Young JV keeps hip-hop alive

Young JV, hip-hop/R&B sensation and member of A.S.A.P.’s all-boys pop group A-Pop, is one passionate, determined young man. “I am part of a movement whose goal is to make people see that hip-hop is still alive.”

It helps that PolyEast Records shares his vision. Young JV’s debut album Ready or Not, produced by Doin’ It Big Production went on to win the Best New Male Artist Award in Wave 89.1’s Urban Music Awards. The singer wishes to acknowledge invaluable support from Marc Ecko, Dana Santos and album producer Jumbo.

Come March, Young JV is also set to perform as front act of Korean girl group 2NE1 in its upcoming show in Manila. He takes all the early signs of success in stride. “I’m getting good breaks and am thankful,” says Young JV. “I realize that I’m very lucky. Not everyone is given the opportunities that have come my way.”

Understandably, the young musician is not wasting a single moment. “I am never the type who gets satisfied (with my performance). I always aim higher.” To equip himself for the goals he set for himself, Young JV knows he has to work hard and study his craft. His weekly schedule is composed of voice training sessions, dance classes and keeping fit. “Enough is not enough. You always have to outperform yourself.”

His songwriting skills are a big plus. “Rappers are modern-day poets,” declares the 18-year-old performer. “You write about your feelings, your views. You set into music the message that you want to put across.” Thankfully, the public is listening with rapt attention. Young JV talks of the different high that he gets when performing for an audience. Recently, aside from his regular A.S.A.P. gig, he started embarking on a campus tour. “It’s a super-incredible feeling,” he says. “Makikita mo na grabe silang mag-react, ’yung mga high school kids.”

As an artist, Young JV feels that he has a responsibility to set a good example to people his age. “Young people should go after their dreams. You must not let hardships get in the way. Anything is possible, if you put your heart into it,” he expounds.

The songs included in Ready or Not bring to fore Young JV’s commitment as a performer and the brand of music that sets him apart. It is a wonderful fusion of hip-hop and R&B and pulsates with unbridled energy and raw enthusiasm. The carrier single, That Girl, is receiving enthusiastic response form listeners. It was also the track that helped him win the Best New Male Artist Award in Wave 89.1’s Urban Music Awards.

Right after the elections in May 2010, Young JV is scheduled to promote another track lifted from his first album. The song is titled Lipad Noypi which talks about the Filipino youth’s ability to take off and soar to unbelievable heights Young JV penned the song himself and it displays his knack for lyrics that inspire and challenge.

“Kaya ng Pinoy eh,” says Young JV. His belief in the young people’s capacity to make the Philippines a better place to live in prodded him to put up a foundation whose main objective is to help children of soldiers who perished in the line of duty. Like his debut album, Lahing Bayani Foundation, Inc. is also one of Young JV’s babies.

“A little help goes a long way,” he says. “And to know that I am able to make a little difference in the lives of these children is reason enough for me to never get tired of performing. It is not only a passion. Hip-hop is a lifestyle. A way of life. Each day of your life, from the moment you open your eyes up to the time that you go to bed, it remains in your subconscious. It never gets lost in the face of life’s maddening concerns.”

Special acknowledgements go out to Marc Ecko, Dana Santos and album producer Jumbo, ABS-CBN, Wave 89.1, all DJs and everybody from Wave, DJ Bigg Beats, Doin’ it Big Productions, Q York, Philippine All Stars, parents Elsa and Red, all friends, the production crew and all the fans who supported Young JV.