ARN: How did you come up with a stage name?
Yanky Boi Linkz: I got my stage name from all the names I used to get called. YB (standing for Yanky Boi)… Being from NY, and also coming from a Caribbean household where if you were born in this country then you were referred to as a ‘Yanky’, and the linkz used to be attached to tag name that I used to tag on walls (Chuk Linkz)… My name started off as Linkz to be honest but I was lost in a pool of people with people having the same name, so I made it more unique to who I am.
ARN: Where are you from?
Yanky Boi Linkz: Brooklyn born and raised, Bedstuy born, Flatbush raised, and Canarsie ended up, so my New York roots are heavy despite my pop influence.
ARN: Why did you first start making music?
Yanky Boi Linkz: My main influence was my pops. He got his record deal when I was like 4 years old and skated. I never really personalized but I always told myself that would be me one day to escape the rat race like he did.
ARN: Who would you say inspired you the most, as an artist?
Yanky Boi Linkz: First artist I got into was Jay because my mom had an ex that used to leave cassettes behind and my friends were like into Nas and what not so I was deep into lyrics shortly after copped Big`s Life After Death, then Eminem Marshall Mathers lp, Mase Self Titled, got into DMX and Pac heavy like almost all of their albums at that time then branched over to reggaetton ironically with baby ranks, and most importantly tapping into my roots with dance hall reggae like alkaline and Vybz Katrel not to mention Demarco. I always sway to the more mainstream sound of each genre I am pop at heart and got that from my biggest idol Michael Jackson the great and the latest Chris brown.
ARN: Have you heard the theory that some musicians write their best music while they’re depressed or going through a bad time?
Yanky Boi Linkz: One song out of my whole catalog, hasn’t been released yet because I felt like my heart was too weak on the track but ironically everyone around me thats more into the drill scene thinks thats my best track. I can vouch to say that I did write that during a time of break up so the emotions were pretty raw but I won’t talk much bout that song because yall gonna hear more about it when I release it. Definitely a different vibe and production from my others considering I engineered the whole thing by myself down to the mastering.
ARN: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your music?
Yanky Boi Linkz: The best compliment was and still is that my music gets stuck in their heads. That could be bad in a way also but when I try to find ways to melodically spoon feed lyrics at times so for that specific reason its all worth it to hear it back that way.
ARN: What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?
Yanky Boi Linkz: With the knowledge I have now, I would have stayed consistent and networked more back when I first started. I remember making a mixtape and doing a small neighborhood tour, and just stopping there because traction never really picked up over night. It took time and spread over time genuine fans asking and encouraging me for more until I realized I had more fans than the noone that was in the back of my mind. Maybe not enough to call myself a celebrity right now but every now and then I’m reminded of how a song makes someone feel and I remember why I do this all over again.
ARN: What’s your latest release?
Yanky Boi Linkz: My latest release right now is Space Coupe, Produced by OhMystroMadeIt, and engineered by APMG Kimo. I was actually going through instagram when I heard an upcoming producer (mystro) giving a sample of the beat and i instantly resignation with the sound, and where to take it so I DM’d him and it was history from there and we’ve been cool ever since. When he heard what ive done to the track he gave me so much praise and blessings and we kind of became fans of one another in a weird but interesting way thats how our relation is now of each others work.
ARN: How do you currently feel about the state of Hiphop in general?
Yanky Boi Linkz: I feel like hip hop is evolving and I’m happy it is. Or I would not have the lane im in. We move with time, it doesn’t wait for us. I just feel like if we collab more and stop thinking bout the bag as much then music could be better too because fans are deprived of a lot of new flavors by greedy artists.
ARN: Who influenced you most through out your career?
Yanky Boi Linkz: Drake influenced me a lot because ive been making his kind of music way before he came out, but he gave me the confidence to be myself, then Lili durk influenced me heavy by intertwining his soul on street tracks more on a street level, and i basically feel like akon changed the game introducing t pain to the game, and we all know how that went.