Trap is just an offshoot of hip-hop anyway, and the hip-hop world needs to embrace it a bit more.”Īsked if the Aftermath deal indicated positive progress on this front, Yogi points to trap-inspired radio hits like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it Like it’s Hot” and Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” The house and trap thing are married together. It’s not like scratching now, it’s all big drops and hands-in-the-air moments, and it feels like a roller coaster. When I was DJing in clubs ten years ago, the music was different. “People want this music and the clubs are made for it. “I’ve never seen America like that,” says Yogi. Coming off a two-week US tour, Yogi describes being “shocked and excited” to experience the size and energy of the crowds packing venues like New York’s Webster Hall. Trap music’s present popularity has also empowered hip-hop producers to share their sounds in a dynamic club setting.

It just feels like the evolution of that.” It was played on turntables and people were hating on them and saying they weren’t real musicians. “Those tracks are catered for the club and that’s where hip-hop started from. “The way producers take the synths of house and put it in trap is the same way they were taking samples of the ‘70s and putting them in hip-hop,” says Yogi. Yet Yogi sees significant parallels between trap’s present and hip-hop’s past. Named for the drug-dealing hotbed from which they were born, those gritty narratives bear only a surface resemblance to the dance club progeny currently being peddled by artists like Diplo, Carnage and Flosstradamus. “I wanted to put those two genres together and see what people think about it.”ĭecades before Baauer and Katy Perry rode booming 808 beats and triplet hi-hats to the top of the Billboard charts, those elements formed the foundation of Southern trap rap. “It has one foot in the dance world and one foot in the hip-hop world,” says Yogi. A collaborative single with Santigold will follow similar stylistic suit.

Yogi’s forthcoming OWSLA EP will feature guest spots by rappers Casey Veggie and Nitro over club-oriented “dirty trap” beats. “We needed someone of that stature to do justice to the beat and bring that kind of standard to the project we’re trying to do.” “We’d been making beats for a long time, and getting Pusha on a track was pinnacle for us,” says Yogi. Yogi’s first OWLSA offerings came in the form of the brooding “Christian Bale” and swaggering club hit “Burial,” which featured guest rapper Pusha-T and boosted Yogi’s profile by garnering more than half-a-million Soundcloud plays. That’s what we want to do and pull in different aspects of genres at the same time.” “He pushes the boundaries every time, from putting out his album with an app to the way that he performs. The forward-thinking dance label loved what they heard, and the respect appears to be mutual. After signing Yogi to a production deal, an Interscope A&R representative played their beats for Skrillex and his OWSLA team in Los Angeles. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and caught the attention of Interscope Records. Yogi first came to prominence after producing British rapper Wretch 32’s “Traktor,” which debuted at No. It’s hard to believe because we’ve been big fans and we’ve been listening to everything Dre did since “The Chronic.” We’re so excited just to be known by him that we’re not even questioning what we’re working on.” “It’s weird talking about it because he’s such a legend. “It’s been a bit of a dream come true,” Yogi admits. With a transcontinental trip to Dre’s Los Angeles studio set for later this month, the landmark news still doesn’t feel real for Aftermath’s longtime admirers.

Dre Be the ‘First Billionaire in Hip-Hop’? A Look at the Apple-Beats Deal Similar to Hudson Mohawke’s role at Kanye West’s GOOD Music, Yogi will produce tracks for Dre and other artists on Aftermath’s roster. Dre heard one of Yogi’s beats two years ago, the West Coast music mogul reached out to indicate his interest and commence a long conversation that culminated in the signing. When Billboard caught up with the crew, the ink had barely dried on the Aftermath production deal they signed the previous week.

“Yogi” refers to both the eponymous artist and his London-based production outfit of long-time collaborators Blake and I/O. 8 Reasons 88rising's Asia Rising Forever Fest Could Be a Must-Watch Live Stream

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