By Carissa Alcantara
Starting his rap career in the midst of the pandemic, Young Blood Neet, or YB Neet, maybe a rookie but his songs have a lot to tell.
Just almost two years since his debut, the 21-year-old artist has gained a reputation as among the top creative Filipino musical artists, thanks to his grasp of flow, lyricism, and wit. He has become a sought-after collaborator in the hip hop scene.
One of his hits, Dem Dayz, which YB released on his birthday in July, has reached over eight million views on YouTube. The song is a collaboration with Ex-Batallion member Flow-G.
"Honestly very grateful ako na nakasma ko dito si Flow-G, and masaya ako ngayong kasi parang gigil pa ako ng gumawa ng mas malaking music in the future," YB shared during the interview.
(Honestly, I am very grateful to have Flow-G on my song, and I'm happy because right now, I'm stunned to make more music in the future)
On his other single Di Matangay, YB worked with another top artist, Omar Baliw. On his solo songs, the groundbreaking single, Balaclava, is now at 1.7 million streams on digital and is continuously gaining traction four months post-release.
But aside from making Tagalog rap songs, he also dreams of bringing his music to the international scene.
"Ina-attract ko talaga dati na magkaroon ako ng fanbase sa ibang bansa, para makapagrelease din ako ng English tracks para sa upcoming albums ko in the future," he added.
(I want to have a fanbase in other countries, so that I can also release English tracks for my upcoming albums in the future.)
YB's song lyrics spoke of a vision of how he wants to live his life once he's made it.
He takes his listeners on a journey of a young man who transitions from just enjoying music to aspiring to be the next rap star and doing what he can to make it happen.