New England Rapper, Yung Kobra Talks New Single 'Switchin Lanes'

At 27 years old, some would say that New England based rapper, Yung Kobra is late to the game, but his fresh and innovative sound is what hip hop needs in 2021. In a crowded field where many artists use the same beats, spit similar lyrics, and end up sounded similar, Yung Kobra stands apart. His creatively muffled and melodic trap sound is unique and intriguing. You've gotta really be listening to catch everything he says. There's like a hidden dimension in his music. But getting to where he is today is a fire that has been 3 years in the making. Now his spark has caught wind.

Hip Hop hasn't been an easy road for Kobra. He's a New England native who grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts where it was not exactly a breeding ground for rappers. Even in Boston which he now calls home, its more of what XXL Magazine described as "a hotbed for punk and indie rock" which has "slipped under the radar for decades on the hip-hop side of things."

But Yung Kobra has definitely made a name for himself in the region. He has released countless singles and a mixtape. Last year he was nominated for song of the year by Hip-Hop New England. Now he's dropping a new single entitled “Switchin’ Lanes feat. King Rik”. The melodic rap track has a bright and positive sound to it. Not all rappers have to be gritty to be authentic. But you can definitely catch a vibe off the track which is set to drop Friday, 3/12/21.

What inspired you to write Switchin Lanes?

Switching lanes means to level up and this music shit has opened a lot of doors for me that the streets wouldn’t have. I was down bad mentally and financially and music has been that ladder I’ve used to climb up out of despair. So I felt like this song was a great way to sum up where I’m at in life I ain’t famous or nothing crazy like that but I’m better.

"Long way from where we came from, but look at where we started..."

Who are you musical influences?
Kanye, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Polo G, Future, Young Thug.

How would you describe your sound?
My sound can best be described as “melodic trap poetry”. I don’t try to just make simple trap rap like a song where I’m like “I’m getting rich, I’m fucking your bitch” nah I put thought into this and want to relate to someone who’s down bad right now and tell em to keep moving and working toward you dreams like I am

How did you get started making music?
Making music was always something I wanted to do but I was always afraid to do it, afraid I would fail and it just didn’t seem like a real possible thing to excel at. My circle of friends I had at the time weren’t very supportive of the idea but it was really my girl that was the 1 that gave me the confidence and pushed me to do it and she bought me my first microphone to get the ball rolling she believed in me before I believed in myself, I decided to go all in and I never looked back.

Why hip hop?
Hip-Hop has always been my favorite genre of music ever since I can remember. I got into rap at a very young age listening to Eminem, 50 Cent and whatever else was hot in the early 2000s. Hip-Hop is everything to me. The genre is just so special where you can say anything you want without filter or censorship it’s the voice of the streets and I’m blessed to be a part of it.