Your Old Droog

Your Old Droog is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-published debut EP was actually recorded by veteran New York rapper Nas under an alter ego,[1] before revealing himself in August of that year as a 25-year-old Ukrainian American.[2][3] His self-titled debut album was released digitally on November 25, 2014.[4] The name "Droog" comes from a Russian word meaning "friend".[3]

Your Old Droog
Also known as
  • YOD
  • Y.O.D.
  • Droog
Born1989 (age 30–31)
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • record producer
Years active2013–present
LabelsDroog Recordings, Mongoloid Banks/Gogul Mogul, Nature Sounds
Associated acts
  • Mach-Hommy
Heems MF DOOM
WebsiteOfficial site

Biography

Droog's family emigrated to the United States from Ukraine when he was four years old.[3] As a young rap enthusiast growing up in Brooklyn, Droog first developed his craft in lunchroom battles in school.[3]

In April 2014, he released the song "Nutty Bars", which generated a significant amount of buzz due to comparisons to Nas and the otherwise lack of information about the artist.[5] The speculation began after Sacha Jenkins, a longtime associate of Nas, made a short positive review of the rapper on Mass Appeal with the sub-heading "Who is this guy? None of your damn business! Just enjoy the music and stop asking questions."[5][6] The 10-song Your Old Droog EP was released soon after in June on SoundCloud, produced by Droog and RTNC (later known as Mono En Stereo [7]). In August, Droog revealed himself in an interview with The New Yorker and soon showed his face for the first time in a video of him freestyling.[8] At the time, he embraced the publicity and speculation regarding his identity, expressing that "This is like my street team, why would I stop free publicity?"[2] He played his first concert on September 3 to a sold-out crowd at Webster Hall.[1] His debut self-titled album was released digitally on November 26, which included the 10 songs from the EP along with 8 new songs produced by EL RTNC.[4] A limited edition of the album was released on vinyl shortly before the digital release.[9]

Kinison EP, Your Old Droog's second EP, was released on February 4, 2015, again on SoundCloud.[10] Kinison's lyrical theme is that of Droog's appreciation of rock music as a child, with songs named after Rage Against the Machine, Porno for Pyros, and Sonic Youth.[11] That February and March, Your Old Droog supported DJ Premier and Royce da 5'9" on their PRhyme Tour.[10] Your Old Droog's third EP, The Nicest, was released on July 17, 2015.

In February 2017, Your Old Droog released What Happened to Fire?, an EP in collaboration with Ratking rapper Wiki. Later that month, Packs, Droog's second full-length album, was announced to be released on March 10, 2017. To coincide with the announcement, a music video for the album's single "Help" was released, featuring Wiki and Edan.[12]

Droog release three full-length albums in 2019, with It Wasn't Even Close, Transportation, and Jewelry. It Wasn't Even Close was produced by Mach-Hommy[7] and came out on April 20, 2019, featuring appearances by DOOM, and Wiki.[13] Transportation was produced again by Mono En Stereo[7] and was released in June.[14] Jewelry was released on December 23, 2019, featuring collaborations with the album's executive producer Mach-Hommy as well as DOOM, Matisyahu, Quelle Chris, Edan, and Cohen Beats.[15][14] The album is a celebration of his Jewish heritage, labeled a "A Chanukah Celebration" with Your Old Droog stating "I'm no longer going to diminish my heritage for your comfort, some people hate simply for the sake of hating, let them crumble under the weight of that burden...we will celebrate light and life...I'm a Jew in America. This is my story. Shalom."[16]

Artistry and influences

Your Old Droog has been extensively compared to fellow New York rapper Nas, to the point of theories being developed that his debut EP was actually recorded by Nas under an alter ego.[1] Droog has appreciated the comparison and deemed it a compliment; he also named Big Daddy Kane,[1] Big L, and Kool G Rap as influences,[2] as well as Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Cassidy, and Lloyd Banks.[3] He has named MF DOOM as one of his favorites, from whom he has learned his approach to privacy as a rapper in the public eye.[5]

Discography

Studio albums
  • Your Old Droog (2014)
  • Packs (2017)
  • It Wasn't Even Close (2019)
  • Transportation (2019)
  • Jewelry (2019)

Extended plays
  • Your Old Droog EP (2014)
  • Kinison (2015)
  • The Nicest (2015)
  • What Happened to Fire? (with Wiki) (2017)
  • Looseys (2017) [17]

Singles

As lead artist
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"The Dustiest"[18] 2015 non-album single
"42 (Forty Deuce)"[19] 2016
"Hip-Hop Head"[20]
"DYLAN!"[21]
"Just Rhymin'"[22]
(featuring Styles P and Joey Badass)
"White Rappers (A Good Guest)"[23] Packs
"Help"[24]
(featuring Edan and Wiki)		 2017
"You Can Do It! (Give Up)"[25]

