Your Old Droog
| Your Old Droog | |
|---|---|
| Also known as |
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| Born | 1989 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Droog Recordings |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | BandCamp |
Your Old Droog is a Ukrainian-American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were thought up by some that his self-published debut EP was actually recorded by veteran New York rapper Nas under an alter ego, before revealing himself in August of that year as a 25-year-old Ukrainian American. His self-titled debut album was released digitally on November 25, 2014. The name "Droog" comes from a Russian word meaning "friend".
Droog's family emigrated to the United States from Ukraine, then a part of the Soviet Union. As a young rap enthusiast growing up in Brooklyn, Droog first developed his craft in lunchroom battles in school. In 2013 he released the song "Rhyme Strange" under the name "Imaginary Droog" with DJ Skizz.
In April 2014, he released the song "Nutty Bars", which generated a significant amount of buzz due to comparisons to Nas and the otherwise lack of information about the artist. The speculation began after Sacha Jenkins, a longtime associate of Nas, made a short positive review of the rapper on Mass Appeal with the sub-heading "Who is this guy? None of your damn business! Just enjoy the music and stop asking questions." The 10-song Your Old Droog EP was released soon after in June on SoundCloud, produced by Droog, Richard 'RTNC' Herpe, and DJ Skizz. In August, Droog revealed himself in an interview with The New Yorker and soon showed his face for the first time in a video of him freestyling. At the time, he embraced the publicity and speculation regarding his identity, expressing that "This is like my street team, why would I stop free publicity?" He played his first concert on September 3 to a sold out crowd at Webster Hall. His debut self-titled album was released digitally on November 26, which included the 10 songs from the EP along with 8 new songs produced by EL RTNC. A limited edition of the album was released on vinyl shortly before the digital release.
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