In the first video uploaded to Young Don’s Youtube channel—for his “Choke Hold” track—a then-15-year-old in a gray hoodie, faded blue jeans, rocking four gold teeth bounces between familiar scenes. When the video starts, he’s surrounded by friends in a bare room playing a game of craps. At another point, he posts on steps in the building’s doorway. At others, he sits on the famed green generator box outside the apartment building, in the middle of what looks to be a wooded area. None of that chosen scenery causes much excitement, as it’s become customary for many rappers on the rise to utilize whatever locales are the most accessible to them. But what does cause a spark is the oomph in Don’s raps. On a one key-mashing, DMV type beat the West Baltimore native talks about the pressure he’s applying to adversaries, with no signs of letting up.
“Choke Hold,” though released near the end of 2018, is featured on Young Don’s first proper project, a 10-track mixtape of the same title that was dropped in April of 2019. Throughout its duration, it proves that Young Don is an extremely gifted teenage anecdotalist. On the tape’s closer, “Cold,” he offers drawn out harmonies about losing family and close friends to the complications of life in the street. But even in less explicit instances, like “Obligation,” he’s able to toss in life lessons even while professing to his own wrongdoing in more turned up tracks that the average listener would unconsciously bang their heads to. Don being 16 is one of the leading factors in why he impresses so much, but it’s far from the main draw. An easy trap to fall into when assessing artists who are in his age range is overreacting to skill as if it is especially prescribed to someone based on when they were born, but in this case—and many others—Don’s skill impresses because he’s just good at what he does.
There is a type of finesse, control over his voice, and adaptability to a range of production styles that puts him in the conversation with rappers in the Baltimore area that have been at this for a long while. But that’s likely because Don has been developing his artistry since his elementary school days. That’s especially apparent in his most recent project, Smoke Cleared I’m Here. On the seven-track EP, there are moments of lyrical gymnastics (“Amnesia”), impressive back-and-forth raps (“Life of a Don” with Big6ixx), and sobering accounts of the ways in which he’s traumatized (“Still”).
During a recent phone call and a visit to the apartment complex he stays, I spoke with the promising artist about his drive to make it, how he plans on improving, and who he hopes his music speaks to.
When I listen to your music, the thought behind some of the songs makes me feel like it’s written material, but I know a lot of young artists go in and freestyle. How do you go about it?
Some of my music is really written but I be freestyling for the most part. Like me and 6ixx song, we freestyled that shit. Or I’ll put that shit together while I’m in the booth, bar for bar.
I was listening to “Still” off of your Smoke Cleared I’m Here EP. Is that a song you wrote? It feels like it.
Yeah definitely. I wrote that song in probably 25 minutes. That’s one of my favorite songs right now too because I really meant what I said.
When did you start rapping? I know you just started releasing music officially, but for somebody that’s 16, it sounds like you been doing this for a while.
I been rapping for a minute. I started freestyling around 9, 10. By the time I was 13, I was putting music out on Soundcloud. I’d took a trip to Miami when I was 13 and that was the first time I got in a real booth. I had got up with these people that owned a record label—I don’t even remember how that happened but it did. I had got locked up when I was 14. I turned 15 when I was there. And ever since I got out, I just took that shit serious. I was writing music in there. I been hard though, since back when I was 13. You listen to some of that shit and you’ll be like, “Damn his little ass nice.”
What part of Baltimore did you grow up in?
West Baltimore, around Dolfield and Wabash area. Park Heights. Baltimore Street. I was back and forth out the county: Baltimore County, Columbia, then back to the city. Just moving around. I done lived out Randallstown. Out Hagerstown.
What kind of music is easier for you to make? The shit that just bangs or the ones where you really open up about your life? Or better yet, which one feels better to make?
It depends on the vibe. And it depend on the situation I’m in. But I fuck with the vibe when I talk about the pain. But more so my music is that uptempo shit when the beat is crazy and I’m really dragging. I like talking my shit most of the time but the pain shit hit different.
On your more uptempo shit, something I noticed—that a whole lot of Baltimore artists haven’t done—is that you rap on beats that have the DMV sound. And I like that because, although there are some similarities in the accents, the Baltimore accent over that production is refreshing to hear because it doesn’t happen that often. Do you listen to a lot of DMV artists?
Yeah I definitely do. I fuck with MoneyMarr, I fuck with Xanman, I fuck with Q Da Fool. I fuck with a couple of those guys. I had did this show out DC and the promoter had a relationship with MoneyMarr. He was tryna set up a feature but it just ain’t work out. But hopefully in the future we’ll make something.
What about that production style do you like?
They beats and their engineers, they really tight with that shit. I can’t really describe their type of flow or beats. I can cut up on their beats, though.
Do you get support from areas like PG County and DC as far as people listening to your music?
Hell yeah. I got a couple niggas I was locked up with from PG and DC that I was in placement with. My man Lil Glock, he be out DC and he got a song with the nigga Fat Yee called “Street Light.” He ain’t really no rapper but them niggas got a hard ass song together.
Do you feel that there’s more of a connection between Baltimore and The DMV than it has been historically?
For me it is because, like I said, I be in and out them counties and a lot of muhfuckas from different places be out in Columbia and that’s like their second home; you know out Columbia, Baltimore close as shit and DC close as shit. And when you locked up, you gonna meet different muhfuckas and that’s how you network.
What music had the most impact on you growing up?
I’d say when I came home I was really fucking with Q Da Fool shit. I fuck with yo vibe; I listened to him a lot coming up, going outside and shit. My man Snoop (Big6ixx), I can look up to him and bump his shit. Chief Keef and shit like that, but that was back in the day. I’m more so talking about shit I can relate to, like living the life. I listen to a lot of YoungBoy and Future.
Any artists from Baltimore you grew up listening to?
You know, Scoota. Gotta fuck with Scoota. I fuck with YG Teck shit, his shit hard for real. Tonynexttoblow, he nice.
So the EP just dropped. Something I pay attention to is that a lot of the DMV artists drop a lot music. Like three tapes a year. And a lot of times, Baltimore artists don’t put a lot of projects out from what I’ve seen. What type of approach do you feel like you need to have when it comes to releasing music?
I feel like I gotta drop hella times because I’m consistent. If the shit hard it’s gon’ speak for itself but consistency is key regardless. I like putting out tapes. I’m about to drop a tape in December. The EP was just something to hold them because I been was supposed to drop more music. I plan on dropping hella mixtapes to be honest. Ima be here for the long run so Ima just go with the flow.
What do you feel like is helping your music spread the most: the internet, your neighborhood, or word circulating through your school?
The internet play a big part, but people knowing me and word of mouth and staying consistent. And the town—once a muhfucka hear this shit—if they ain’t no hater, then they should support.
What’s something you wanna get better at as an artist?
I don’t know. How can I put it—mastering different flows and putting different flows together. I got songs like “Still” and songs like “Life of a Don” but you gotta be able to put that shit together all in one song; just be real versatile. I feel like I’m versatile as it is but I can get better at really playing with these beats. I’m only gonna get better.
Do you want your music to impact people a specific way or are you just cool with however people absorb it?
Anybody that got a good head on they shoulders and been through anything I been through, they gon’ understand what I’m saying. They gon’ get it—this shit just ain’t punchlines. I don't wanna paint no picture that I don’t need to. I’m just me, you dig? I’m just a young nigga that live how he want and make decisions on my own. When they listen to my shit, I ain’t tryna influence nobody, but they gonna take it however they take it.