Guest appearances
List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Hood Boogers" 2015 Statik Selektah, Chauncy Sherod Lucky 7
"Wall Flowers" [26] Statik Selektah, Termanology, Lord Sear
"Stellar Intro" Maticulous The Maticulous LP
"Revolutionary Ride Music" DJ EFN, Royce da 5'9", O.C., Reks Another Time
"Gluttony" Gangrene, Fashawn You Disgust Me
"Not That Guy" Apollo Brown Grandeur
"Russian Rock Hammers" 2016 Timeless Truth Cold Wave
"Complex City Cypher" Christian Scott, Wiki, ASAP Ferg N/A
"Vivian at the Art Basel" Westside Gunn FLYGOD
"Volume 2" Larry Fisherman ¡Go Fish!
"3000 Avenue X" Masta Ace The Falling Season
"Listen to Jazz" DJ Skizz Cruise Control

Other songs
List of other songs, showing year released
Title Year
"No Message"[27]
(feat. Ras RFC)		 2014
"Sleepers..."[28]
"Central Park 5 (demo)"[29]
"Where The Rhymes At? ("Light Years" Freestyle)"[30]
"Senseless Killin' II"[31] 2015
"Basketball & Seinfeld"[32]
gollark: Functional programming character: ⁡
gollark: > †
gollark: > ​
gollark: ✴️ is an unstar by the way.
gollark: You can be anything if you believe in yourself.

References
  1. Caramanica, Jon (Sep 14, 2014). "Unmasked, a Rapper Exults in Tradition". New York Times. Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.
  2. Kang, Jay Caspian (Aug 25, 2014). "Nas Is Not Your Old Droog". The New Yorker. Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.
  3. Calloway, Sway (Interviewer) (Nov 26, 2014). Your Old Droog Talks Nas Comparisons and Coming Up Battle Rapping in 1st On-Camera Interview. Sway's Universe. YouTube. Retrieved Dec 2, 2014.
  4. Weingarten, Christopher R. (Nov 17, 2014). "New York Rap Enigma Your Old Droog Plots LP Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.
  5. Tosiello, Pete (March 17, 2017). "Your Old Droog Isn't Nas, and That's the Way He Likes It". Spin. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  6. Jenkins, Sacha (April 29, 2014). "YOUR OLD DROOG "NUTTY BARS"". Mass Appeal. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  7. Scott, Data (Jun 30, 2019). "Review: Your Old Droog Drives To Next Level Lyricism On "Transportation" LP". HipHopDX. Retrieved Apr 15, 2020.
  8. Bobb, Maurice (Aug 26, 2014). "Watch Your Old Droog Put Those 'Nas in Disguise' Rumors to Rest". MTV News. Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.
  9. "CHOPPED HERRING RECORDS welcomes to the label, the dopest new act outta NYC". Chopped Herring Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014. ORDERS WILL SHIP FROM THE 27th OCTOBER.
  10. Frydenlund, Zach (Feb 4, 2015). "Stream Your Old Droog's "Kinison" EP". Complex. Retrieved Apr 4, 2015.
  11. Breihan, Tom (Feb 4, 2015). "Download Your Old Droog Kinison Mixtape". Stereogum. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  12. Emmanuel C.M. (Feb 27, 2017). "Your Old Droog, Wiki and Edan Take Out the Trash in "Help" Video". XXL. Retrieved Mar 7, 2017.
  13. "Your Old Droog Drops Surprise Album 'It Wasn't Even Close,' ft. DOOM, Mach-Hommy, Wiki, and More". okayplayer. Apr 20, 2019. Retrieved Apr 15, 2020.
  14. "Your Old Droog Releases 'Jewelry': Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  15. "Your Old Droog 'Jewelry' Album Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  16. "Jewelry (MP3)". Your Old Droog. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  17. https://daupe.bandcamp.com/album/looseys
  18. "Bandcamp - Your Old Droog's "The Dustiest" (Produced By El 108 RTNC)". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  19. "iTunes - Music - 42 (Forty Deuce) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  20. "Bandcamp - Hip-Hop Head (Prod. by Alchemist)". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  21. "Bandcamp - DYLAN! (Prod. by Oh No)". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  22. "iTunes - Music - Just Rhymin' (feat. Styles P & Joey Bada$$) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  23. "Bandcamp - White Rappers (A Good Guest) [Prod. by EL RTNC]". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  24. "iTunes - Music - Help (feat. Edan & Wiki) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  25. "iTunes - Music - You Can Do It! (Give Up) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  26. "iTunes - Music - Lucky 7 by Statik Selektah". iTunes. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  27. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/no-message-feat-rast-rfc
  28. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/sleepers
  29. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/central-park-5-freestyle
  30. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/where-the-rhymes-at-light-years-freestyle
  31. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/senseless-killn-ii-prod-by-dj-skizz
  32. https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/basketball-and-seinfeld
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