YB Neet is a promising voice of hip-hop

MANILA, Philippines — As cliché as it may sound, every journey begins with a single step. For others, they simply heed the creative call. That’s what YB Neet, a fast-rising hip-hop artist, did to start his career and enter the local music scene. YB, by the way, stands for Young Blood. Neet is taken from the name of his car.

“Gusto ko lang talaga siya, wala naman akong i-ni-expect na kapalit (I just wanted to create music and I didn’t have any expectations),” said he in a group interview. “Feel ko lang talagang gumawa ng music.”

YB Neet found his footing in the hip-hop genre, which showcases his passion for “rhythm, rhyme and flow,” as his team put it.

“I tried my hand at doing R&B and different songs, but I made my first song for the hip-hop genre. From there, I just continued on and that’s how I got started,” recalled YB Neet, “parang from out of nowhere din na biglang rap (yung ginagawa ko).”

With music and hip-hop as clear medium and genre in his mind, YB Neet was then and still is driven to tell stories in a song form that are motivational.

“Kumbaga pampagaan ng pakiramdam,” said he. “Though I’m not sure if other artists see writing songs this way… parang kapag pinapakinggan nila si YB Neet, kumakalma sila (it’s like when people listen to my music, they tend to become calm)… kapag pinakinggan nila ako, iba yung nadadalang feeling sa kanila.” Part of it, too, is sharing tales and messages that are close to his heart.

“Mahirap kasi magsulat ng kanta na hindi mo nadaanan, parang magtutunog pilit siya (It’s hard to write a song about something you’ve never experienced, it will sound forced),” said he, “hindi mo nadaanan, hindi mo naranasan din.”

Since many also aspire to become a music artist like him, YB Neet released the album Big Ape and composed Alab ng Puso, collectively about his humble beginnings and motivations as a young artist. Rason and Quicksand, according to the piece of information given to this paper, talk about his challenges and way of navigating uncertainties and seeking for God’s direction and protection. Sariling Alon reveals his stance on building “his own identity and finding his own groove.” Ditties Took A Risk and Rearview also take the personal and motivational narrative route.

YB Neet also released Dem Dayz, a collaboration with Ex Battalion member Flow-G, with over eight million views on YouTube, and Di Matangay, with fellow artist, Omar Baliw. His Balaclava, described as a groundbreaking single, is now at 1.7 million streams on digital platforms. Now 21 years old, he has accomplished all this in a matter of two years. The pandemic lockdowns had given him the time to pursue rap and write songs. YB Neet would churn out two to three tunes a day and his then newfound interest carried on to the new normal.

“It gave me the time to focus on it. Duon ko na binuhos ang oras ko, gumana siya (I poured out my time and attention to it, and it worked),” he said. “Before that, I would help my mom in our business, nag-da-drive ako and I was also with a company.” And as they say, the rest is history.

Asked if he has plans of giving other genres a try, the artist had this to say: “I think I can, I feel that YB Neet as a brand is flexible… kaya niyang mag-rap, kaya niyang mag-R&B… I want to mix them (hip-hop with another genre). If given a chance, I also want to do a collab with artists Moira (dela Torre), Ben&Ben and Siakol.”

“I’m open to other genres like R&B, but I will give it a twist, parang R&B… na-rap pa rin siya,” YB Neet reiterated as well as his purpose of composing songs, that is to inspire others and make them realize that there’s something that they can do and excel in it.

As of the moment, YB Neet treats fans to a new album titled Meta, with upcoming artist CK YG, which presents new sounds and another effective way of rapping, said he, who also plans to have a city-tour concert and release more solo songs next year.

For those who want to know YB Neet, the artist and musician, more, they can take a look at his posts and vlogs on Instagram (@youngblood.2kplaya) and YouTube (Young Blood Neet). His singles and collaborations are available on Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music, and Apple Music. His team also shares that YB Neet is among the artists under Believe Music, whose mission is to develop independent talents and labels in the digital world. It provides them with the means to grow their audience at each point of their career, his team adds.

With the way things are going in his promising career and the traction his songs are getting, YB Neet said, “Masaya lang ako ngayon (I just feel happy).” That happiness, coupled with gratefulness, will motivate him to create new songs and break new ground.