It’s crazy to think yvngxchris is only 18 years old, and already accomplishing what most recording artists only wish they could in a lifetime. And with the legendary Pusha T backing him, the rising star sees no limits when it comes to his artistry.
Fresh off the heels with his standout collaborations, “DAMN HOMIE” featuring Lil Yachty and “Quikkskope” featuring DC The Don, yvngxchris blessed fans with his highly-anticipated debut project titled VIRALITY, which peaked at #9 on Spotify upon release. The 8-track project speaks volumes to his rise in the rap game, from being a regular kid in Virginia Beach to now living out his dreams on the daily.
He states, “I’m evolving every day, learning new things, and trying to get accustomed to this lifestyle — and I will. I’m focusing on being as versatile as possible and outworking the competition.”
While yvngxchris’ sound is diverse in itself, it’s his super turnt energy that has fans coming back for more. Most recently, the young star wrapped up his Barely Legal Tour with labelmate SSGKobe which kicked off at Rolling Loud Miami and ended in his hometown of Virginia Beach.
AllHipHop spoke with yvngxchris, who was posted up in his crib in Virginia Beach. Read below as we discuss the new project, collaborating with DC The Don and Lil Yachty, graduating early, Xxxtentacion’s influence on him, and more!
AllHipHop: How you been since the last time we talked?
yvngxchris: Honestly, I’ve just been trying to evolve overall, evolve in sound, quality and energy. I’ve been shooting more music videos and trying to get my profile more established. That’s really where my focus is at right now..
AllHipHop: I know you just dropped the new EP, “VIRALITY.” How you feeling?
yvngxchris: That project went crazy, as hell. “VIRALITY” was one of the starts to the new journey, the new path. I shot the “Serenity” video recently, that video shoot was a cinematic experience. I had my boy BOX BOYS out here, because I did that one for XXXTentacion. Not even just for XXX, for Nipsey, Juice, every legend. I shot that video, we had a little static TV. It’s just a creative and captivating video. It’s super creative.
AllHipHop: What was Nipsey’s influence on you?
yvngxchris: I didn’t really listen to his music too much however I did hear him a lot because of my dad. He had a great influence on him, he was a big fan. When he died, my dad was definitly affected by it, much more than I expected. It was only then that I knew like okay, Nipsey has a really big influence on so many people. I’ve also had many talks with my A&R, who told me about the influence Nipsey had on him also. Hearing about his influence from others, then studying the legacy on him is what led me to talk about it.
AllHipHop: Your fans have been waiting for the EP. How’s it feel to finally have it out?
yvngxchris: Man having it out, it feels so good, especially because I’ve been holding that in for such a long time. I feel it’s time to evolve, it’s time to drop some new music. It’s time to give them the new yvngxchris. I’ve gotten older and most of that music is from when I was younger, 16 years old specifically. So I really want to focus on evolving, fasho.
AllHipHop: That cover art is crazy. What’s the meaning?
yvngxchris: [laughs] Basically, alright so I had the title Virality, so many images popped into my head including one with my head chopped off. With my head decapitated in the forest, it’s been surrounded by many people taking pictures of it amazed at the sighting. I got that idea from Love, Death + Robots, this show on Netflix.
The meaning behind the imagery is the idea that once you become so viral, people forget you’re a real human being. They treat you like a figure, an object. They see you down, going through mental and physical struggles but instead of helping, they’re taking pictures and recording you. It’s the concept that because you’re not human to them, you’re not real to them. When people see celebrities, they don’t connect with them in a relatable way. That’s what I want to work on: connecting and relating with my fans.
AllHipHop: Damn, you’ve experienced that?
yvngxchris: Yeah of course. I feel like every rapper or influencers in general experiences that. You can be down, make some bad mistakes in the public eye and it goes everywhere on social media. People clown you, that’s how social media works.. that’s life if we are being honest. That’s how it’s always been though, I just wanted to point attention to it.
AllHipHop: Love the music video for “QuikkSkope” with DC the Don, that s### is crazy!
yvngxchris: Yeah, that video was hard. I was running late to the video shoot because I missed my flight that same day. “QuikkSkope” was one of my favorite videos I shot with DC the Don. He delivers an amazing performance and is a dope person. I don’t collaborate with many people, but I respect DC because his dedication to the craft and fanbase is crazy. They go hard for him. Plus, he’s a very talented artist and someone I admire in my class.
