Yung Reno
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
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New York is not only the birth place of many music industry legends such as KRS-One, Jay-Z, Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kid Capri, but it is also the birth place of the music, the culture and the lifestyle that we know today as hip hop. Even with the title of being the birth place of hip hop, New York has lately fallen off the map and is constantly being replaced by the emerging hip hop scenes in Houston, Tallahassee and the Bay Area in California, but new up and coming artist and Queens native Nick “Yung Reno” Hamilton is determined to change that.
A reserved junior political science major at Howard University by day and a flashy emcee by night, Yung Reno shows the versatility of any successful artist on his mixtape, The City is Mine released in April 2009. On the track “Bars” he freestyles at a local radio station shouting out Howard University and the DC community, and shows his softer side with his track “Cupid,” a classic boy meets girl love story. With only his first mixtape under his belt, Yung Reno has a lot of work to do if he wants to put New York City back on the map and take his career to the next level, but with a heart full of determination, he doesn’t seem to mind.
25: Where did you draw inspiration from when recording The City is Mine?
I had the idea for the mixtape before I even got to Howard. The inspiration just came up basically from listening to a lot of different artists and by personal experiences from back home in New York and all around the city so that’s why I named it that.
25: Who is the person that inspired you to pick up the mic and start rhyming? How did you feel when you heard this person perform?
I would say Jay-Z being the New Yorker that I am and also UGK as a group. And Jay-Z being a New York dude and just seeing what he’s done. He started out like making himself as his own song like his own brand and you know who wouldn’t wanna do that? And I just wonder if a little fella like me can do that. And UGK, they were just something different from what I was used to. They’re from Houston, Texas and I’m from New York and they had a different type of slang and different stories. I really think they kept it real on a regular. It was just what they said and how they put things together. Pimp C being more socially conscience. He’s more of the environmentally charged part of the group. They’re just really different from what I’m used to.
25: What sets you apart from the rest of the rappers that are out today? What is it about your lyrics or flow?
Well it’s the fact that I don’t have one type of sound. You know, some come out here gangster, some people be doing the social conscience rap. I feel like I’m good enough to be all around and talk about a little bit of everything and not just have one preference.
25: How different is Nick Hamilton the student and Yung Reno the artist? How do you balance both identities?
Well Nick is more reserved while the artist is more out there. Yung Reno the artist is the flashier one, not that it’s an act or anything, it’s just different kinds for different people. You can’t be Yung Reno in intro to political science or political science 101 or nothing like that. I guess I’m good at balancing both. Maybe because I’m not faking in either one of them. It’s all work and dedication.
25: Where do you see yourself musically in five years? What do hope to achieve?
Well I’ll be 25 then, and my sex appeal will probably be starting to fade, but in five years I see myself on top of the charts and a few million in. You know, I can see myself with a brand name because I started out early. I see myself in the upper echelon. As far as what I hope to achieve, I hope to change lives. Hopefully someone can hear what I’m doing and they can see themselves doing it. Just listening to my music and taking away from it whether its advice or just something to get through the day. That’s better than success. - 25 Magazine
With all the wackness that comes across my email it’s so refreshing to receive presents like this.
Enjoy this heat from Yung Reno - DJ Soundwave
Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
Straight outta Queens, New York. I got to the position I’m in today by hard work and a relentless hustle.
What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see?
Currently working on 3 projects simultaneously. My upcoming mixtape,”King Me”,set for a Winter release. My EP, “Hitman: The Reno Brown EP” and my next mixtape “Long Live The King” and the last and final mixtape in the “King” series, “Crown Royal”.
What is one of the most drastic changes you’ve made about yourself in the last year?
I switched up my circle. Cut off a lot of people who I felt were dead weight and started recruiting people with the same vision I have.
Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
The hardest challenge I faced in the industry definitely has to be separating the industry from real life. This industry can take a lot out of somebody. I’m still learning how to keep it separate from my personal life.
What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
The delayed release of King Me. I bounced back by putting out a bunch of freestyles and hot singles to keep my name in peoples mouths and my music in the public ear
What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Artists need to be careful how they portray themselves. I hear alot of people on a daily basis talk about living lives that they know nothing about. One day they might bump into a real ni**a who is about that life.
What would you spend a million dollars on?
I’d spend a 500,000 on my family,300,000 on myself and put the other 200,000 into my career as an artist. It takes money to make money
What was your biggest risk taken in your career?
Doing my own thing and not caring about what was “hot” or what was the thing to do at the time. Crafting my own sound was a risk in itself.
What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Do what you think is best for YOU. Take the criticism and advice but at the end of the day only you got your own best interests in mind.
What are the best ways to sell your products as an artist?
Presentation. Present the product well and it will sell itself. Carry yourself like you’re a million dollars and you’ll make a million dollars
What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
I love the whole internet thing and the social networking,but for me nothing is better than performing live and putting on a good show. So the public can see that I’m real about what I do.
Any last comments or statements?
Make sure you become a fan on facebook, follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/YungReno look out for the album ‘King Me’. And it’s S.C.E. or nothing! - WWS Magazine
Discography
The City Is Mine - 2009
King Me - Coming Soon
Photos
Bio
Rapper Yung Reno gives new meaning to the rose that grew from concrete. Originally born Nicholas Hamilton, the New York City native grew up in the crime and drug ridden streets of East Elmhurst, Queens. Growing up, Reno took interest in the regular activities of kids his age. He’d never publicly showcase his rapping abilities and was a little caught off guard with the responses that he received when freestyling with friends at school. “I was in 6th grade at a talent show. Me and a group of my friends performed a song and when I saw the reaction, I knew this was what I wanted to do.” From that point on, he aggressively worked towards what he hoped would soon become a successful career in hip hop, performing whenever he got the chance: in freestlye battles, appearing on several mixtapes and independent albums, as well as school events and concerts. Another part of Reno’s past included membership in a notorious street gang, this is also where he received his name, a name that would later become his rap alias, Yung Reno. “I got it from an older member that I used to try to emulate. It was his name and since I was his lil homey, he gave me the name before he passed.” Wanting to live outside the stereotype of black males in NY, Reno entered Howard University where he met long time friend and now manager, Brandon Mimms. Mimms, CEO of the renowned Street Composed Entertainment instantly signed Reno to the SCE family. Though he listened to different genres of music, Reno says that artists like Mobb Deep, Jay Z, 50 Cent, UGK, and T.I were his musical influences. But he promises originality, “I’m a poet who speaks of life experiences-from the street life and the love life to the party life-like no one has done in years.”
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