlem so he would bring us, me and my brother, out there type of shit and we would cop shit off 125th, and just be riding around the Jeep type of shit just bumping that shit. Like G-Unit mixtapes type of shit, random Big Mike shit, you know what I'm saying? Big Mike mixtapes.
1000WORD$: For people that want to get more familiar with you, let them know your first project to your last project. You don't gotta say all the titles to your projects. What I want you to say is like "This is my first project and I'm up to right here."
YL: I consider my first project, a project called "Open 24," which is by myself and Roper Williams, who's a producer from Jersey. I consider that my introduction to the game or whatever, you know what I'm saying? That was my first time really going hard, putting out a project, and having it like super sequenced in a certain way, and just adding like a bunch of elements where I was really trying to encompass who I was at the time. You saying like every joint since then type of shit?
1000WORD$: Nah what I was trying to say is like how you said it, that was your first project and then you can say like, “I released this much but I'm up to right here.” You can say like “I dropped five projects in between but this is from my first to last.”
YL: Right, right. Since then bro, I've been dropping like a motherfucker. When I first started I was trying to be more scarce about what I put out, you know, one album a year type of shit. But since then, I just started like… I don't know it's like a different confidence that I have. I just wanted to keep showing improvement and shit, you know what I'm saying? I feel like another important album for me was when I dropped “Jesus is my Homeboy” in the beginning of 2021. And I feel like that was one of the ones that I put a lot of different eyes on me. I was getting a lot of looks from people that weren't necessarily in the rap game. They were in the entertainment business, but like doing other things like people that own fashion brands, you know what I'm saying? Different directors and things like that. I thought that that was like another moment for me where I felt like, “This is another one of those albums where it's truly a reflection of a moment in time.”
1000WORD$: I feel like every project after that, you’ve shown people more like what New York is supposed to be, you know what I'm saying? As far as like, a motherfucker getting fly, a motherfucker talking his shit, on his shit. How important is it to get that message across to the people in your music? As far as what you wear and as far as what you represent?
YL: Right, bro. Like I said I feel like every time I drop something, I want it to be the most accurate shit to the point where it’s like there's nothing that I'm gonna listen back to a week from now and be like “I wish I could change that.” Everything is like… I'm certain about what I'm saying now. I like to paint that picture for people because I know what that did for me growing up, you know what I'm saying? Just hearing things in rap songs and being curious and searching things up and watching rappers’ videos and wanting to wear my hat a certain way or some shit. It's all just culture. I'm really just trying to leave my mark and just make sure I'm upholding the culture that I grew up on and that I fuck with. Yeah, I'm just trying to add on.
1000WORD$: You're doing great, my brother. You're doing great. Who did you grow up listening to and who do you feel are your influences?
YL: Well I was already listening to rap music mad young, like, maybe 12 or even 11 type of shit. I have an older brother so like, you already know how that goes. He was already putting me onto the classic shit early on. I was bumping like Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Ready to Die, fucking Slim Shady LP. But as far as influences on my music, I will say a lot of like Slum Village, Tribe Called Quest
1000WORD$: Fire.
YL: AZ, Nas shit. Even Blu from LA, he's a big influence on me. J Dilla… like just the music itself, you know what I'm saying? But yeah, there's a bunch of heads. Sometimes maybe the music doesn't directly reflect like, I love Ghostface, right? But, maybe my music don't exactly sound like Ghostface, you know what I'm saying? But I'll take the essence or a subject that he might speak about or some shit like that. I take bits and pieces.
1000WORD$: But the essence is there because it shows what you represent. So I know what you mean. You know when you see Ghostface you know what he represents, you know what I'm saying? So when people see you, I feel like you represent New York and a certain part of New York. I feel like what you represent is what every new New Yorker wants to look like. Like that's what they want to embody, you know what I'm saying? That culture. That shit's effortless for motherfuckers growing in New York City, growing up in the city. So what does fashion mean to you bro?
YL: That's like the fucking… the first line of expression when you just walking out the door. Without even having to say anything you know, it's just like what's on your body. That means a lot to me you know, I'm on some, "If you look good you feel good," type of shit. When I look back I've always had a similar style, you know what I'm saying? Now I just put it together better because I got money to get what I want and I know specifically what I'm looking for. But yeah, that's the first thing I be looking at when I see motherfuckers too. Not to say I'm here judging, you know what I'm saying?
1000WORD$: Nah you know how it is.
YL: You can kinda tell who is tapped in with the same interests that you are.
