Yung L takes us to new levels on afroreggae and afrodancehall EP “Yaadman Kingsize.”
Yung L is sure to make his name known among the Afroreggae & Afrodancehall greats. The yard-inspired musician, born Christopher Omenye in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, has been cranking out bangers for several years while maintaining the fresh energy of a new artist. Starting with his debut Better Late Than Never in 2017. That same year, he clocked in a feature on Major Lazer’s “Run Up (Afrosmash Remix)” alongside PartyNextDoor, Nicki Minaj, Skales and was nominated for an MTV Music Video of the Year award. Following the success of 2019’s Jollification, he delivered Juice & Zimm in 2020 and gave us a taste of what was to come with Eve Bounce and the equally salacious Eve Bounce (Remix) featuring Wizkid.
Now, Yung L returns with the anticipated release of Yaadman Kingsize, a quality collection of spliff-lighting sounds and waist-whining riddims that will take you from the streets of Africa to the yards of Jamaica and back, with even more dope features from Tiggs Da Author on “Womanizer” and Sean Kuti on “Rasta” to Abood Khiery, Sammary and Rashid Omar on the stirring “Land of the Light (Outro).” It’s also worth mentioning the “Yaadman (Intro)” is also a banger with a polished set of African and Caribbean inspired visuals to match.
It’s safe to stay Yung L will be around for a while, so we took a few moments to discuss his music, aspirations, future collab list and more. The conversation is as follows.
LX:
You’ve been around for a while but the energy around this project feels like that of a new artist. What do you hope to achieve with your career in 2021?
Yung:
It’s a huge compliment that I still get the love and energy of a new artiste from fans till date. I think it’s largely due to the fact I keep reinventing myself with every project.
In 2021, praying the Pandemic is over soon so I can connect with fans again physically, you know tour a little and experience the album with fans as safely as possible. I will be putting out another project later in the year so watch out for that and overall just have the music get to a larger audience. Maybe win a Grammy while at it 🙂
LX:
Your sound, look and visuals are Caribbean-influenced but distinctly African. How important is it to preserve the culture while exploring and experimenting?
Yung:
I don’t think there’s much difference between the Caribbean-African culture to be honest. I think the African culture will always be the basis for what the Caribbean culture stems from plus I’ve had so much Caribbean influence in my upbringing that it always comes out in my style and music no matter how I experiment. Ultimately, there isn’t one without the other for me and we have no choice but to preserve these cultures or they will get exploited and taken from us.
LX:
Afrodancehall is on the rise. What is it about reggae & dancehall that appeals to you?
Yung:
I think my love for Reggae/Dancehall started from when I was younger growing up in Jos. It’s a very different vibe there, there were lots of cool Rasta men around and the radio played lots of reggae and Dancehall music a lot so that was a huge influence as it became one of the early genres of music I fell in love with.
Also that’s one of the best genres of music in the world in my opinion 🙂
LX:
You’ve been very vocal about Yaadman Kingsize leading to its release. Where inspires this confidence? Is this your favorite project so far?
Yung:
It comes from me being finally one with the music. I am at a level where I know the kind of music I want to make and don’t feel pressured to make anything else but that. I experiment and “bend” genres like I say “Yaadman bend any genre”. Achieving this has made me really confident and excited whenever I am ready to put out new music cos I know I’ll be putting out something no one else can do or is doing now! Each time I put out a new project, you can trust it’s going to be my favorite and my best!
LX:
What are your favorite tracks on the album, if you had to choose?
Yung:
That’s a tough one man! I love all the tracks to be honest. I think you should ask me this again in say another week or two, I may have a concise answer then (laughs).
LX:
Who are some major or local artists you would like to work with?
Yung:
Locally, Lagbaja I am a huge fan!
Internationally, for sure Damian Marley and Skrillex!
LX:
What is one thing you hope your fans experience when listening to YMKS?
Yung:
I want them to experience different emotions from feeling confident to feeling sexy, to feeling free even feeling angry about the social issues around us but most importantly I want them to feel the growth we’ve put in together from my 1st single “Red Rose” till YMKS.
Stream Yaadman Kingsize on all streaming platforms and follow Yung L on social media at @YungLMrMarley. He’s also our featured artist on Lambo Musik:
