Yung Esckimo is here to inspire and motivate the masses all around the world. Hailing from the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, the rising star fondly remembers falling in love with music at the age of nine. Thanks to his first album, 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Yung Esckimo was empowered to memorize all the lyrics and perform them in front of the mirror before eventually rapping them during lunch at school.
Yung Esckimo claims he’s “the coldest trapper in the city.” He adds, “[I’m] really the most inspirational and motivational artist that the youth or anybody that’s going through tough times and hardship should tap in with.”
Through his upbringing in New York, Esckimo always carried a hustler mentality that bled into both his personal and professional life. Priding himself in making music that’s authentic to him, it wasn’t long before his song “Never Broke Again” would light the streets on fire, serving as his first record to reach one million streams.
Fast forward to 2024, Yung Esckimo is excited as ever to be unveiling his newest EP, Blue Magic. The project is spearheaded by lead singles “The Code” and title track “Blue Magic.”
AllHipHop spoke with Yung Esckimo virtually, who was posted up in Atlanta after enjoying the food at Magic City. Read below as we discuss his background, new releases, the meaning behind Blue Magic, studio essentials and more.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
Esckimo: It’s definitely inspirational. It’s a breath of fresh air, it’s brand new. I don’t sound like anything out on the market right now.
AllHipHop: Being from Washington Heights, what was that like growing up?
Esckimo: It was tough. It was hard. It turned me into what I am today. Washington Heights is a mixture of all blacks, Hispanics. Anything you looking for, you can find in Washington Heights.
AllHipHop: What was the moment you fell in love with music?
Esckimo: I fell in love with music young, when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ came out. As soon as I put that 50 Cent tape in, it was over. I was hooked.
AllHipHop: Favorite 50 Cent song?
Esckimo: Prolly “Many Men.” “Many Men” for sure.
AllHipHop: At what point did you realize you could do music for a living?
Esckimo: When I hit my first million views. I knew alright, maybe I could turn this into a profession. “Never Broke Again” by Yung Esckimo, go stream that now!
AllHipHop: How does it feel to hit those numbers independently?
Esckimo: It felt amazing. The fact that they used it for the NBA Finals was really a special moment.
It definitely kept me wanting to keep going. It felt exquisite.
AllHipHop: How did you get your name?
Esckimo: Growing up in Washington Heights, my friends used to call me Escko. The Eskimo just came from all the ice and all the extra curricular activities that we had going on.
AllHipHop: Were you hustling? How were you getting this paper?
Esckimo: Of course man, we hustling in all ways and forms. I was 12, 13 years old. When they had them summer school job programs, I was hustling. We started from nothing, we started from zero. I’ve been hustling all my whole life to be honest.
AllHipHop: You just dropped “The Code,” what were you on recording this one?
Esckimo: “The Code” is doing immaculate as well. A lot of the culture and a lot of the youth have lost the codes that we came up on, and the value of certain things. I wanted to implement this song called “The Code” to give the youth a certain guidance. We live by a certain code, we move a certain way. It’s really the code to life when you think about it.
AllHipHop: Where’d you shoot the video?
Esckimo: I shot the video in different parts. I shot some of those scenes in the Bronx, I shot some of the scenes in Harlem. I shot some of the scenes in Jersey, all over the city.
AllHipHop: What is the code?
Esckimo: It’s the code of life. It’s living by a certain code, living by a certain standard. You heard the song. They not living by the code anymore, so they gotta get in tune. Never give that money to — you know what I’m saying? Make sure you got that money for that lawyer tuck, that’s part of the code baby.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from Blue Magic dropping?
Esckimo: What you could expect from Blue Magic is the harsh reality of the things that we gotta go through in life to be successful. It’s more of a breakdown of how hard things could get, but it’s also inspiring and motivational for you to keep going and see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what Blue Magic is.
AllHipHop: Is that name significant?
Esckimo: It came from American Gangster, the movie. From Frank Lucas, Blue Magic was what he used in order for him to get to the top. But I’m giving you Blue Magic from Yung Esckimo, what Yung Esckimo used to get to the top. It’s in my own way.
AllHipHop: Talk about launching your own label, SCAM.
Esckimo: Success Comes After Manifestation is what it stands for. I’m launching my own label because I felt there’s a lot of artists and there isn’t enough CEOs in the game, that’s able to put young artists and young entrepreneurs in position to win. I wanted to create a platform that one day, it’ll be big enough in order for me to bring out the next artists and the next generation that’s coming up behind me.
AllHipHop: What’s the “Money Talk”?
Esckimo: It’s that money talk! Baby we don’t do drill, we let the dummies talk. The music I make is more of a motivational music for you to want to be successful. For you to want to reach certain limits and certain goals in life. The youth is rapping about drill drill drill. Not that there’s nothing wrong with it. If you’re an artist and you getting paid, you made a name for yourself, God bless. But you gotta understand that as an artist, you’re putting out a message. And the youth takes that in like a sponge, they trying to do what you do because you’re a role model. So “Money Talk” is more we don’t do drill, we let the dummies talk. $200,000 on me, that’s that money talk. I’m trying to guide you in an entrepreneurship way. Get that money. Forget about that drilling and killing, let’s get to the money. Let’s get to the generational wealth.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Esckimo: I need the temperature to be right so the vocals can be right, I need the coldest beverage on the planet, and I need Alpha and we ready to go.
AllHipHop: Best encounter you had with the fan?
Esckimo: Matter of fact, I was coming home from the airport here in Atlanta, I had a gentleman that was working in the airline that recognized me. He said, “Yo Yung Esckimo, I follow you on the Gram. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” That was a good feeling because I feel I’m spreading out into other other states and all that. Coming from New York.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself at this point in your career?
Esckimo: Definitely, I have several goals. We definitely want to make the right impact. We definitely want to start packing out arenas and certainly shows, but we take the right steps in order to get to where we going. But definitely, we got a whole bunch of goals in tact.
AllHipHop: Who’s your dream collab?
Esckimo: My dream collab will probably be Jay-Z, coming from New York City. But being a rapper in the 21st century, I might want to throw Lil Baby in there as well.
AllHipHop: So $500,000 or dinner with Jay-Z?
Esckimo: It’s that “Money Talk!” Let me get that money [laughs]. Listen, Jay-Z told me to pick the money. He said, “Listen. If you want the game, go get all the albums for $10.99 and I’ll give you the game that you need. Take the money.”
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
Esckimo: Blue Magic coming soon. Maybach & Millions out now, go download that. Go stream that. We definitely got a couple surprises for y’all coming in 2024. Stay in tune with the brand, SCAM Inc. Yung Esckimo, and we coming.
