“I’ve said it previously but I’m gonna keep saying it – Yibby is one of the strongest voices in the vanguard of Sydney hip-hop right now. Pay attention.” – Tommy Faith, triple j Unearthed
“Yibby’s energy and enthusiasm are innate – spitting bars with a confidence beyond his years without so much as breaking a sweat.” – FBi Radio
STREAM ‘CIGAR FT LORD APEX’ HERE
Further showcasing his disparate nature, idiosyncratic rapper YIBBY returns for his first offering of 2021 in the form of the hazy, boom bap track ‘Cigar’ featuring prolific London powerhouse Lord Apex.
Driven by a trap inspired beat from regular collaborators Clockwork Odyssey, ‘Cigar’ addresses the differences between the real and what’s a facade. Of the track’s main line, YIBBY says “I got the cigar line from that saying “close but no cigar” I actually thought the saying was “all smoke and no cigar” until I read up, but I liked it too much, so I kept it haha.”
With the constraints of border closures, this international alliance came together entirely over the internet with YIBBY stating “I’ve been listening to Apex heavy for a couple years now, so when I heard that beat and how it was really murky but also had a bounce I knew I wanted him on it, so I hit him up. I tried to do the hook too but as soon as I heard his tone on it, it was a wrap.”
Forever a melting pot of genres, YIBBY’s music always comes accompanied with coming of age tales and food for thought bars. His debut single ‘Woah’ came in late 2018 signalling the start of a rapid fire first year for the now 21-year-old which consisted of the Lost In Translation EP and a hard-hitting team up with fellow up-and-comer Raj Mahal.
Quickly gaining recognition from fans and media, in 2019 he came in at #14 on FBi Radio’s Most Played Artists. He also left his mark on triple j’s Bars of Steel and FBi Radio’s Independent Play series whilst garnering fans from Sniffers, Tone Deaf, Life Without Andy, Purple Sneakers and more. Single ‘Folk’, pulled from his debut EP, was added to spot rotation on triple j, as well as full adds on triple j Unearthed, FBi Radio, SYN Radio, 4ZZZ and EDGE Radio, and spins on Beats Radio 1.
Last year his major release ‘No Sweat’ was added to Spotify’s tastemaker playlists Local Hype, Beats n’ Bars and The Drip and was included in The Guardian’s Best Music for May.
On the live circuit he’s cut his teeth supporting Winston Surfshirt, Boo Seeka, Drapht, Arno Faraji, Milan Ring and Kuren as well as performing a show-stopping set at Bad Friday Festival.
YIBBY
‘Cigar ft. Lord Apex’
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