YBN Cordae

YBN Cordae
Background information
Birth name Cordae Amari Dunston
Also known as Entendre
Born (1997-08-26) August 26, 1997
Raleigh, NC, U.S.
Origin Suitland, Maryland, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active 2014–present
Associated acts
Website http://y-b-n.com

Cordae Dunston (born August 26, 1997), known professionally as YBN Cordae or Entendre, is an American rapper. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and raised in Suitland, Maryland — Dunston began rapping at a young age under the mononym Entendre. He released three mixtapes under the name, “Anxiety” (2014), “I’m So Anxious” (2016), and “I’m So Anonymous” (2017). Becoming a member of the Young Boss Niggas collective in later years, Dunston gained popularity following sub-sequential remixes of popular songs, such as “My Name Is” by Eminem and “Old N*ggas” — which is a response to “1985” by J. Cole. Videos to both remixes were uploaded to the WorldStarHipHop YouTube channel, which led to an immense and immediate response from both mainstream media and the online rap community.

Early life and career

Dunston was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but relocated to Suitland, Maryland at the age of ten. As a young child, he'd taken an interest in music as his father would always play old school hip-hop around him, from the likes of Nas to Rakim, or Big L to Talib Kweli.[1] He began writing raps around the age of fifteen, but did not take it seriously, as it was just only a hobby for him. Following the influence he gained from the music his father listened to, he would do research on certain artists through YouTube, attempting to find more music and "getting lost" in the recommended section.[2] Dunston began gaining more interest in pursuing a rap career as he aged, but focus on his education as well, although writing lyrics often distracted him from his studies. He released various mixtapes throughout the years, under the psudonym "Entendre", including mixtapes “Anxiety” (2014), “I’m So Anxious” (2016), and “I’m So Anonymous” (2017).[3][4][5] He graduated from high school in 2015, and decided to go to college at Towson University, later dropping out in 2018, explaining that college was "bigger than him" as a first generation student, and he was mainly doing it for his mother. He moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter.[6]

Dunston began taking his rap career seriously in the beginning of 2018. Although he hadn't been releasing any music, he'd often hang around YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay when visiting Los Angeles, whom he'd initially met through social media. Nahmir had taken interest in a song that Dunston had made, with fellow rapper and friend, Simba.[7][8] Dunston is the only member of YBN that hadn't been introduced to everyone as a gamer, as he doesn't taking gaming too seriously. He had already felt like he was apart of YBN, the only thing that hadn't solidified his presence being his social media handles, which he soon changed from Entendre, to YBN Cordae. He also stated that Entendre had been a name that he'd wanted to change for while, stating, "I was just always around Nahmir and shit, those were just like my brothers... And, I was thinking, yo, I need to change my shit to like, Cordae, and shit, my actual first name. I was already "YBN" without the social tag, you know what I'm saying?"[2] He released his first single, what he called his "introduction to the world" in May, which was a remix of the 1999 song, "My Name Is" by Eminem via WorldStarHipHop. Subsequently, he released "Old Niggas", which was a response to "1985" by J. Cole, Fighting Temptations, and Kung Fu, respectively.[9][10][11]

Dunston went viral during an interview with LA Leakers, where he freestyled over various beats, including Kendrick Lamar's "DUCKWORTH.", Lil Pump's "Esskeetit", and Method Man & Redman's "Da Rockwilder".[12][13] His debut performance was at the Rolling Loud music festival, in May 2018, in which he performed with both YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay. He performed with the duo again for the 2018 XXL Freshman Show in New York, after Nahmir was announced to be an inductee of the yearly freshman class.[14] Dunston was announced to be joining Juice Wrld on his upcoming North American WRLD Domination tour, along with Lil Mosey and Blake, which is set to reach twenty eight cities.[15] Soon after, it was announced that YBN would be going on a month-long tour in Europe as a collective.[16] Dunston is said to release multiple singles up until his debut project is complete.[17] On August 2, both Nahmir and Cordae released a video for their single, "Pain Away".[18] On August 12, YBN Nahmir announced that an official YBN Mixtape, featuring the trio, would be released September 7, 2018.[19] He released the music video for his single, "Scotty Pippen", on August 23, 2018.[20]

Musical style and influences

Dunston lists J. Cole, Nas, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Eminem, Big L and Kendrick Lamar as some of his top influences.[21] He feels as though, because of his musical background and understanding of both old school hip-hop, and what hip-hop is evolving into, that he can be the of help in bridging the generational hip-hop gap.[22][23][24]

