YB Neet has stories to tell, and hiphop is his medium

While the world slowed down with the pandemic and the lockdowns, there was a young man who found his passion in hiphop and used this quiet time to fuel his love for rhythm, rhyme, and flow. Young Blood Neet, or YB Neet as he is known, may be a rookie, but he's got stories to tell.

Just a mere two years in, YB has gained a reputation as among the top creative Filipino musical artists, thanks to his grasp of flow, lyricism and wit. Hiphop became his genre of choice because, in his own words, "Yun yung una kong nabuo na kanta. I tried doing R&B at iba-ibang kanta, pero dito siya nabuo," he shared. Since then, he has become a sought-after collaborator in the Pinoy hiphop scene. Among the local artists YB looks up to are Omar Baliw, Flow G, and Al James, while on the international front, he enjoys listening to Lil' Baby, and Roddy Ricch, to name a few. Unlike some of the more common hiphop themes that we are familiar with, YB chooses to take a more motivational route when it comes to his writing. He explains, "Sinusulat ko kadalasan pampagana, pampagaan ng pakiramdam. Pag pinapakinggan nila, kumakalma sila. Pag bad trip na sila, YB Neet." Speaking truth to power is almost important to this young artist, as YB's lyrics draw from his own life's stories. "Kasi yun yung dinadaan ko. Mahirap magsulat ng kanta na di mo nadaanan o naranasan. Magtutunog pilit siya. I want to motivate, but it can't be from out of nowhere. People won't feel it," is how he frames the whole process. One of his biggest hits, "Dem Dayz," which YB released on his birthday this past July, is proof of his writing style. It speaks of his humble beginnings, and how it takes a dream to make big things happen. The song, which he collaborated on with Ex-Batallion member Flow-G, has already reached over eight million views on YouTube. On his other single "Di Matangay," YB worked with one of his idols, Omar Baliw. On his solo work, the groundbreaking single, "Balaclava," is now at 1.7 million streams on digital and is continuously gaining traction four months post-release.