YNG Josh is a Grammy nominated producer from Houston, Texas, who takes into account that his future is created by what he does daily. Given this point, Josh integrates celestial sound effects with booming 808’s and cuts to signify his dream-turned-to-reality lifestyle. To date, he’s best known for his work with Nipsey Hussle on “Keys 2 The City 2,” found on Victory Lap and 3 Billboard charting records on YNW Melly’s Melly vs. Melvin, which includes “Adam Sandler,” “Billboards,” and “I Ain’t Lying.” But aside from this, Josh is also a father, musician, engineer, and go-getter. He made his mark after playing the drums for Quincy Combs during his time with Just Josh Music Group. The band was assigned to play “Friends First” ft. French Montana.
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YNG Josh started by playing the drums at three years old and then transitioned to producing at 15 years old. His love for beat making grew one Christmas when he received an MPC 2000 XL from his parents, “I taught myself and fell in love with the drum pattern.” Josh adds. Fast forward, and Big Fly Styles introduces Josh to Teeflii (the feature off of “Keys 2 The City 2″).
A year in, the two were creating hits, and the chemistry got so strong that Teeflii suggested his work to the late Nipsey Hussle. “He already knew Nipsey, and they had a great relationship. So, Nip reached out to him like, ‘Hey, let’s see if you can make the album.’ I was already TeeFlii’s producer because I was with him every day.” Josh says, “I went with him to Nipsey’s spot and did what we do. We worked on this a year before the song dropped. It was probably in January. But it took the album 4 or 5 months to be mixed and mastered.”
During Josh’s interview with The Lunch Table, he says working with Hussle was powerful: “He dug knowledge into me and always said, ‘The marathon continues.’ You’ll always hit some bumps in the road, but keep at it.” Additionally, Josh told the host how he met up with YNW Melly. During this time, Josh was employed at the studio for 8 months. One day, he received a call at 2 a.m to stop by. Then, history wrote itself from there. Originally Josh was supposed to engineer for Melly (who was rising towards fame at the time), but luckily, he had his computer and was able to show YNW Melly and his team the “Adam Sandler” beat, “I kinda knew that Melly would gravitate towards it because I listened to it and kind of studied his voice.” he says. Melly and Josh went at it until 7 A.M. During that time frame, the two created “Billboard.”
Contrary to YNW Melly’s album’s name, Melly just has a lot of energy. Josh’s favorite beat to make off of Melly’s project was “Adam Sandler.” He says it’s the first beat he played keys on, “I did the whole loop and chord structure.”
If I’m honest, “Keys 2 The City 2” is one of my favorites by YNG Josh. Delving into his catalog, one will pick up on Josh’s staple. The producer’s flair lies in vivacious drum tabs and spacey, edgy sound effects. But aside from this, “Keys 2 The City 2” provides listeners with a daunting bass break, subtle hi-hats, and a flute progression. As the track moves forward, the crescendo intensifies and leaves off in a delicate transition, letting the flute take the lead. “Keys 2 The City 2” speaks about getting out of the hood and making something out of nothing. Rather than celebrate products from the streets, everyone should celebrate the strategic moves they’ve made to get ahead.
The musical palette in “Billboard” meshes spacey arrangements with a double-snapping drum progression and a dark laser beam sound effect that appears every so often. Deeper into the song, every element of the song intensifies as Melly speaks on his accomplishments and what fame has brought him thus far.
“Adam Sandler” seems to take a little influence from “Billboard,” using spacey elements for the ascending piano chord and speaker-knocking baseline. If you lean in closer, you’ll hear a short arpeggio make way over Melly’s melodic drawl. “Adam Sandler” sees Melly revealing a bit about his fame and fortune. Closing off, YNG Josh throws in a ticking clock to show others that time is precious and should be used to one’s best advantage.
Lastly, “I Ain’t Lying” draws from trap, letting the 808 bang over lush synths and futuristic arrangements. In YNG Josh fashion, he leaves a faint whistle through the soundscape. However, in certain instances, Josh provides cuts for the bass and Melly’s rhyme schemes. The song mainly speaks about YNW Melly being a man of his word. Here’s some advice: If you fool him once, shame on you!
Closing off, Josh says to those who aspire to produce: “Always fall in love with the process, stay prepared for opportunities, and network.”
Even though he’s got his 2020 under wraps, one thing is sure. YNG Josh hopes to join forces with Quincy Jones, The Weeknd, WizKid, Blanco Brown, and Jay-Z.
If you haven’t already check out YNG Josh!