Respect Magazine reiterated that Dunston was ahead of his time, as far as rapping goes, stating: "He is a mix of the old and new school, and the deliverance and perception of his music sets himself apart from the new generation of rappers these days. We get a clear glimpse of this in his music videos for “Old Niggas,” “My Name Is,” and “Kung Fu,” which all have over 5 million views on YouTube. He is building a solid buzz for himself day by day and letting the world know his bars and rhymes are ahead of his time."[25]

Revolt TV explained, "There's always going to be artists who go against the grain that manage to generate conversation without being mundane or routine. YBN Cordae is the result of perfect timing, a need for change, and managing to bridge the gap between aesthetic and talent. He's the Gohan of the YBN collective, appearing docile and juvenile but displaying a mastery over words that seems at odds with "hip-hoppers'" belief about his age group."[26]

Personal life

Dunston participated in a Black Lives Matter protest in 2016, rapping amongst the crowd about the struggles he faced, and the issues he'd been noticing in his community.[27] Before leaving college, he worked at a local T.G.I. Friday's in the DMV, explaining to Adam22 of No Jumper, that he "hated" it, and that he always knew he was destined for more.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Bridging Rap's Generational Divide: An Interview With YBN Cordae". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Pigeons & Planes.
  2. 1 2 "Open Space: YBN Cordae". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Mass Appeal.
  3. ↑ "Entendre - Anxiety [Mixtape]". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via "OK-THO" Blog.
  4. ↑ "Entendre – I'm So Anxious (Mixtape)". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Music On The Dot.
  5. ↑ "I'm so Anonymous". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via iTunes.
  6. ↑ "YBN CORDAE IS FULLY PREPARED FOR HIS BRIGHT FUTURE". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Elevator Mag.
  7. ↑ "YBN CORDAE MET NAHMIR AND ALMIGHTY JAY THROUGH XBOX LIVE". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Elevator Mag.
  8. ↑ "YBN cordae is easily the best out of the group". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via kanyetothe.com.
  9. ↑ "YBN Cordae, The Outspoken Artist Declaring The New Generation of Rap Has Promise". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via z-pov.com.
  10. ↑ "The 10 best new rap songs right now". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via The Fader.
  11. ↑ "YBN Cordae releases new track and video "Kung Fu"". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Revolt TV.
  12. ↑ "They tried to throw me off switching beats..... this shit too easy S/O @lilpump". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "YBN Cordae Came Correct on LA Leakers Freestyle". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Lyrical Lemonade.
  14. ↑ "YHERE'S WHAT WENT DOWN AT THE 2018 XXL FRESHMAN SHOW IN NEW YORK". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via XXL Magazine.
  15. ↑ "Juice WRLD Announces "WRLD Domination" Tour Dates". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via HotNewHipHop.
  16. ↑ "YBN NAHMIR SHARES DATES FOR EUROPEAN TOUR WITH YBN ALMIGHTY JAY AND YBN CORDAE". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via XXL Magazine.
  17. ↑ "YBN Cordae Is Bridging The Generational Rap Gap". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via HotNewHipHop.
  18. ↑ "YBN's Nahmir & Cordae Connect on "Pain Away"". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Respect Magazine.
  19. ↑ "YBN NAHMIR SETS RELEASE DATE FOR YBN MIXTAPE". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via XXL Magazine.
  20. ↑ "Scotty Pippen YBN Cordae". Retrieved August 23, 2018 – via Digital Dripped.
  21. ↑ "The YBN Cordae Interview". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "YBN CORDAE IS BRIDGING HIP-HOP'S GENERATIONAL GAP". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Elevator Mag.
  23. ↑ "YBN Cordae Attempts To Bridge Generational Gap In J. Cole Response Track, "Old Ni**as"". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Vibe.
  24. ↑ "YBN Cordae Breaks Down "Old N*ggas" On Genius' Series 'Verified'". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Genius.
  25. ↑ "Ahead Of The Game: YBN Cordae". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Respect Magazine.
  26. ↑ "The 'industry plant' conversation no longer has a place in rap music". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Revolt TV.
  27. ↑ "YBN Cordae at DMV Protests 2 years ago". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Reddit.
  28. ↑ "Who is YBN Cordae? The rapper bridging 'old heads' with the new generation". Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Kulture Hub.
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