Yak Ballz

Artist Information

Biography

An iconic blue-eyed crooner from Hoboken, New Jersey once proclaimed that if you can make it in New York City you can make it anywhere. Frank Sinatra’s words have resonated throughout many different genres of entertainment for years, perhaps none more accurately than in the jungle of independent hip-hop, where it seems as though only the sonically strong and lyrically dexterous survive the cynical city and birthplace of the culture. Blessed with one of the most charmingly confident and unique flows on the planet, Manhattan-born, Queens-raised MC Yak Ballz is poised to show that he is more than just a product of the late ‘90s independent boom, a legitimate mic talent that can sit proudly with the kings of his native jungle.

Instrumentation

Yak Ballz

Discography

Albums

* My Claim (Eastern Conference Records/Caroline - 2004)
* Scifentology II (FloSpot Records- 2008)

12 Inch Releases

* "Homepiss" / "Nasty or Nice" b/w "The Plague" / "Flossin" (Fondle'em Records - 2000)
* "The Freakshow" b/w "For the Critics"/ "Reign" (Definitive Jux Records - 2001)
* "The Drill" b/w "While You Were Sleeping" (Jersey Roots Entertainment/Traffic - 2003)

Compilations

* “Flossin” - Farewell Fondle'em (Definitive Jux Records - 2001)
* "The Freakshow" Definitive Jux Presents II (Definitive Jux Records – 2002)
* "5 Left In the Clip" with The Weathermen - Eastern Conference Allstars III (Eastern Conference Records - 2003)
* "Let the Games Begin" feat. Vast Aire - Eastern Conference Allstars IV (Eastern Conference Records - 2004)

Appears On

* 2003: "5 Left in The Clip" b/w "5 Left in The Clip Remix" 12-inch from The Weathermen Conspiracy Mix CD (Eastern Conference Records)
* 2004: "Got Wet?" from the Leak Bros (Cage and Tame One) album Waterworld (Eastern Conference Records)
* 2004: "High Fidelity" from the Tame One album "O.G. Bobby Johnson" (Eastern Conference Records)
* 2005: "Get Da Duh" 12-Inch Kosha Dillz (Matza 4 Yo’ Mouf Records)
* 2005: "Left It To Us" from the Cage album Hell's Winter feat. The Weathermen (Aesop Rock, El-P, Tame One, Cage, Yak Ballz) (Definitive Jux Records)
* 2006: "Antidote" from the Slow Suicide Stimulus album Slow Suicide Stimulus FloSpot Records
* 2006: "Say Cheese" from the Slow Suicide Stimulus album Slow Suicide Stimulus FloSpot Records

Mix CD's

* 2005: The Missing Cassettes
* 2006: Scifentology: The Mixtape

Audio

• Dirt Empire (Produced by Aesop Rock)
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• Out of Range (Produced by Camu Tao)
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• Underrated (Produced by Chris Maestro)
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• Blind Faith (Produced by Adept)
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Lyrics

• Dirt Empire

Video

Dirt Empire - Official Music Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• URB Magazine Review [+ Show ]
  

  Despite having possibly the worst name in music and a style that automatically incites comparisons t...Despite having possibly the worst name in music and a style that automatically incites comparisons to his mentor, Cage, who appears here on “New Communication,” Yak Ballz truly deserves to be heard by a wider audience based on his own merits as a skilled MC. Yak, like many of his Weathermen brethren, interweaves
  his own personal narratives with
  horror and sci-fi references, and does so with a wit, style and confidence that brings his wild, wild world to life. His production choices consist of an outstanding mix of
  gritty, New York underground beats and dense Def Jux noise, although it does get a bit much on the aggressive chorus section of anti-love song “Taking Good Care.”
  While it’s unlikely Yak will be heard on commercial radio any time soon, Scifentology II does have the potential to be an underground smash.

• Impose Magazine Quote [+ Show ]
  

  Scifentology II, the new album from Queens-bred MC Yak Ballz is proof that dynamic, thoughtful, crea...Scifentology II, the new album from Queens-bred MC Yak Ballz is proof that dynamic, thoughtful, creative hip-hop is hardly a thing of the past.

• Jive Magazine Review [+ Show ]
  

  Growing up in Queens, Yak Ballz had a variety of inspirations, but even though he cites Q-Tip, Organ...Growing up in Queens, Yak Ballz had a variety of inspirations, but even though he cites Q-Tip, Organized Konfusion and O.C. as his influences, there is something completely unique and free from adaptation in his approach to Hip-Hop. Maybe it is his intricate story-telling or his accessible metaphors or the fact that he isn’t driven to preach or save Hip-Hop but more interested in the art of telling a story. On his sophomore release, Scifentology II, Yak Ballz demonstrates why this clever MC is on the rise. With production being provided from Aesop Rock, Camu Tao, Govone, Mondee, Chapter 7, Adept, Chris Maestro, the soundscape fuses the backbeat of jazz with the raucous, in your face, punk swagger. In many ways, Scifentology II demonstrates why Yak Ballz and El-P’s Weatherman partnership works so well. They both tap into the darker recesses in their subject matter, but Yak Ballz never seeks to glorify these misdirections in life but use these examples for others to learn from. Despite the often heavy subject matter (suicides, body image issues, drugs), his rhymes are breezy and bounce over the production quite nicely. Scifentology II pushes the indie Hip-Hop envelope to its lyrical limit. Armed with rhymes that will resonate with you long after the song as finished, Yak Ballz isn’t the next MC to mimic the great rhymers from New York; he is the next New York MC to do great things.

• Mass Appeal Magazine Quote [+ Show ]
  

  Through raw lyrics and graffiti inspired album art by Ewok-One, Yak holds fast to the era he origina...Through raw lyrics and graffiti inspired album art by Ewok-One, Yak holds fast to the era he originated.

• HipHopDX.com Quote [+ Show ]
  

  In 2008, it is not such an easy thing to bring Hip Hop fans back to supporting the culture’s often o...In 2008, it is not such an easy thing to bring Hip Hop fans back to supporting the culture’s often overlooked yet powerful socio-political leanings. On Scifentology II, Yak Ballz combines profound social commentary with a myriad of musical styles and embellished choruses in a worthwhile attempt to do just that.

• Format Magazine Quote [+ Show ]
  

  Packing a track record which speaks volumes more than an inflated ego ever could, the NYC native is ...Packing a track record which speaks volumes more than an inflated ego ever could, the NYC native is ready establish his residency as one of hip-hop’s next heavy-hitters.

Setlist

30 Minutes

Method Intro
Out of Range
Dirt Empire
Cha-Ching (Clap Your Hands)
Nuclear Society
YBTV
The Freakshow

Basic Requirements

Calendar