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I spend a large portion of my day scouring SoundCloud and other underground music outlets looking for talent. Usually, that search is “rewarded” with Future impersonators, delusional white kids and a sad potential outlook for Hip Hop. But, sometimes I get lucky. Sometimes, I come across an individual with talent, confidence and appeal. In late May 2016, I came across a musician who belongs in the latter group. I came across Yung Simmie.
The South Florida spitter uses heavy bass lines, trappy vibes and well-crafted lyrics to detail his life and absolute goal: winning. But winning isn’t a linear formula—there’s no magic rule saying if you put in x amount of hours you’ll get y result; life just doesn’t work that way. It takes supreme confidence to invest in the complete unknown—your future—in hopes of yielding fruitful results without any indication of its trajectory aside from present information. However, successful individuals share certain characteristics: talent, ambition and an unmatched grind.
Amassing a strong following across his social media, this 22-year old emcee is trending in the direction of former underground lord turned household name. But Simmie is no overnight success—he’s an apt example of what materializes when big dreams meet an even bigger work ethic. When we asked how many tapes he put out this year, he began to give us an answer, and then looked up to his manager for assurance, hinting that the real number (three) most likely pales in comparison to the actual amount. So far this year he’s released: OG Smoke, BM3 (BaseMent Music 3) and It’s Simmie Season. Simmie matches his quantity with quality and takes great pride in his writing and music ability.
“I’m a thinker, man,” Yung Simmie said in a subdued tone. He’s not a loud person, but his writing speaks volumes about what transpires between his ears. He absorbs his surroundings—an impoverished corner of South Florida, life on the road, a growing fan base and bubbling success—and converts his perception into a therapy session through rhymes. Countless one-liners and analogies populate his verses, like this gem off “Dead Beat”: “Man these nigga’s faker than silicon titties, And I expose the fake too much realness in me, I pour up the Henny, I smoke til I’m dizzy, Stuffin the Philly, your girl on my dick while I’m doing my thizzy, Like I was Drizzy, nothing was the same by my name is Simmie.” Despite his high-caliber bars, as previously said, Simmie isn’t a household name yet, but that doesn’t deter him.
For me, I would be champing at the bit to elevate to that “Drake” status, but Simmie is a man wise beyond his years, strategizing his career one move at a time. I think a lot of determined individuals who try to boil the ocean get discouraged when speed bumps inevitably appear. Not Yung Simmie, though. I asked him point-blank what he thinks is precluding him from that upper echelon status, to which he promptly responded, “It just takes patience.” Yes, we all know that patience is a virtue, but understanding that concept intellectually and emotionally represents high emotional intelligence beyond Simmie’s youthful 22-years. Like I said, he is not an overnight success—patience is one of his pillars of success.
Since his high school days of playing cornerback, Simmie has been an avid writer and always gravitated towards English classes. He had always been dippin’ and dabbin’ with writing and rapping, but while in a post-high school trade program, he finally realized that the pen is mightier than the sword and that his lyrical gift should dictate his future. With strength in bars and weakness in reach, Simmie knew that he needed to partner with a well-revered entity to bolster his Rap career. In 2012 he was recruited by the highly revered group, Raider Klan—spearheaded by famed producer, SpaceGhostPurrp, which afforded him the opportunity of performing a 30-city Europe tour.
That experience is one that Simmie will hold dearly throughout his life. Watching a sea of people vibe and rap to your blood and sweat (aka music) might be one of the greatest validators—especially when English is a second language to that sea. Hearing him explain this life-changing experience was impressive. Not just because he was selling out international shows, but because what it revealed about his personality.
In addition to the Simmie advocates praising his music, they also showed love by giving him gifts. This point of the interview is when I learned just how deep of an individual he is. While free alcohol and weed are great presents, his most prized possession from the tour is a handmade sweater. Just like Simmie, that sweater is one of one, and cannot be duplicated nor replicated. Hearing the appreciation in his voice when describing receiving that sweater was pretty special, and suggested that even if he doesn’t receive that superstardom fame, he’ll always have that sweater as a tangible reminder of how his work resonated with his fans. Luckily for his fans, they have a lot more Yung Simmie heat on the way.
Simmie will be dropping his fourth 2016 project, Simmie Season 2, on a date TBD. Sequels are a Simmie staple, as he loves to expand upon previous bodies of work to further their traction—examples are “Dead Beat” and “Dead Beat 2.” If his previous work is any indicator of Simmie Season 2, expect flames to roar out of your speakers.
Some days, I get tired of perusing SoundCloud in search of new talent. The wack emcees for sure outweigh the prosperous ones. But then, some days, I’m rewarded with a promising talent who commands my attention; who draws me in and forces me to dive into their work. Thank you, Yung Simmie, for producing great music and for being an even greater guest. I don’t have a homemade sweater to gift you, but I have two ears and a mind anxiously awaiting your next drop. Looking forward to it.
ZeusWolf Choice Picks:
Dead Beat
Shoot The 3
Lean With The Sprite