Interview with South Carolina recording artist – Young Drastic

Based out of South Carolina, Young Drastic, an introspective recording artist has been crafting his style of lyrical depth and smooth melodics to put the listener into his own shoes. He is also part of the collectives Civil Tribe & DEADBOYZ. His latest solo release, is the 17 track album entitled “Popular Unpopular”, which can be downloaded from Soundcloud.

How long have you been in the music business and how did you get started in the first place?

Young Drastic: I’ve been recording music since 15 years old but been writing for longer. So 7 years I think this December. I started writing at 9 years old after the passing of my grandmother so that’s where everything really started.

Who were your first and strongest musical influences that you can remember?

Young Drastic: Early on, Lloyd Banks and Eminem were probably the strongest influences for the songs I was writing. When I started recording though, my strong influences became Kid Cudi, Charles Hamilton and XV at this point. And they still are.

Which artists are you currently listening to? And is there anyone of these that you’d like to collaborate with?

Young Drastic: Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Gorillaz and some gems from Soundcloud. Other than that, I’ve been playing the cornerstones of my music taste like Wavves, Nirvana, Nujabes, Brandun Deshay, XV etc. A Gorillaz, Charles Hamilton, or Brandun Deshay collab would be tight. Or even some people from the Asia Rap scene.

Where does the moniker Young Drastic come from?

Young Drastic: It stems from the original name of Young D, which played off the letter of my first name. Realizing that was too broad, I stepped back and thought how I wanted to approach music. I realized I wanted to take music to my own extreme, a new extreme. Also I wanted to take extreme measures to get where I want to go with my art.

What do you think separates you from the crowd of emcees emerging right now?

Young Drastic: Just how I look at music and how I approach it. Music is an expression but true expression seems to take backseat more these days. I guess music or art in general is more a spiritual or full body experience for me. I hope I answered your question haha.

Which do you ultimately prefer? Entertaining a live audience or creating songs in a studio setting?

Young Drastic: I’m more of an introvert so the studio setting is the more comfortable element for me. But as I got older, I’ve grown to enjoy the live element of being a musician more and more.

If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to be a part of this highly competitive business day after day?

Young Drastic: Anger. But in the sense of angry at the doubt people have toward me & channeling that into proving them wrong. Then again, I have a strong melancholic element in my music so that could be the other option I guess haha

What would you consider a successful or high point in your career so far?

Young Drastic: The last show I did was in front of a packed house. So that was tight. But this album and the last few videos I put out are probably high points in my career as of recent.

Tell us something about your lyrics and music production on your releases. Which part of these processes do you handle yourself, and which do you outsource generally?

Young Drastic: The last year and some change, I’ve handled pretty much everything in-house. And 9/10, in-house means me.

What do you feel your listeners should get out of your music?

Young Drastic: Something they can connect with and relate something in their own life to anything I talk about.

What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music so far?

Young Drastic: All of 2016 was probably the most difficult thing to deal with musically and personally. I lost a good amount, almost lost more and the album I was working on barely made it through.

Which aspect of being an independent artist and the music making process excites you most and which aspect discourages you most?

Young Drastic: I like the sense of freedom and doing things all on my own terms that being independent brings. As far as what I enjoy in the music making process, I love it all pretty much. The aspects that discourage me as far as being independent goes is just getting a good reach and getting through the saturation in the indie rap scene right now.

How do you market and manage your music career? Do you have a management team or do you control everything by yourself?

Young Drastic: I market and manage on my own. I could do better with both but I am improving daily or project by project. I wish I had more of a manager or street team or something though so I can be more focused on the art.

If you had the opportunity to change one thing about how the music business works right now, what would that be?

Young Drastic: Again, the saturation of the music that’s out. Or even just the availability or opportunity for a bigger platform for more independent artists that really have a passion for it.

If someone has never heard your music, which keywords would you personally use to describe your overall sound and style?

Young Drastic: Lyrical, melodic, alternative, hip-hop, Nerdy, Anime, Videogame, calm etc.

Do you consider Internet and all the social media websites as fundamental in building a career in music today, and what is your personal relationship with the new technology at hand?

Young Drastic: It can be fundamental in career-building if used right within your artistic image and the person you are. I’m kinda tech-savvy so I have a good relationship with new tech for now.

Tell us something about your latest release and where fans can find it.

Young Drastic: My latest release is my album, Popular Unpopular. It chronicles thoughts and events from late 2014 to my 21st birthday last year. It infuses different genres, works and such to give a different color to my part of the timeline. You can find it on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. It reaches everywhere else in the coming days.

What is your relation with visual media and YouTube etc. Have you released any videos clips for fans to see?

Young Drastic: I think visuals are just as important as the music it’s for. I have a few music videos out, one of which I just released on my YouTube, called “FVRT DRG.”

If you were stuck on a desert island, which 3 artist’s music would you choose to accompany your stay there?

Young Drastic: Nujabes, Charles Hamilton, and Nirvana as of right now.

Do you have a motto or positive message stuck somewhere in your mind to inspire you, or anybody else, at any given time? If so, what would it be?

Young Drastic: I’m seen as a pessimistic type and not really that inspirational. But I am all for positivity. So if I can think of any positive message, its “Stay true to you and how you want your life to be lived. Don’t live someone else’s lie for you.”