1000WORD$: It's like a language that you can tell somebody knows what's going on.
YL: 1000% Exactly. Like you said it's a language it's like a way of communicating without saying anything. I definitely made a bunch of friends growing up like that, just off being into the same shit. The same clothes. We go shopping at the same spots. Yeah, I think that shit's just as important as the music sometimes. I feel like it all ties in. I'm trying to be the total package. I don't want to be that dude that's like, "Oh man, his music is fire, but his videos is wack," or like "He not really that fly," you know what I'm saying? I want to be some undeniable shit. But also, it's not that I'm trying to be this person. It's just who I am, you know what I'm saying? Naturally that's just what I want.
1000WORD$: Facts, naturally. Did you go to any concerts growing up?
YL: I went to a Nas concert before. I've been to a bunch of shows, maybe not when I was young young, but like late into high school shit. I remember I seeing Action play at fucking Williamsburg. It was like some rubber tracks shit that was in Williamsburg, I forgot what the spot's called. But I probably have seen more shit that I just don't remember. I've seen Rae and Ghost like…
1000WORD$: …Bunch of times probably, right?
YL: Yeah, you was there when we seen them that one time. Oh, that was just Ghostface, but I've seen them before that too.
1000WORD$: I mean, we've seen a couple of shows together too. I've seen you perform. So now, how does it feel to perform in your city? Like what was your first time performing in your city and how did you feel?
YL: I'm gonna talk about the real show, you know what I'm saying? I've done shows in my city before things were like how they are now.
1000WORD$: So what's the difference now? What you think is different now?
YL: I mean, just first of all the amount of people that pop out in general. The people that are there to see me and the love is just different. Shouts to fucking Elsewhere. Me and Starker just did the Elsewhere show the other night and that was probably the biggest RRR show that we've ever done just on our own strength, our own headline. It was like over 100 tickets sold. That's big for me. I remember playing for like 15 heads and it's like whatever, you know. You got to put on a fucking smile and get the job done because these people still came to see you. I don't know. I think this is just the natural progression. This is what's supposed to happen, you know what I'm saying? You put in the work like it's a burden of proof kind of thing. If you put it out there and it's consistent I think people will catch on, you know what I mean?
1000WORD$: How was the first time seeing your album on vinyl? How was that experience?
YL: That was ill. The first time I see my album on vinyl was the album “Smoke” with DJ Skizz and Starker. Shouts to Skizz, he basically lined that whole thing up with SOUTHCOM. But that was crazy, I remember telling him, "I feel like I just crossed the finish line," or some shit. When I got it I never had anything really physical of mine besides a CD or a cassette, you know what I'm saying? You know I have trust in myself, but it hits different when it's like, "Oh man, that didn't have to come out of pocket. They pressing the shit up and they're gonna take care of everything else and I get my cut when I get my cut.” It definitely opened my eyes. I was like “I can't go back.”
1000WORD$: What does RRR mean to you?
YL: That's the family. That's really the foundation bro. RRR has been a part of my life since I was like 18-years-old. Triple R. we just started off as a group of homies type of shit. Obviously as time progressed people's dreams changed, but mine always stayed the same. My mind was always on this music shit and then along the way I got to connect with Starks. That was like finding a missing piece for me. It was like I found someone with the same mind state. He's just a hustler, you know what I'm saying? And like you said we speaking the same language, you know what I'm saying?
1000WORD$: Facts. Same frequency.
YL: Exactly. So RRR is like a family, you know what I'm saying?
1000WORD$: And what you got coming up next bro?
YL: I'm working on a full length project right now. It's called "Don't Feed The Pigeons." It's like the next big YL album. You already know bro. I just finished the cover art. That's about to be the next big YL project. It's all curated by myself. It's gonna be a gang of producers. Just like how I felt like "Jesus Is My Homeboy" was a moment, this is the new moment for me. I feel like I'm fully in my bag and I'm making the music I want to make and I'm doing it in a way that I'm not regretting anything type of shit. I'm getting to be someone. I'm working with the people I want to work with, you know what I'm saying? It feels like an evolution. It's like a blend of all the type of music that I do type of shit, but like done in a cohesive way.
1000WORD$: That's fire. Fire.
YL: But yeah, I'm hyped for people to hear that. I got a bunch of videos bro. I can't wait. I gotta show you.
1000WORD$: Can't wait, bro. I really can't wait. But YL, my brother, I appreciate you for spending the time with me man. Thank you, my bro.
YL: Thank you, man. I appreciate you. You already know.