Call Em’ Shank Daddy!

Cleveland’s own “Best New Artist of the Year”, and taking home “Best Single”, at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards, Young Shank!

Young Shank after winning Best New Artist, and Best Single!

Shank originally born in the Bronx, New York; relocated to Cleveland around 4 years old. Raised in the Garden Valley projects with his mother, and no real father figure until 7 years old. Tragically Shank lost his mother in 1994  due to being shot, and was raised by family members, and then himself. Now, Young Shank is gridin’ hard to get where he deserves. I had the chance to personally speak with  Young Shank, lets get to know the man behind “Trap Orientation” the mixtape.

216thetakeover.com: Who is “Young Shank”, and how did you get your break?

Young Shank: Shank is the name that I was birthed with basically, not on my birth certificate but people used to joke around when I was baby, and say we gon’ call him Shank. As I got older, and started rapping I put the Young in front, and got Young Shank. My mother, and biological father used to rap back in the day.  Basically that’s where I get it from is both my mother, and my fathers side. I’m just trying to carry out her legacy. It was like instinct, you know what I’m saying? like I was just born to do this shit. It really ain’t to hard for me to keep progressing because I can never honestly say that I am doing good. I always feel like I can do better. Coming from garden valley projects I’ve seen a lot coming up, been through a lot, witnessed a lot of shit, that’s why I got a lot to talk about. All my shit is real 100%, that’s why the streets fuck with me. I’m the voice of the streets! They love me.

216thetakeover.com: So as the voice of the streets do you feel, your being a positive or negative influence on the youth of Cleveland?

Young Shank: I feel that I’m 80% positive, you know what I’m saying? By being 80% positive, I’m telling our story from the streets. Like me growing up and everybody who can relate to shit that I done been through. My shit is not all negative. I talk about politics, the presidents, the lawyers, the judges, I talk about the police, I talk about everything in general. So the streets can relate to what I’ve been through, and what I’m going through now as an artist. Basically 80% of my shit is letting people know our side, the street side. Like we wasn’t raised to be corrupt, negative, or in the streets. It’s just how we survive, you know what I’m saying? Just how we stay a live.

216thetakeover.com: I know you worked with DJ E-v on the “Trap Orientation” mixtape, how was that experience?

Young Shank: Being that DJ E-v is one of my personal DJs, it was pretty good experience. He jumped right on my team, once he first seen me spit. Trap Orientation, that’s a classic. That’s probably going to be one of my best mixtapes that I ever come out with. Most of the material on Trap Orientation CD, was material that I was holding, I got like 27 songs on there. It was a good experience, my first mixtape, just wanted to get it out there and see what type of a reaction I was going to get. A lot of people were waiting on it, to see what I had to say, and what my music was about. People still are asking for the CD, and it came out in February. So yeah it was a pretty good experience working along side with DJ E-v, one of the most popular DJs in Cleveland, maybe all of Ohio.

216thetakeover.com: Speaking about Ohio, you’ve done a lot of collaborations with artists from Cleveland, and other areas, are you looking to expand outside of Ohio?

Young Shank: Yeah I’ve already expanded to Atlanta, Georgia with my nigga Gucci Mane. I got a song with my nigga Gucci Mane called ‘Trap Nigga’s”. Shout out to my niggas Gucci, So Icey Boys, Wooh Da Kid, producer Mike Will, and a lot more. I’m about to start working with producers such as Mike Will from So Icey Entertainment, that’s Gucci’s label, L.t. Moe he’s another producer, originally from Cleveland, and moved to Atlanta. So yeah I’m expanding to other states, I just did a song with some dude from Florida. Supposedly he’s one of Rick Ross’s artist, but you know how niggas just be talking.

216thetakeover.com: As an artists that’s coming from Cleveland, and claiming the garden valley projects, how would you say that your music is bringing something new to the table that isn’t already here in the hood, and in the streets?

Young Shank: My shit is going to be something new because a lot of mothafuckas can relate to what I’ve been through but, a lot of niggas haven’t been through what I have. A lot of shit that I’ve been through is like just me, like can’t nobody do me, and I can’t do nobody else, because I’m me. I didn’t live their life, I lived my life, so my experiences are going to be different then other mothafuckas. I’m going to bring something new to the table just because I’m Shank. I got a different style, a unique style, I flow aggressive, I’m real aggressive on the mic, but then I can slow it down, and be real smooth, and swag’d out. Like I’m real versatile, a lot of niggas ain’t as versatile as me. I’m not trying to down nobody or nothing like that, but it was it is, man.

