De’Artae Rice was born in Monroe, Louisiana on August 21, 1986 in the rough Southside Atkins Quarters neighborhood. The day he was born, his mother’s younger brother died a couple of hours before he was conceived. Growing up, his mother and father really couldn’t look out for him as they wanted to because he had five other brothers and sisters to take care of. So throughout the years he lived with his mother’s godparents, and his dad’s mom. This made him have to grow up really fast.
At the age of nine, together with his cousin Ayanna they would be outside seeing crack, weed, crime, prostitution, and everything else you can imagine in the ghetto. They used to say to each other “I hope we never have to do that”. But Deartae started smoking weed and hustling in his teens, eventually leading him to be stabbed at the age of sixteen by his uncle in a fight.
It was then that Deartae turned to music and moved back home with his parents. He named himself Young T.H.U.G., and began forming groups and releasing music. Young T.H.U.G. has since worked with platinum and Grammy winning producers such as Earl “PhunkDawg” Williams(Hurricane Chris-Aye Bay Bay) and “Beatz How U Want Em” Productionz(Lil Wayne The Carter 3), Dj Madzik (Bordeaux,France) Dj Rell, Dj King Flow(France) and opened up shows for C Bo, Young Bleed, Chalie Boy, Mystical, T.I., ScarFace, Lil Boosie, Webbie, Young Buck, Solja Slim, and Lil Wayne to name a few. He has dropped various mixtapes, as well as edited and directed music videos for other indie artists.
Young T.H.U.G. has now dropped his single “I Got What U Need”. His wide vocabulary and life experiences enable him to rap about practically anything, a rare talent in today’s hip-hop world. Not only do his lyrics make an impact, but his delivery enhances them to a level that is almost unmatched.
Young T.H.U.G. always raps with a lot of passion and heat, and he actually puts effort into his verses. The whole track is banging from start to finish with no glaring weaknesses. Young T.H.U.G. never comes with a weak verse or says something that sounds out of place on this, or any other of his tracks I’ve heard so far. His work is extremely cohesive across all his releases.
Young T.H.U.G.’s beats are gritty and bumping, while the lyrics are real and unabashed. His flow is near perfect on “I Got What U Need” and his mic presence is incredible as he spits with complete confidence. If you haven’t already scooped up this gem do so immediately. You won’t regret it!
