For the previous decade, the members of Dallas duo Yung Nation have been thought to be native legends by those that know their historical past, and so they’ll seize any second to remind D/FW followers what they’ve accomplished for town’s rap tradition.
Fooly Faime and B. Reed are older now, however they nonetheless like to celebration. The rappers are again on the grind to recapture their glory days, beginning with the summer time launch of Nation or Nothing Vol. 1, which included membership bangers “A$$ Dumb” and “Cowboys.” They’ve additionally had a couple of of their songs — similar to “Work Work Don’t Cease” — blow up on TikTok, getting in style off the #ShawtyWassupChallenge specifically.
Issues aren’t any completely different than earlier than. Fooly Faime calls the Observer from the studio, stepping out of a loud recording room blasting music to speak concerning the group’s single “Shawty Stop Playin,” launched on Sept. 30 by way of DigiU Information/MNRK Music. Produced by one among their longtime in-house producers, QSmith on the Beat, the music is a primary addition to your lure celebration playlist.
“I simply need to overflow the market,” Faime says as he waits for B. Reed to reach. “I really feel like folks’s consideration spans are so quick; it will get shorter by the day. If it was as much as me, I’d drop an album daily. I ain’t gonna mislead you. A minimum of an EP a day. I promise you, I might do it.”
And this type of productiveness is essential particularly now, with followers stricken by lowering consideration spans and an inclination to rapidly declare that artists have fallen off or are not sizzling as soon as they’ve slowed down on releasing music. Yung Nation isn’t so simply spooked by naysayers, however they’ve dropped mixtape after mixtape since 2010’s iYess. Their technique is easy: Hold music plentiful, so followers by no means run out.
Yung Nation can also be part of the #MakeDallasBoogieAgain motion. Between the years 2006 and 2011, Dallas was house to an influential dancing neighborhood, and remnants of the period will be present in outdated YouTube clips with songs like Lil Joe’s “Watch Me Do This,” Lil Wil’s “My Dougie,” Okay-Tee’s “Boogie Through the Doe” (that includes a younger Fooly Faime) and Treal Lee and Prince Rick’s “Mr. Hit Dat Hoe.” Yung Nation suits into that historical past, because the duo sparked its personal dance movement, called Nation Gang, which had youngsters importing 1000’s of movies and dancing to their songs.
After Yung Nation grew to become web sensations somewhat over a decade in the past, they stored their reputation afloat by their new music releases and freestyles, with some — similar to their “Lifted Freestyle” over Gucci Mane’s “Freaky Gurl” — getting simply as a lot love as the unique. They transfer like they’re younger veterans, educating folks on the “boogie” period they helped carry to the mainstream.
“We need to make Dallas boogie once more,” Faime says. “However actually, we need to make the world boogie once more. Dallas is the beginning of a fireplace. As soon as Dallas boogies once more, the world boogies once more.”
B. Reed agrees.
“D-City Boogie, that’s actually a worldwide factor,” he says. “That’s a complete tradition proper there. They despatched Fooly Faime one thing the opposite day from Japan displaying them that they D-City boogieing.”
He additionally feels Dallas doesn’t get the popularity it deserves for its affect.
“Dallas is a trend-setting metropolis when you consider it as a result of there’s a whole lot of stuff that originated from this manner that does not get acknowledged,” he says.
Earlier than Yung Nation popped on the mainstream with “Membership Rock” and “Shawty Wassup,” Faime and B. Reed had been simply two children who met taking part in at basketball camps. They had been each into music, displaying a dedication to the rap and the ring life.
“Me and [fellow rapper] Lil Twist used to stay collectively again in seventh or eighth grade at my mother and father’ home,” B. Reed says. “Faime would come over daily. And he and Twist would make some songs with me.”
B. Reed says Yung Nation got here collectively after they needed to department out from Thugboss Nation, a crew they as soon as had been related to. They each dropped out of college to pursue music full-time, constructing their fanbase by acting on faculty campuses and at commencement events. Alongside the best way, they bought co-signs from folks similar to DJ and radio character Hollyhood Bay Bay, who appeared of their “Membership Rock” video.
“I think we are the definition of longevity … Like I said, since ninth grade we’ve been poppin’.” – Fooly Faime
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“He’s been round since we’ve been younger, younger boys,” Faime says. “He’s at all times supported us.”
Yung Nation continued to tour after signing to Dorrough’s label from 2009 to 2011. They keep in mind the expertise as a time they set to work on initiatives with the rapper and bought to indulge in his success with the single “Ice Cream Paint Job,” by receiving tons of knickknack and a free apartment to remain in.
As a result of their administration labored with Younger Cash, they had been in a position to get alternatives similar to opening for Drake throughout his 2010 Away From Residence Tour at Palladium Ballroom (now the South Facet Ballroom). In addition they labored with YM artists Twist, Brief Dawg and even Lil Wayne.
“Drake performed a giant position in our profession,” Faime says. “We had the identical crew. So [our managers] Tori and Cortez Bryant would at all times hyperlink us for stuff collectively. So when Drake would have any exhibits within the South, we might open up as a result of we had this market on lock. That opened a whole lot of doorways for us to be us.”
Yung Nation are proof that their formulation, which consists merely of being themselves, is working. Whereas many rappers and one-hit wonders come and go on this style, they bought in by by no means switching it up.
“I feel we’re the definition of longevity,” Faime says. “Like I stated, since ninth grade we’ve been poppin’.”
On Sept. 23, they participated within the first-ever DFW Rap Monopoly, a showcase of native expertise with headliner BigxThaPlug. At Ear Hustlaz Studios, Yung Nation had their very own desk promoting restricted merch similar to glasses, hoodies and shirts. They arrived somewhat bit earlier than midnight, dapping up followers and taking pictures with them.
Their set was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, warming up the group to an apex. The lights dimmed right into a purple hue for the proper second throughout “Membership Rock.” Abruptly, the viewers got here alive like they’d simply been transported to the membership, dancing and twerking to “Membership Rock” and the following music, “Shawty Wassup.”
A number of weeks later in October, the duo introduced on social media they’d be dropping their final album.
“Thank ya everyone for ya numerous assist! We wouldn’t be shit with out y’all!” they wrote. Whereas followers waited on the discharge date, Yung Nation dropped one other EP as promised referred to as The Weekenders, which has an accompanying movie on the best way. It’s all to construct up for his or her Return of the Zombiez Tour, hoping to hit faculty campuses in Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, California and Kansas, with dates to be introduced.
The celebration hit kings have yet one more run in them. And so they’ve bought loads of songs to get everyone rocking once more.
