Young Mommy // Clean Rap Movement
Interview conducted on April 17, 2022
By Dan Locke
Young Mommy is more than a dedicated mother, she is an innovator launching a rap revolution. Breaking barriers with her content, Young Mommy’s brand of non-explicit music has put her at the forefront of what she coins, a “clean rap movement.” This gifted hip-hop talent and mom of 4, is shifting the landscape of what parents can consume with their children around. Her releases are not just for mothers with kids though, her work is for all rap music lovers that are looking for a female rap sound without the hypersexual language and messaging.
Young Mommy believes that editing and masking explicit language in today’s music and calling it “clean” is not exactly accurate. She is rallying for the music industry and others to become aware of the need for updated labeling, and Young Mommy is a passionate leader in that fight for change. Influenced by popular creators such as Cardi B, Saweetie and Megan Thee Stallion, she possesses that same bold attitude. Her hip-hop hit “Worth It” is a vibrant pop-rap track that motivates others to go after what they want. With themes of empowerment, femininity and independence, the artist is transforming the way moms are perceived.
Young Mommy is preparing to unveil “Swanky Ma”. The single comes out May 8, 2022, appropriately, on Mother’s Day. Like “Worth It”, the tune has a similar energetic, danceable flair and can be enjoyed by a multitude of audiences. The song is an ode to women, especially mothers, and reminds us that we deserve to be valued, celebrated and appreciated. Young Mommy is a prime example of just how powerful and driven moms can be.
You are from Toronto. What is your upbringing?
I was raised in a middle-class home in the burbs of the 416 or “The Six” as they call it.
How did you discover music?
My crew grew up listening to rap and hip hop in the 90s. My first boyfriend was a rapper. Him and his friend would sample records in their basement, so I grew up exposed to the rap sound and music making process. In grade six I memorized Run DMC “Christmas in Hollis” and performed it for my school at their Christmas concert.
Why did you decide to go into Rap?
I realized after having kids I couldn’t listen to rap the same way. The messages aren’t aimed at kids, and I didn’t want them exposed to concepts that involved drinking, drugs, guns and sex. The lyrics from female rappers are super sexual so one day I got an idea that I could be the change I wanted to see and give my kids and anyone who wanted a cuss-free experience an alternative.
How did you start to write music?
When I first started making music, I remade a few popular songs that were out at the time with my own lyrics. I also used instrumentals from artists I grew up to like A Tribe Called Quest and put my own lyrics over them. I eventually grew into a process of leasing original beats off BeatStars and writing my content over it.
What did you have to do to get the name “Young Mommy” trademarked?
I actually trademarked my previous artist name by proving market recognition. I had 9 singles on music streaming platforms, all my socials set-up and a web site. I am going through the same process for Young Mommy.
Describe your music.
Trap-inspired, bouncy, pop-rap with commercial appeal. I inject messages of girl power, female and mom empowerment, confidence, and creative wordplay.
What was your first performance like?
Oh my gosh I had no idea what I was doing. It was at a small family-friendly music festival. The sound equipment was pretty bad, but I won the crowd over with audience participation and getting kids on stage.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve. Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP ?
Yes ASCAP
What makes a good songwriter?
Someone who is good at creative word play and being unpredictable.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
The World Needs a Hip Hop Mom. My husband recorded me on his iphone and we uploaded it to YouTube. That began my journey of putting myself out there.
What is the process of writing your music?
Right now I work with another songwriter to help me elevate my songs.
One of the first videos you did was “Doing My Own Thing” How was it making the video?
I LOVE that song because it sums up my mission and really speaks my truth about how I feel about the direction rap has gone (ie: super superficial and sexual)
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Tell me about “Worth It”?
This track is my launch as Young Mommy. I have really grown in my confidence as a rapper and I want other people to feel “worth it” like I do.
How was it to be on ET Canada?
