Yung Beef: “I saw the idea of bringing the underground scene to compete with the mainstream as a challenge to help me kick my drug habit”

He wanted to overthrow the system and ended up leading a cultural shift. About to fly to Miami, the face of trap celebrates the 10th anniversary of La Vendición, the independent label with which he turned the industry’s operations upside down. He is also saying goodbye to drugs, though he continues to entrust himself to the devil.

For many music superstars to impose their rules on the industry today, a few had to scrap with the system. Yung Beef, from his underground integrity, was an essential figure in contributing to that global change by turning the internet into a virtue. Having remained on those margins, he is one of the most listened-to artists globally (according to Spotify’s April charts, 339th in the world and seventh among Spaniards). It has been 15 years since his musical career began and he is celebrating 10 years of La Vendición Records. That independent factory he launched (they prefer to call it a ‘non-profit criminal organization’) has given us some of the most innovative sounds and figures in what has come to be known as urban sounds.

At HIGHXTAR. we are joining the anniversary. After going through rehab, Fernando Gálvez (Granada, 1990) seems to have reconciled with God while remaining under the devil’s protective mantle. He has even resurrected PXXR GVNG, the foundational trap group in Spain that he formed alongside Steve Lean, Kaydy Cain, and Khaled. They will perform together again at the Infierno festival on June 26 and 27 in Salobreña (Granada). We meet Yung Beef in a Madrid studio where some of the young faces that make up the musical ecosystem he promotes are hanging around (you can also find them in the print edition of the magazine). Seeing how they surround him, he exudes a patriarchal aura, just as he proclaims on his latest album. Does he finally accept it? “Yes, I accept it with affection,” he smiles.

Below is the start of the interview with Yung Beef for our HIGHXTAR. print issue #4. You can read it in full in the print edition, which you can purchase at this link.

HIGHXTAR (H) – Let’s start with the future. You’re going to Miami. What’s your plan?

Yung Beef – To make music. I don’t think I can settle down either, because I can’t fully settle down anywhere. But I want to be going over there for a while. Because of the music I’m making and the Cuban producers I want to work with, it’s a good time.

(H) – Now you look more like a Miami mobster than a common criminal. Can we call that growing up?

(YB) – Ha, ha, ha! I hope I never grow up…

(H) – You’ve always championed Scarface, the Cuban drug trafficker and Miami refugee played by Al Pacino in Brian De Palma’s legendary film. Why?

(YB) – It’s not so much that it attracts me, it’s that the gangster aesthetic is part of the music. Scarface has influenced hip-hop more than many albums; it’s more important than many rappers. His figure represents immigration, selling drugs… All of that is hip-hop, brother.

(H) – Following your release from rehab, you stated: “I want to take the underground to compete with the most mainstream artists on the planet.” How is that conquest going?

(YB) – I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I’ve never doubted our level or quality as artists, both mine and that of the entire La Vendición universe. I also have to accept my responsibility for how crazy we were. Coming from where we came from, it would be a very drastic change for us to play in the major leagues, even if artistically we could be there. Wanting to take the underground to compete with the mainstream was also a challenge I set for myself to get off drugs. It was like saying: “Look, we have nothing to envy anyone for.” The point is being clear about whether you’re playing one type of business or another. We want to keep doing our own thing and working with the artists we want.

(H) – In this issue of HIGHXTAR. we’ve included a good representation of artists who are already writing the future of the urban genre: l0rna, 8Belial, Kristina, GlorySixVain, TK MAMI, Ladiferencia2006, Main Costa, La Musa, Donaire, and Xiyo y Fernándezz. How does this generation differ from yours?

(YB) – They are smart and many have learned from our mistakes. They come better prepared. There’s already a certain structure, and that translates into them having more time to make music. That’s the interesting part: that they actually make it. As an artist, that’s my goal: to have a team so I can afford the luxury of making music. I hope they take advantage of it because for me, given how my life is organized and the responsibilities I have with the label, studio time is now just that: a luxury. These last four years, I haven’t been able to work on an idea with time; everything I’ve recorded are ideas of the moment.

(H) – In a recent interview alongside Goa with the guys from Tattoox, they said that to go on tour you have to be hyped up, really high, and you replied: “Well, the opposite has always happened to me.” Have you managed to change that?

(YB) – No, it’s getting worse. All the bullshit hits me at once before I sing. I’ve had arguments before concerts that have put me in an uncomfortable state. This isn’t like “come on, I’m a rockstar, I get out of the van and I’m a hit, I don’t give a fuck about anything” [laughs]. Although I’ve had times like that, you know? When we were poorer, it was crazy. Back then I really was a rockstar. But later you have to be very serious.

(H) – That reminds me of something Cecilio G. said on the show El Bloque a few years ago: that the one who makes the party doesn’t have to be the party in person.

(YB) – Exactly, it’s the other way around: it’s our job to make the party for you. It’s like the Héctor Lavoe song, El Cantante, where he says “I am the singer and I come to celebrate, but when the show ends I’m just another human being.” For me, it’s one of the most beautiful songs there is.

(H) – Why did you go to Tokyo in 2022?

(YB) – It had always been a goal in my life. Even when I was doing really bad with drugs and all that, I thought I was going to die without going to Tokyo. And at one point I said: “Look, I don’t give a fuck, I’m going.” I knew I was going to stay there for a long time, but I told people I was going for a week. I went alone with just a backpack. I did it looking for a way out on a personal level and also because I hoped I wouldn’t have access to drugs there. It lasted a month, because drugs are everywhere.

(H) – Your interview in El País talking about your rehab caught us by surprise. What impact did telling something so personal have for you?

(YB) – I feel good about having done it. Because it was something real that I was living through. Some might think it was unnecessary, because maybe they are more personal issues. But at that moment, that’s how I felt. I opened up to another person and it led to it being published; at that point, the impact it might have is out of my hands.

Discover the rest of the interview in HIGHXTAR. issue 4. You can buy it here.

CREDITS

Interview Borja Bas (@borjabass)
Photography Joseph Kadow (@josephkadow)
Styling Aina Marcó (@ainemarco)
MUAH Juan Antonio Núñez (@jvvxxnn)
Photography Assistant Andrés Paduano (@andrepaduano)
Styling Assistants Aroa Mora (@aroamora_) and Suyay Nunez (@suyaymarie)
Set Design Jorge García (@jorgegl__)
Set Design Assistants Valentina Gorbalán (@valbaland),
Víctor Uberte (@victoruberte) and María Lendínez (@maalessaa)
Studio Nave La Mosca (@navelamosca)