Young Jefe Leo is a 19 year old hip hop artist from Gilroy, California. A self-taught music producer, he left California to pursue his career in Portland, Oregon. A year after leaving, his father was murdered, which left him despaired, angered and vengeful. Known for his track suit fashion, energy and temper, Jefe has been moving his brand forward, notwithstanding his introduction to a variety of drugs and a problematic emotional status. His latest release, is the single “Woadies”. Anyone who knows me, knows I am very tough when it comes to music.
I have high expectations with most music, sometimes even higher ones depending on the artist, because music can truly allow a person to escape their physical reality and run off into a much more metaphysical journey that feels almost therapeutic if you find the right artist or song. I was instantly hooked on Young Jefe Leo, leaving me almost positive that he could go on to become a successful artist if he can keep himself out of trouble.
Young Jefe Leo’s goal with this track must be to show off his style. He wants the listeners to open their minds to his new music and feel the emotions he is portraying. There is a resurgence of Emo within Hip Hop, and this new track continues to confirm my beliefs on this. We see many examples of emo rap recently in songs by New Age Rappers.
It combines conventional hip hop beats of 808’s, and percussion with a moody atmospheric vibe. It’s almost R&B-like, but the actual tempo is faster. I’m not sure if this emo-thing was Young Jefe Leo’s actual intention sonic-wise, but he has nailed this specific groove perfectly on “Woadies”.
“Woadies” is exactly two minutes and twenty eight seconds long. Having short songs isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re capable of conveying a complete cohesive thought or you can cram real visceral detail or character into it – and if we’re looking for the core advantage of this record, it’s that Young Jefe Leo for the most part does exactly this.
The lyrics and concept are raw, focused and emotional, and Jefe packages it in such a way that there’s actually an upbeat energy to it. Plus his flow and vocal capacity make the song something completely original. Above all, this track is an example of Young Jefe Leo’s ability to drop music that legitimately few other artist are making, and that is something that should be valued highly in this day and age.
After reading this piece, a good idea would be to go through Young Jefe Leo’s catalogue over the last year and look out for the themes and sounds that he has been working on.
OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD – INSTAGRAM
