Yung Prodigy (@realyungprod1gy) taking east coast rap scene by storm
ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Raymond “Yung Prodigy” Reynolds is a highly talented music producer and beat maker who is rising quickly in notoriety on the east coast music scene.
At 22-years-old, Yung Prodigy’s music has already gained a high level of interest among fans, and he’s already performed at such festivals as South by Southwest in Austin, TX, and All 3 Coasts in Atlanta, GA.
He was born in Alexandria, VA and raised in Stafford County. Growing up, he went to church with his family and remembers being enthralled by the musicians in church.
“I remember sitting there watching the drummer and the pianist and being inspired,” he said. “I remember it was like a snap one day and I went home one day and asked my mom if I could have a drum set. She got me one, and I was on it every single day. A few years later I asked my dad for a piano, and he got me one for my birthday. And I just worked on my craft every single day.”
At age 15, Reynolds began producing his own stuff. As he experimented with different genres of music, his older brother began to influence him toward hip-hop and rap. He followed a lot of rising artists in New York, and became interested in the business side of music. That’s when he decided on his rapper name, Yung Prodigy.
“It means Producers Inspired In Greater Youth,” he said. “I want to inspire other people – to give a message to them. My music comes from everyday situations – things I’ve gone through. Every mistake I’ve made in the past, if they’ve made the same mistake I want them to take the message from what I wrote. If they take that message and it helps them, it makes me feel wonderful. I just like being medicine to people’s souls.” Yung Prodigy describes his music as that of a storyteller, similar to artists such as Kendrik Lamar or J Cole. But ultimately his sound is unique – a break from the repetitive music from so many other artists right now.
As his music grows a larger fan base, so does the Yung Prodigy brand name. He already has an EP available on Soundcloud, but he also offers music production and merchandise – from clothing to lighter covers, hats and more. The first single off his album is called “Quality Over Quantity” and explores the age-old idea of the importance of quality. “What’s better, one diamond or three gold chains?” he said. “I’d rather take quality over 100 other things. Those things will just sit there forever. That’s what this song is all about.”
In addition to being featured at the South by Southwest and A3C festivals this month, fans can keep up with Yung Prodigy via social media on Instagram and Twitter.