#OnTheBlock: @YoungDougie Stayin’ True to the New York Sound

Young Dougie hails from Poughkeepsie, NY, as he calls it, “a small town with big dreams.” Determined to leave his mark on the music industry, Young Dougie is an artist that recognizes his influences. After interviewing him for our On The Block indie series, it’s obvious that he’s quite introspective. From reminiscing on his childhood in Belize to discussing Nas and Jay Z’s influence on his career, the Komrad Ent. emcee thinks before he acts. However, maintaining that true essence of New York hip-hop may be his hardest task considering the heavy airplay of the Southern and West Coast sounds. Nevertheless, Young Dougie’s confident about his future. He’s determined to become a legend.

What inspired you to become an artist?

My mom is responsible for why I love music so much. She used to put on so much old school R&B, so many different genres. Over time, I got so fascinated by music, I just wanted to be a part of it. First it started out with writing poetry and things of that nature. Then writing music over a beat. Next thing you know I took it serious and been working on my craft ever since.

As Nas’s Illmatic and Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt being your major musical influences, what about their music inspired you?

At that time of hearing Illmatic, I was young. But as I got older, I was fascinated by his [Nas] wordplay. The way Nas tells a story..I felt like was in his shoes. That’s what made me love him he most. It felt like something I could relate to. On the other hand, at the time Reasonable Doubt came out, it was so fresh, so new.

So, the Lox must have been an influence too since you have Jadakiss featured on your song (“Nobody”)…

Yeah. I mean the Lox has been apart of hip-hop since Biggie. So, growing up in New York, that’s all you listen to. You listen to Jay, Nas, Lox, Terror Squad, and so on. The Lox been doing it for so long, it’s like, I’m really fascinated by their longevity and career. And the way that their career shaped because they never changed who they were as people. I always looked up to them for their integrity and I looked up to them for that respect. To me, they kept that essence of hip-hop when most people weren’t. I respected that about the Lox.

Getting to work with them. Coming into the studio working with Jadakiss was like a dream come true.

Like Troy Ave staying true to that New York sound, are you aiming to do that as well?

I write music that is real. So as far as the style, yes. That’s like the style that I already have. I do incorporate other genres when I make music. But for the most part, it stay with that “New York sound.”

I feel like it has more feeling and that’s what I bring to the table.

How has being from Belize influenced your music?

Coming from that background where your parents are from there, plus I spent some time there when I was younger, it showed me the raw reality of life. When I say raw reality of life, I mean all the superficial things, material things really didn’t matter any more. It was more about the surviving and the people. I felt that music helped a lot of people through those struggles when I was younger. Coming from Belize, from that environment and then coming to America, things are not as hard. It makes me more hungry. It fuels my ambition.

In a third world country, you have nothing and you have to make something. Out here [America], even your worst day wouldn’t be as bad as it would in Belize. So, I took from Belize the motivation and the hunger and the raw reality that I saw. I used that to motivate me and fuel my writing. It also led me to a lot of cool concepts and cool situations, songs that I had.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I want to be like Bob Marley. I want to be that person that made change, great music, and made people unite. Music is the key to life. I feel like it helps you through the ills and the ups and downs. Good music like Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, and so many other artists that came before me, they made great music. They were not only classic, it was legendary. It was something that lived on.

What I want before I leave this earth is to create something that will last forever.

Laughing at My Enemies EP is Young Dougie’s upcoming project. To stay updated on his latest happenings on Twitter and Instagram at @YoungDougie !