AllHipHop: How’d y’all tap in?
yvngxchris: I tapped in with DC through someone on my team. My A&R Mont said called me one day during my first time going to LA and asked if I wanted to lock in with DC that very night. Of course I said yeah, f### it, I’ll lock in with him. Once we linked up, he was cool as f### and our chemistry was unmatched. We made this fire song together and I ended up dropping it on my backup Soundcloud page first.
AllHipHop: I know he doesn’t mess with a lot of people too.
yvngxchris: Nah facts, we are definitely very similar in that way. I connect with people who are like minded like myself. No narcissist or ego sh*t, I’m the coolest n*gga to be around. So I like to hang with folks that have similar interests as me.
AllHipHop: Pusha T is your manager. What was the process in dropping the project with him?”
yvngxchris: Nah for sure. When he heard a couple songs off VIRALITY, he told me “yo, this is about to be crazy. This is about to be legendary, the start to a new beginning.” That’s really how I see it truly see it. I didn’t expect nor looking to be some #1 release. I just wanted it to be the start of my story, the start of the yvngxchris story. I’m here for people getting to watch it evolve so when you look back at it a couple years later, you can really say that s###’s legendary.
AllHipHop: How does it feel to have the Lil Yachty song go up? I was at the video shoot and that s### was hilarious.
yvngxchris: Hell yeah. I ain’t gon lie, the Yachty love is crazy. That song is vibey and a groove. After watching him for years, to actually get him on a song was surreal. I watched his come up and evolution. That song ended up being one of my biggest songs, it definitely went up. I appreciate Yachty for that, that sh*t was straight love.
AllHipHop: How’d it feel to graduate this year? You were still in school last time.
yvngxchris: I graduated early so that was cool. You know what’s funny, I never really expected that. I was always getting bad grades, falling asleep in class so to graduate early, it was like whoa, me? (laughs). It was because of my rap career that motivated me to finish up. I’m really blessed to have a prospective career. I think about that every day, I’m blessed.
AllHipHop: I saw you did a backflip at your show, into the crowd. That was wild!
yvngxchris: Word! Yea when I’m on stage, I kick into a different energy. When I’m chillin’, I’m really coolin’. But when I get on stage, I become a different person, a performer. It’s a celebration when I go on stage. After all these years of n*ggas hating, not supporting the music, not turning up, to see everybody in the crowd supporting you is a great feeling, Jumping around, having fun with you, it’s a celebration for the fans and myself. So when I do that, I celebrate by hitting backflips and doing crazy sh*t on stage. I always want my performance to stand out.
AllHipHop: Do you practice something like that? Or was that hella spontaneous?
yvngxchris: Hella spontaneous! I’ve never landed a flip in my life. I used to only flip on the trampoline never in a crowd. I definitely got hurt a couple times, but I would still have adrenaline to keep going. While performing, I don’t feel it, but after the show, my side for sure hurts. Sometimes I think of the crowd as as a trampoline like “they gon’ catch me, f### it. I’m a just jump”. I started with a big crowd, so it was pretty doable and they caught me. I would not recommend doing that in a 200 person crowd if you know what i mean..
AllHipHop: What’re you most excited for next?
yvngxchris: I’m most excited about shooting more videos. Keep the energy going and pushing through each new drop. Artists’ aren’t dropping for the most part, n*ggas are hybernating right now enjoying the holidays. I’m a keep dropping music on them. Showing them my development, show them the dedication. I have the “SERENITY” video dropping soon so, I’m excited for that. The songs I have, experimenting with more genres and sounds, I’m going into all of that and more.
AllHipHop: Anyone else you’d like to collaborate with?
yvngxchris: Yea I definitely want to do more collaborations with DC, Tana (formally Baby Santana), Fazo, the homies. I am still learning about different artists and sounds myself so that’s something I’m consistently working on. I don’t like to collaborate with too many artists unless they’re super talented. I don’t care about popularity, my biggest focus is strictly talent. I want to keep the artistic integrity of my music and who i work with. My fans are my family so they’re suggestions are always good to have as well.