Draft:Young Slo-Be

Disean Jaquae Victor  (June 2, 1993 - August 5, 2022), Known professionally as Young Slo-Be, was an American Rapper from Stockton, California. He was known for his catchy flows, unique delivery, and raps about the harsh realities of the streets. “Rhyming with nonchalant swagger and menace, he's perpetually oscillating between a wry smile and a piercing glare, delivering each line in a forceful yet conversational register that often descends to a whisper”. "Listening to Young Slo-Be rap can feel like eavesdropping over a phone conversation; he whispers over the beat like he’s telling you a secret in a crowded room".

He began his career with his 2015 single ”Krosstown”. He said he was inspired to make music by his father. He said he was averaging only thousand views video to video. He didn’t gain a lot of traction until he collaborated with his friend Bris from Sacramento, California. They released their song “2142”, and it made both of the rappers surge in popularity in their local area.

Disean's recording career started in 2010, sneaking into his father's studio when he was gone. Slo-Be left the computer on and his father heard some of his music, he called Slo-Be over and told him he had potential and to release music. He made songs but never took it seriously until 2015. When he officially released his single "Krosstown". He had a couple of songs that were well known locally like "21:42" with the late rapper Bris. "This Ain't Nun New" with members from his rap group "EBK" and the late rapper Bris, "Shay Shay", "2100 Shell Kases" with "EBK" members, EBK Young Joc, and EBK Trey B. Slo-Be's career was marked by collaborations with artists including Drakeo the Ruler, DaBoii, his EBK collective and more. Along with the release of multiple mixtapes that garnered him a growing fan base.

The studio album, Southeast helped him garner more attention, which made the media platform Pitchfork list him on their "34 Great Records You May Have Missed". Alphonse Pierre, who wrote the blog states "Stockton, California’s Young Slo-Be raps like his teeth are clenched, which is why the tracks on his latest album Southeast seem intense even when the beats are graceful. A slinky, pitched-up sample initially makes highlight “Track Stars” feel sweet—until you hear thrashing percussion and Slo-Be growling like a demon. On “Say Yes,” he murmurs warning shots over a soulful instrumental that soon becomes punishing. As good as the beat selection is—all laser beams and twisted sample flips that make Stockton’s scene so exciting—Slo-Be’s menacing voice is the true driver of the tape".

Early life
Disean Jaquae Victor (June 2, 1993 - August 5, 2022), Known professionally as Young Slo-Be, was an American Rapper from Stockton, California. He grew up on 2100 block, Nightingale Avenue, a neighborhood in the southeast of Stockton, California, which he mentions numerous times across his catalogue. Stockton resides in the Central Valley area of California, and not the Bay Area that people tend to incorrectly say. Slo-Be raps a lot about his neighborhood in his songs, referencing it as "2,1", "2100", or "Nightingale". He also talks about Seventh Street a lot, it wasn't a street he was raised on but he spent a lot of time on the street because he had friends there and its only a couple minutes away from Nightingale. Even naming one of his song "Seven" and naming one of his mixtapes "Nightmare On Seventh Street". Mainly being raised in the slums of Nightingale, Stockton wasn't easy for Young Slo-Be. He was raised by women, He didn't have the best relationship with his father because his father was mainly in the streets. But he taught Slo-Be about the streets, he used to see thugs and his cousins outside as a kid and they'll beat him up and tell him to go home. Other than that, it was women raising him, he even has tattoos of these women on his neck, they raised him. His grandma used to call him Bay-Bay, an urban term meaning "a bad behaved kid".

Growing up in a small city like Stockton can be limiting. He said that the Stockton city only have two malls, and they are across the street from each other. They have one movie theater, multiple shops and candy shops but Disean states that people in the city messed it all up. Disean's mom worked a 9-5 job, she was street smart but she wasn't a street woman. She always wanted her kids to do better than their environment, but the father on the other hand was involved in the street life. His father rapped but his uncle had a more successful rap career. Disean claimed that some of his family moved from Stockton to San Diego and every time he visited, he would hear people singing to his uncle's songs. Disean stated that's what really inspired him to make music, because he wanted the same support. His father would rap in his own studio every so often. In times where he was gone, Disean took the opportunity to start rapping while his father was gone. During this time, a few songs was recorded and he wasn't planning to release it. His father ended up finding the songs on his computer when he returned to the studio in the following week. At first he was furious with his son for using the computer and studio without permission. But then he took time to listen to the songs and later talked to Disean. He told him that he liked the songs he recorded, encouraging him to rap. That's when Disean started to take it seriously and began to release songs frequently. He started with his first song in 2015 with the single ”Krosstown”.

Disean seen violence around the city his whole life. Being a place like California, there's always been a lot gang activities from the Bloods and Crips impacting the cities. Disean has talked about being a Blood in his music. Although there's no factual evidence stating EBK or any of the members are Bloods. His dad being a well respected man in San Diego, Disean felt like he had shoes to fill. He saw his uncle become a local rap legend in San Diego, his father rapped also. But his uncle was more well known and Disean would constantly seem him get support when he visited in San Diego. As a kid he grew up listening to Lil' Bow Wow, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Gucci Mane, Lil Romeo and Messy Marv.

