For YFL Kelvin, hip-hop is the soundtrack to his struggle. “My story is rags to riches,” the 21-year old explains. The Cleveland native has found solace in music since his father was gunned down–in an accidental shooting–when he was just five. Kelvin began recording out of his home studio, but music was secondary to the lure of the streets, taking his rap name from his biological father and the aspirational acronym “Young, Flashy, Lifestyle.”
The street life landed him behind bars on three occassions, “My little brother is in jail. Like, everybody who I used to be with is in jail.” No matter the tribulation, it doubled as a sonic inspiration. In 2016, his beef with a former friend sparked his major release, “Mayweather Freestyle.”
“I knew I was destined then. Something good was going to play out from all the tragedy that I’ve been through,” he says.
2018’s “NASDAQ” would be the rocket that’d catapult Kelvin beyond Cleveland, released on YouTube the hit song has generated over 300k views. The remix with Moneybagg Yo will lead Kelvin’s first project, Out of Here.
