Q&A With Buffalo, New York Based Hip Hop Artist AP YCM
Yo whats up AP YCM! Much respect to your up and coming movement making some serious noise out of Buffalo, NY? Tell us how long have you been rapping?
Appreciate you guys! I’m 22 now, and I started putting out music when I was in high school – so it’s been about 4 years. I didn’t really start taking myself or my songwriting seriously until the past two years though I’d say.
In that time, I’ve grown a lot and accepted myself not only as a person, but as an artist as well. The progression has been noticeably quick, and every song I work on feels like it gets better and better!
Where did your moniker originate?
I’ve always gone by AP because those are my initials. My actual name is Alec but, everyone always confuses it with “Alex” so it’s always been AP! The “YCM” part stands for “Young Creative Minds” which is a group of artists that absorbed my former group and I a while back when we went by “Mind$et”.
What is the earliest hip hop memory you can recall?
My earliest and probably favorite memory is selling out my first show with
@Dripstarr_ycm at the Evening Star Concert Hall in Niagara Falls. At the time, I was a huge fan of Cleveland artist “Lil Cray”, and he had facetimed me prior to my set and told me I’d kill sh*t!!! We really did! And really since then YCM has been known for our high energy, high attendance shows in Buffalo and the surrounding areas.
Who’re some of your biggest musical influences?
I take influence mainly from the people around me and the other artists that I work with. I’ve never been a big fan of mainstream music; I pride myself on finding hot artists years before they blow up. I found Juice Wrld early, and I definitely would say I’ve been influenced by him and X. The artist that made me wanna rap though was Lil Cray!
These days I’ve been taking a lot of influence from Internet Money’s artist “Tuxx” who I’ve been listening to for years, and this kid “Brakence” who is making some fire music right now too. They have been heavy in my rotation and definitely influence my songwriting. Also, my boys at @cryformercy.eu in Slovakia give me a lot of inspiration
through their brand and clothing line, so shout out to them too.
We have to ask, with all this social discourse and revolt, protesting and rioting, exposed police brutality toward blacks and BLM, how do you guys feel about this? We would love your perspective on the climate we are living in right now?
We are absolutely fed up. Some other artists from Buffalo have been actively protesting, informing the public, and really just amplifying the voices of the BLM movement. I think what’s happening in the U.S. right now is absolutely necessary and there needs to be a change. Police need to be held accountable for misconduct! And we need to END qualified immunity! We may all feel this and agree, but I urge everyone to research and
educate themselves on ways they can make a difference. We also need to encourage the youth to VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, speaking of the climate that were currently living in, the earth is dying. That should be a huge conversation
piece and it’s not. Animal agriculture, like raising the food that you eat, is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. We need to change the way we consume our food! And treat the planet. Once I have a bigger platform that is definitely something I plan to speak on often.
You recently put out a new album “Chrysalis”. What was the inspiration behind it?
“Chrysalis” is the transitional stage of a Butterfly’s life cycle, right before they hatch and fly away as these beautiful creatures. At the end of 2019, my mental health was suffering, and I was actively struggling with addiction. Then, when I came home from a 3-month long process of getting help, my music career had really slowed down. Then Covid-19 hit and everything really slowed down. I made it a necessity to work harder and cultivate an album that could showcase my progression as a person and artist, hence the name “Chrysalis”.
This album is meant to represent MY chrysalis. I haven’t reached my final form yet, but I’m about to! And with the album being received so well right now, it’s clear that I have reached my “chrysalis” stage, and I’m excited to share my new stuff when the album hits its goals!
Your honest opinion, out of all the songs you have in your catalog, which is the one song you feel stands out the most!?
I feel like it’s a common thing for artists to hate their music after its been out for a while haha and that’s how I feel too. I always think the song I’m currently working on is my best sh*t. But I would say that any song off my tape “Sorry Ass Love Songs”, would separate me from the rest. I feel like that project is where I found myself and really
created some music unlike anything else that’s out there!
How are you coping with this whole Covid 19 situation? Has it delayed any new
music production by any chance?
HAVEN’T MISSED A BEAT!!!!!!!!! However, it did put a delay on some trips me and my team had planned. It’s also been AGONIZINGGGGG not being able to perform. We really made the most noise with our shows, and we had been opening up for some big artists like Tjay, Critch, Durk, and Shoreline all right before Covid hit. I often wonder where we’d be at right now if we could still perform! I would’ve loved to go on tour this year; on stage is really where I have the most fun. I’ve been taking this whole thing as a time to really work on myself though. All in all, Covid hasn’t been too big of an obstacle.
Is there anything you’re working on right now that we can expect soon?
YES!!!! I have a single (which I think is my best song everrrrr) called “Walk In My Shoes” which I’m going to put out when the album surpasses 150k.
Our most popular questions! What is your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
My definition of “Underground Hip Hop” would be any artist that makes fire music who hasn’t hit the mainstream market yet. Underground artists tend to have a unique sound and push the boundaries of what “hip hop” even is! Underground artists simply haven’t been discovered by the masses yet! Buffalo’s underground scene is pretty lit right now s/o Dripstarr, Moody716, SMG Kpi$tol, Method Boyz, Freak The Miighty, and Kane Wave all making big noise right now! And all with unique sounds of their own.
Where can people find you on the web? Drop all the vital links.
Here’s a link to all my other links! All socials @ap_ycm
https://tapd.co/ap_ycm
