Yeek Talks his Florida Roots and Family Values on Tour

Yeek is a multimedia artist, musician and filmmaker hailing from New Jersey and Florida. This year he made his Lollapalooza debut on the BMI Stage on Sunday.

Vocalo sat down with Yeek at Lollapalooza 2019 to talk about working with family, his first time playing in Chicago and his latest EP IDK WHERE.

Gabe Mendoza: You have the new EP out, IDK WHERE, that dropped earlier this year. Six tracks, 19 minutes, it’s very concise and tight. I’ve heard that, when it comes to releasing music, you get what you need done and then you move on to the next record. Is that true?

Yeek: Yeah, that’s the strategy. I write and create what I feel, and a lot of times it’s driven from stuff that stresses me out and what I just need to let go. So  once I put it out, I move on to the next problem to face and I use music to channel that.

You record, you master, you write, you produce, you shoot your music videos on iPhones, you do just about everything independently. How much of an advantage does that give you as an artist with the creativity and the way you can project your vision? Instead of waiting for someone to bring back the product, you yourself can distribute it.  

It’s great being able to work on my own timeline and to get things done when I want to. There are things that you sacrifice in doing that too, though. There’s people who are better at that job than me, but I do it so I can get it done quickly. I do definitely have a passion for those things like film, design, mastering, mixing, engineering and stuff. So it’s just a win win, you know, but eventually I’d like to work with some of my favorite artists or whoever may want to collaborate in the future. 

Your brother is part of your band setup. I have trouble doing anything with my siblings. Can you talk a bit about your family dynamic when it comes to music?

That’s just how we are as our family, we do everything together. My parents are even here today. My parents always want to go on tour with me. Music to me has just always involved family.

Let’s talk about where you fit into the “Florida scene.” It seems like Florida has it’s own music vibe and that your music doesn’t run too parallel to it. You’re in your own lane. Do you feel like you’re standing in a space that hasn’t yet been occupied?

I’m always gonna rap what represents me. I’m always going to remember what my roots are and Florida is part of those roots. It’ll never bother me if people compare me to Florida because that’s where I grew up. Without that time in Florida, I wouldn’t be able to make the music I make now and express myself the way I do now. So it definitely built that character in me.

Follow Yeek on Twitter and Instagram

Interview by Gabe Mendoza

Produced by Seamus Doheny

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