In March 2020 when Covid started I had a plan to launch an EP under my old artist name. I was super upset because we had to cancel the video shoot for the lead single. I got creative and asked the videographer if we could create a video montage of famous mom tik tokkers instead. I’m so glad we did because I sent it to ET Online who wrote a feature about me and then ET Canada picked it up! That was an amazing moment for me to share my story and clean rap vision on TV.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I believe this too shall pass like all things and that live music will, and is, returning. I am so excited to perform “Worth It” and my other upcoming singles at shows starting this year.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
YES because it forced us to get our act together online and reach people on social media.
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
Exercise, fresh air, nature, prayer, yoga and meditation worked wonders.
How would you like live shows to be held and still keep you and fans safe.
Outdoors baby!
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like playlists on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
I truly feel that if an artist is stellar they shouldn’t have to pay to play. I almost got scammed by someone pretending to be a radio DJ from Power 106 in LA. I got a hold of the real DJ and he said it was a scam artist and we should never have to pay a station to be on the radio. The same goes for live events and playlists. Just pitch and see if you get picked up.
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete environment that you could interact with.
Today holograms are already being used in a variety of ways, such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense. Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA it was with the help of George Lucas . If the cost was down to the point you could do it also, would you be willing to do Holographic concerts in our living room?
That sounds super cool, I would totally be open to doing that. In the past if a musician stops doing music, they find a new career. For example David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants.. If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
Definitely voiceover work for Disney or Nickelodeon or film and tv. I also went to acting school for 5 years so I’d love to be on camera or even be a talk show host.
What is your happy place?
Being on camera or in the studio but mostly hanging with my family and cuddling our toddler.
If you ran the music industry and you could change it, what would you do to make it better?
Make sure there is more diversity, equality and inclusion, eliminate corruption and find a way for artists to get paid the most possible.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million) , Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, John Legend, ZZ Top and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young sold 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180 song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited . Once you get to the age of about 70, publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay, and streams. A good example of this is when Michael Jackson bought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s, the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial. The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. On January 19, 2021 Hipgnosis Song Management acquired 80% of Kenny Chesney’s recorded music royalties, covering the country superstar’s discography from his 1994 debut In My Wildest Dreams through 2017’s Live in No Shoes Nation. Someone who was totally against selling his rights was David Crosby. He did not want to sell his publishing rights. In addition, it was not an easy thing for him to do. However, by making a deal with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group, it took a big weight off his shoulders. He could pay off his house and cover other bills. Now he does not have to work for a living. It should be noted that David is battling tendinitis in his hands, which hurts his ability to play guitar. Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is willing to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
If it made legal and financial sense to do so I would.
There are many platforms out there that allow artists to get their music heard. Artist, Republik, DistroKid, Tunecore & plenty others offer distribution services. These services enable independent artists to put their music on some of the most popular streaming services globally, from Spotify to Apple Music & everything in between. If you’ve been in any part of the music industry in recent years, you probably know someone that has distributed a song. Spotify reports that in 2021 there are about 8 million artists on the platform. Of those 8 million artists, about 57,000 are raking in a whopping 90% of the total revenue from streams. That means that .71% of the artists on Spotify are making good money. In 2020, there was a total of around $5 billion paid out to artists on the Spotify platform alone. Therefore it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOTIFY will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time. What do you think that could mean to independent artists?
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok, either with something like a dance challenge and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment. TikTok has become a great platform for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artists to earn revenue when people use their music. In many cases, the daily promotion on TikTok has led to huge boosts on other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube. TikTok does this when the algorithm generates a feed of content for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch. A song can go viral because of this. Sony Music and Warner Music Group- , The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
Yes, it’s on my list to do more TikToks.
Breaking news: TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel going live this summer. The station will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices. Some of the artists on TikTok include Cassyette, YukoEXE, Ashinikko, Palaye Royale, Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots), Yungblud, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and Mick Jagger. The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary, Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
That’s awesome and I’m sure it will be successful since it’s part of the TikTok brand. I hope that emerging artists will get more of a chance to get heard. It is hard to compete with label artists who have big budgets.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Check out Young Mommy so you can say “I knew her when…”
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