J Yard is a New York City based aspiring independent Hip-hop artist. He’s new on the scene but arrives with a fully formed sound and an expert flow. After a series of single releases over the past year, J has now dropped his debut album. “No Pity for Winners” is a thirteen song introduction to a talented young rapper whose skills are matched only by his ambition to succeed.
With a sound that mixes old school beats with new school style, Yard dropped his first songs in 2019. Those tracks hinted at what was to come, with lo-fi beat and rapid-fire rhymes. The singles kept coming through 2020, leading up to the album release. In that time J Yard built his fan base. He booked some high profile gigs, opening up for Sean Kingston, Fatman Scoop, Miguel and Dave East. His efforts paid off with top placements on high-profile playlists. Now his Spotify profile now boasts 28K+ monthly visitors, and is growing every day.
“No Pity for Winners” finds the rapper in top form, with his signature flow on full display. Through the course of the record’s thirteen tracks he drops his philosophies on life, love, money and hustle. His tracks ride on old-school, downtempo Hip-hop beats. Classic 808 rhythms share space with raw breakbeats. Musically the sound is built on a mix of chill R&B samples and cinematic original compositions. Yard moves these components around like pieces of a puzzle. Some strings here, a bit of ambient synths there, each decision is made with the best interests of the song in mind.
At the heart of the sound is J Yard’s lyrical style and crafty technique. The rapper uses the space provided by his low-key beats to get creative with the rhythm. He fast-raps with half time chopping over the slow grooves on tracks like “Hold Me Down” and “The Ego.” Syncopated vocal riffs bounce off of backbeats on songs like “Stocks and Bonds.” On every track, he schools us on Hip-hop traditions and his own new technique.
Yard counts Jay-Z, Jadakiss and Fabolous as inspiration. In both style and substance, Mr. Carter is a major influence. And like Hip-hop’s most powerful billionaire, Yard keeps his money in check. Lyrically, “No Pity for Winners” is a dedication to the hustle. He tells how he got to where he is (“Self Made”), what he is doing with his success (“New Money”) and who he is doing it with “Plans in the AM.”
Along the way J also has some fun with Hip-hop staples, from the old school diss track “I Heard” to his clever use of Pop culture samples like the Willy Wonka quote that opens “Die Rich.” In the end, that track sums up the mood of the record perfectly with the line, “Born broke, but I swear I’m gonna die rich.”
On his debut album “No Pity for Winners,” J Yard proves himself to be a talented rapper who knows how to weave the old-school and the new into his own unique sound. Check out “New Money” on the Deep Indie Beat playlist, and follow the links below to connect with the artist. Get on his socials to stay in the loop on all of his plans for the future.
Connect:
J Yard on the Deep Indie Beat playlist