Legal Issues
On November 4, 2013, in Stockton the police had done a traffic stop. Disean Jaquae Victor alongside his friend was arrested after the cops found a loaded firearm and a concealed gun in the car. On 2019, He was charged with speeding in Arizona. On June 11, 2022, Disean was arrested for possessing a loaded firearm that wasn't registered and charged with prohibited possession. He was also charged with speeding, false identification, false personation of another, driving while suspended and possessing ammunition.

Death
On August 5, 2022, the Stockton rapper, Young Slo-Be suffered multiple gun shot wounds while staying over his romantic partner's house in Manteca, California. Specifically at 8:17am in the block of Trevino Avenue. Authorities stated they performed live-saving measures on Victor until he was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries. His fellow friends from his rap group EBK and a California media platform Thizzler On The Roof shared their condolences.

Career
Young Slo-Be released his studio album, Southeast on June 24, 2022. The album helped him garner more attention, which in return made the media platform Pitchfork list the album on their “34 Great Records You May Have Missed“ article. Alphonse Pierre, who wrote the article states "Stockton, California’s Young Slo-Be raps like his teeth are clenched, which is why the tracks on his latest album Southeast seem intense even when the beats are graceful. A slinky, pitched-up sample initially makes highlight “Track Stars” feel sweet—until you hear thrashing percussion and Slo-Be growling like a demon. On “Say Yes,” he murmurs warning shots over a soulful instrumental that soon becomes punishing. As good as the beat selection is—all laser beams and twisted sample flips that make Stockton’s scene so exciting—Slo-Be’s menacing voice is the true driver of the tape". His single “I Love You” skyrocketed on Tik Tok and YouTube. Reaching 4.6 million views, 71 million streams on Spotify and having 23k Tik Tok videos made to the song. In the song he raps about his toxic nature with females. “Yeah I cheated on you but can I trust you baby? Have two kids with me now you stuck with me baby”. The song presents a narrative that delves into the complex and often contentious themes of infidelity and manipulation within a romantic relationship. Through its lyrical content and musical composition, the song explores the emotional and psychological dynamics of deceit and entrapment, shedding light on the impact of such behaviors on the individuals involved. "Young Slo-Be’s Slo-Be Bryant 3 belongs on the shortlist of essential West Coast rap mixtapes to come out so far this year. Throughout the tape, the Stockton, California rapper known for his menacing vocals and slow delivery lays down his verses on beats that’ll make your chest feel as warm as a bowl of homemade soup. On “I Love You,” the soulful vocal sample cuts through the throbbing bass, funky melody, and that typical California percussion that sounds like a fist slamming on a school lunch table. If you only heard the nostalgic instrumental, you might feel impelled to reflect on the sweetest moments of your past, but once Slo-Be raps, it’s clear that sentimentality is the last thing on his mind: “Man I’m tryna teach my kids they don’t need nothin’/But the way they daddy spin they gon’ need somethin.’” It’s a small sample of a mixtape that every fan of West Coast rap should get familiar with".

Growing up in Stockton, Slo-Be made a lot of friends along the way. He made a rap group alongside his friends called "EBK" aka (EBK Hotboiiz). The rap group was made in 2008 alongside his frequent collaborators, EBK Young Joc, EBK Jaaybo, EBK Juvie Ju, EBK Osama, EBK Trey B, EBK PayWes. Through EBK Young Joc, he met the late rapper Bris, from Sacramento, California. They got together to film a video for the song "EBK Anthem", a song made by most of the members of "EBK". The song has verses from all of the EBK members mentioned previously, and a guest verse from frequent collaborator SkeamyRu. A member from EBK, Jaaybo also gained a lot of popularity in the media alongside Young Slo-Be. In an analytical piece by Alphonse Pierre, a dedicated section further explores the nuances of the California rap scene, highlighting "Last year, EBK JaayBo and Young Slo-Be made the California city of Stockton’s rap scene a must-follow. On JaayBo’s summertime mixtape Letter 4 the Streets, he got confessional over sped-up samples with enough soul for a Sunday morning".

Messy Marv was his biggest music influence, Slo-Be's early work was very reminiscent of Marv's delivery and rap style. Using Vocal Dubs (Vocal Doubles) the same way Marv does in his songs. Even being called a reincarnation of Messy Marv's style, but Slo-Be had grown a little tired of the comparison so he started to develop his own sound. 2020 was the year, where Slo-Be started his iconic whisper rap flows and "Aye Aye" adlibs. The beats he started to use was also dark and ominous sounding. He calls it "Smurkish Music", the blending of Drill and Gangsta Rap music characteristics with the sound of West Coast Hip Hop. His lyrics were often about the street life, violence, and Slo-Be's infatuation with women. Accompanied with a dark, sinister instrumental that makes the songs sound like a horror movie.

Although "I Love You" is his most popular song, he also had another viral song alongside Drakeo the Ruler called “Unforgivable”. The song was recorded before the tragic passing of the late rapper Drakeo. For the most part, the song is about being successful and powerful with no regard for the law. Slo-Be also brags about his sexual relations with multiple women, whom he treats as sources of financial gain. He uses vivid imagery to describe his enemies being hurt, and living in worse living conditions than Slo-Be and his crew. The rappers challenges anyone who opposes them or their lifestyle. Drakeo the Ruler matches the energy well with his smooth-talk delivery and witty punchlines as per usual. He raps about his enemies dying and them being “scared to come outside”.