Young Shank Live At Peabody's (8/30/08)

216thetakeover.com: So what is next for you currently?

Young Shank: I have a new mixtape with my other DJ, DJ Step-one, called “Neighborhood Star”, that should be coming out mid October. We pushed the date back, we wanted to get a lot of footage for the trailer. Be looking out for that on my myspace page, that’s myspace.com/youngshank. Then I got another one with Pretty Boy Floyd called “Free My Niggas”
that’s probably going to drop in January. My nigga told me to Gucci, and Wayne em’, I’m just going to keep dropping mixtapes like a mothafcka, I’m going to keep em’ coming back to back. Ain’t nobody going to be able to do it like I’m going to do it. I’m going to show niggas what Cleveland’s really about.

216thetakeover.com: Exactly what goals do you have planned for your music in 2009?

Young Shank: I plan to get a major deal, or just to sky rocket. I really wanna show mothafuckas that Cleveland’s got talent. We just don’t have a one track mind. When people think of Cleveland I want them to think about Young Shank, Young Ray, Pooh Gutta, Corey Bapes, Paperchase, I want them to think every body. When people say Cleveland, I don’t want them to just think of Ray Cash. I really wanna show mothafuckas we got talent, that’s why I’m gone rep my city to mothafuckin fullest, that’s why I came out, that’s why I show mothafuckas how we do it in Cleveland. When I came out with “I came to rep my hood” in which I won best single of the year at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards with that. We don’t bang blood, crips, none of that, we rep our hood.

216thetakeover.com: Speaking of getting a major record deal,  have any major labels showed any interest in signing you?

Young Shank: My manager told me to keep that private. So I really can’t speak on that. A lot of independent labels have tried to holla at me, and some major, but really I have to keep that confidential. I do have my own record label started it’s called 100 Ent. I’m pushing myself, independently.

216thetakeover.com: I respect! Do you have any early influence, who in influenced you to get into the game other then family?

Young Shank: Besides my mothers, the home boy Az, Shyne, B.G., Young Dro, T.I., Half A Mil, Jay-z of course. I like a few cats but, mostly Az, and Shyne they really influenced me to do what I got to do. Because AV is more positive, he speaks the truth, and he tries to touch peoples souls, and I can do that too. Shyne he just keeps it all the way 100, that’s why I fucks with that nigga.

216thetakeover.com: Is there any artist in particular to work with right now?

Young Shank: On the major scale, I can say Plies, or Lil’ Wayne. I want to see how I can stand up next to Lil’ Wayne, I want to see what I can do. It’s time for me to push myself, to the max. I’m ready to give it 100% man, I want to see what I can do with the nigga’s everybody’s talking about. Because everybody’s talking about me here in Cleveland, saying I can do this, and that, so I want to see if I can do it.

216thetakeover.com: Do you really feel that your music will hold up in the main stream? Do you feel your fans are loyal enough to support you?

Young Shank: Yeah, of course because I don’t talk about nothing I haven’t done, did, or won’t do. If you listen to my music, you never heard me rap about a Benz, Porch truck, fuckin’ Cadillac truck, none of that. Becauseus I can’t relate, I never did none of that. I can see myself doing it, but I don’t see myself talking about it now, until I get my mothafuckin hands on one, thats when I’m gone talk about that shit. That’s why motthafckas respect me, I ain’t out here cappin’. I’m not here just speaking out the side out my mouth, I’m talking because I got a mouth. I’m out here telling mothafuckas whats real, so yeah I bet I hold up in the mainstream, that wouldn’t be a problem.

216thetakeover.com: Anything to say to your fan base?

Young Shank: Yeah be on the look out for my mixtape “Neighborhood Star”, coming mid October. Also be on the look out for “Free My Niggas, hosted by Pretty boy Floyd. I respect all my fans for being loyal to me, and really I wouldn’t say I got fans, I just got nigga’s that fuck with me, that’s 100.

216thetakeover.com: Thank you for speaking with me Young Shank!

Young Shank: Yup, bet that!

Big thanks to Young Shank, real cool down to Earth dude. Much respect, and best of luck with 09! Check out a few of his tracks, and hit the myspace up! Make sure you show your boy Young Shank some love.

Young Shank Ft. Gucci Mane – Trap Nigga

Young Shank Ft. Bam – Work Dat Body