Following the release of his debut album, Sensational, and finishing up his summer festival circuit, Yung Gravy has hit the road, embarking on a 40-stop North American and European Experience The Sensation Part 2 Tour. Mr. Clean himself stopped to chat with CincyMusic before he visits Bogart’s on October 1.
The Minnesota MC recently dropped off his latest single, “Tampa Bay Bustdown,” featuring Chief Keef with production by Y2K. “Tampa Bay Bustdown” finds Sosa and Gravy trading playful bars over a southern-leaning banjo-driven beat. Although the track arrived when the country-rap wave was in full swing, Gravy started working on the single almost a year ago and, during our interview, talks about getting Lil Tracy’s—who released “Like A Farmer”—and Lil Nas X’s blessing before releasing some country-rap heat of his own.
Gravy also revealed he’ll be dropping a video for “Tampa Bay Bustdown” next month and that he’s currently working on a follow-up project with longtime collaborator bbno$. His 13-track SensationalLP included hits like “1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot,” “Gravy For Pope” the Juicy J-assisted “Buttered Up,” and more. His “Tampa Bay Bustdown” clip will follow videos for Sensational tracks “Whip A Tesla” featuring bbno$ and “Alley Oop” with Lil Baby.
Here, Yung Gravy talks his musical influences, new single, who he’d love to collaborate with, and his next project.
You’ve been on your Experience The Sensation Part 2 Tour for a few weeks now, how is it going?
Really good so far! We’ve had a few shows that were pretty epic.
What have been some of the highlights so far?
We did a show in Nashville that was pretty big, but they’ve all been pretty awesome.
Nice. Congrats on your new song with Chief Keef and Y2K, “Tampa Bay Bustdown.”
Thank you! It’s been dope. We’ve got a video coming out for that song, too.
Cool, when are you looking to release that?
We’re looking at around the end of October.
The song kind of plays into the country-rap style that’s so popular right now. Had
you been wanting to experiment with that?
We’ve been working on music for a long time. So that song, we were actually sitting on it for quite a while. Initially, I was thinking it was gonna be like me and maybe Ski Mask the Slump God. But we actually started on that song like eight or nine months ago. We hadn’t really even thought about the country-rap wave being a thing and then, like, obviously, after that, “Old Town Road” blew up.
Right, and you’ve mentioned that you talked to Lil Tracy before you released “Tampa Bay Bustdown” to get his blessing, since he dropped “Like A Farmer” last year, which was the beginning over the country-rap wave.
I actually talked to Lil Tracy and Lil Nas X. Lil Tracy was the first one to make like a country-rap song, and when Lil Tracy’s came out we were just like, ‘Oh, well maybe this will be like a one-time thing.’ But then, when “Old Town Road” came out we were like, ‘Oh, we don’t want people to think we were just copying that.”
Sure, but “Tampa Bay Bustdown” was too good of a song not to drop! So do you think you’ll return to the country-rap style?
Maybe. I like to mess around with other sounds. Maybe not country again, but I like playing around with sounds a lot. I’m really into playing up the whole funk sound on my sh*t, I feel like I’ve been making, like, a lot of that. So I don’t know about the country stuff—no plans yet.
A great thing about your music is you don’t sound like anybody else. Who, if any, are some of your musical influences?
I listen to a lot of non hip hop, so I have a lot of other outside musical influences. I would say, in rap, 2 Chainz, has been a big artist for me. Juicy J [and] Three 6 Mafia have also been big influences for me. I actually got to work with Juicy J on “Buttered Up,” which was dope. So, a lot of, like, Southern hip hop influences and Motown.
You’ve got the best adlibs too—how did you come up with those?
[Laughing] Which ones?
Like the “Ooooh” and “Baby!”
Oh yeah—the “Ooooh!” Yeah, that's pretty fun. I don’t remember exactly how I came up with that, but it was one of my earliest ones. I used it on a song called “Apple Jacks” on Thanksgiving’s Eve.
Earlier this year you released your debut album, Sensational. Are you currently working on anything new?
Yeah, I went out to Vancouver and spent like a week or so up there working with bbno$ and I’m thinking that’ll be an album. It’s good stuff. It’ll be like a follow-up to our first project, the Baby Gravy EP, and will hopefully be out by the end of this year.
What’s your favorite Sensationaltrack to perform?
That’s a good question! “Gravy For Pope” is always a really dope one to perform ‘cause everybody knows the words to it and the intro. It’s like a vibe. Also, “The Boys Are Back In Town,” and “Buttered Up” with Juicy J is also one of my favorites.
You’ve already had some great features on your last few projects, but looking ahead, who are some artists you’d love to work with?
Mac DeMarco would be sick. Thundercat, also, and Young Thug and Young Dolph, that’s a few of them.
Awesome! Thanks for talking with me. Anything else you’d like to add?
Lights up, baby!
