Artist Spotlight/Interview: Get to know North Carolinas YN Drako
Interview:
Fye Ent: Tell us about your background getting to where you are today?
YN Drako: i went to school in a small town called King, North Carolina. My parents were divorced and had been sense i was born so i lived in King half the time and Winston Salam half the time. My father was a professional MMA & Muah Ti fighter so i grew up around a lot of fighting and shows. Going to all these fights with my father in my childhood built up my ability to network with individuals. When i applied that networking knowledge to my music career things started falling into place.
Fye Ent: Where are you from?
YN Drako: Winston, Salam, North Carolina
Fye Ent: When and how did you get into music?
YN Drako: I started making music back in 2017, 10th Grade Year of High School. I went to a Lecrae concert back in October of 2017. Seeing the crowd connect with one another inspired me. No one knew each other in that room but we were all singing about the same pain, putting our arms around each other , crying together, turning up together, it felt like a family. That’s why i named my debut album “Drako & Family” back in the summer of 2019.
Fye Ent: What is the most challenging thing you have overcome in your life?
YN Drako: My life is no easy one, but i know many people have been through much worse. I’ve delt with plenty of hardships , from not being accepted in my school, to family issues , to death of loved ones, but the one thing that really hit me most was the death of my close friend Walter Justis. He passed in July of 2020 from Sucide. I worked with him as a bus boy at my first ever job (King Kitchen) and when he passed it hit me harder than i can explain. I had never truly lost someone and felt the feeling of wishing you could’ve been there. It’s a feeling i never want anyone to go through but i tried to let it mature me in the process.
Fye Ent: Are you currently signed or independent? Also who inspires you the most musically?
YN Drako: Legally i am an Independent Artist. What inspires me honestly is my brothers, everyone in my city. Idon’t necessarily look up to any other artist but i respect what people in my city are doing and it pushes me to inspire others from my hometown to do something bigger than themselves. Hints my last EP names “HOMETOWN HERO”.
Fye Ent: What do you want people to take away after listening to your music? Do you have any new music coming out soon?
YN Drako: That i am here to tell them it’s okay to not be okay. I’ve started moving more towards the singing crowd more than the rap crowd. I love making rap music, it got me to where i am today, but making something meaningful with real emotions behind it helps me cope with my own emotions at the same time as helping my listeners know i’m feeling the same pain they are.
“Yes! I always have new music in the works, right now i have two projects i’m working on. One is a more serious take on my life and the feelings of moving up in the game but loosing the ones i love in the process, and trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how narrow the tunnel is. That brings me to the album name , “NOCTURNAL”. Nocturnal is about working through the darkest times to see the light at the end. It’s something i’m extremely proud of and can’t wait for my listeners to hear this side of me. The project will be released April 30, 2021. I’m also working on a small summer EP with my brother @obegrizzy called “Love & Demons”. This entire EP is full of summer bops , i swear there’s not one song on there you can skip, ha ha.With my music you never know what to expect, i have harder hip-hop type songs & i have some slower, R&B type songs. I try new things out on every song to test my limits as an artist, as you can tell by music”.
Fye Ent: What is your greatest achievement as a musician?
YN Drako: PERFORMING! No matter what i accomplish, performing is always the thing i’m most grateful for. Hearing a crowd of people scream the lyrics i wrote while i was bussing tables at a restaurant in King really makes me feel accomplished as an artist.
Fye Ent: Do you produce your own music? If not who do you work with?
YN Drako: Recently i have been producing my own music but 80% of the time it’s ether @unseen336 or @obegrizzy mixing my vocals. @unseen336 has really helped me find my true sound as an artist and without him i doubt i’d be here right now.
Fye Ent: Who is one artist you wish you could work with?
YN Drako: I’ve always wanted to work with Skillet. I know it sounds weird but i grew up listening to rock music and Skillet was the one band i knew everything about. If i worked on something with them i finally think my life would be complete.
Fye Ent: What does a day inside your shoes look like? Is there anything else you want the audience to know about you?
YN Drako: Wake up at 11, get ready for the day, drive to the studio, work on features or my own music for a couple of hours, go back to my house and try to see if there’s any shows coming up that i could get on, then play it by ear. My days are usually pretty simple but i still try and get as much done as i can.
Only thing i want them to know is i’ve busted my ass for 4 years to get here and i’m still dying for a shot to show that i’m born to be in the game. Music is what i breathe, i’ve built my entire life around it. Without Music i’m nothing. i hope you can understand me when i say i won’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of what i love.
Drake Clodfelter (YN Drako) has been making music for 3 years and hasn’t found a reason to stop yet. Drako tries his hardest to go harder on every song he creates. He’s been featured in popular YouTube Influencers Videos & works with some of the biggest underground artists such as Nevi, Mvnch, Norfside Mike, Apex 3400, Fresco From34, Cain Black, Unknxwn, M3MO & plenty of others. This is an artist not to be taken lightly.
For more updates on YN Drako you can follow him on social media below.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yndrako/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/yn-drako
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWGY5vDOoCOZZObVfFZmFSg
Apple Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWGY5vDOoCOZZObVfFZmFSg
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