Breaking Down The Science: An In-Depth Look of YUNG Citizen’s New EP
By Jalil Pack
The Charlotte music scene is an interesting one — rap, R&B, gospel, spoken word and a plethora of others blend together to give those visiting and the ones who call this city home a feeling of finally gaining the respect for our artists.
With the likes of Da Baby, Reuben Vincent and J. Cole, we see first hand what it means to keep a dream consistent and pursue that goal. With numerous amounts of talent, you have a number of stories waiting to be heard and to be told. There’s one artist, specifically, whose story and journey can speak directly to our audience: YUNG Citizen.
In a recent episode of my podcast, The JVY Podcast, I spoke with YUNG, about the process of his new EP “Formula 1”, which cultivates the road he’s traveling to not only stay true to himself, but to also let the music speak for itself.
With this review, I’ll break down both songs, and speak on how they intertwine and have the listener wanting more.
YUNG Citizen and Jalil recorded their podcast at Enderly Coffee
Browne’s Ferry – Listen on Spotify
From the first glimpse, I was captivated by the title alone. I feel as if songs with an address, a city or an important name give the perception of either a reflection of someone’s childhood or a triumph story.
This song however gave me hope. In the first verse, YUNG speaks on certain challenges from being in college and having his goal as his inspiration, to the struggles of wondering if he’s doing the right thing. His second verse, however, cracks down more on family and the environment he grew up in, which I could personally relate to. For example, growing up on Clanton Road & West Boulevard, I’d see a lot of things that either influenced kids my age in a positive or negative way. Hearing YUNG talk about staying on a straight path and quoting that it “takes a village,” shows that the people around him did everything they could to steer him in the right direction.
Conversations With (feat. Curt Keyz) – Listen on Spotify
When this song starts — roughly in the first 2 seconds — you’ll hear the melodic voice of Curt Keyz say “Father please, help me. I need your guidance, Lord.”
With that line alone, I figured that the song would primarily focus on the prayers that YUNG has had with God or his higher entity through prayer, alongside mediation and self-reflection. During the first minute or so, he talks directly to the listener about tapping into themselves, praying and asking for clear direction, as well as being the person that they can deem themselves to be at all times.
My second thought, was that he was talking to his younger self and possibly giving him guidance and lessons that have helped over the years. In his second verse, he starts off with “When I die, you’re the first I’m trying to see.” One can see that he’s speaking with a close friend or a family member he lost. He then goes on to mention how the belief that this person had in him keeps him motivated, whether it be the music, relationships, etc. Although the person described isn’t here in the physical form, YUNG can feel them in a spiritual way, and keeping them close makes his journey worthwhile.
Consensus
What I love about this project, besides the messaging, is the musicality. The feeling of jazz, mixed with hip hop, gives me a certain feeling of taking a drive downtown, cruising along the streets and taking in the beauty of our wonderful city. There’s a moment when listening to this EP where I felt at peace with everything around me, and that I was being spoken to directly. Overall, this is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve heard thus far.
If you’d like to know more about Yung Citizen & his process of creating “Formula 1″ check out my recent episode of The JVY Podcast here: The “Yung Citizen” Episode.
