Cam, perhaps better known as Young Nut, is a college aged rapper out of Arizona who popped up in the music scene only about a year ago. Easily identified as the kid with the crude humor and clever rhymes, Young Nut is one of the few lesser known artists lately to have really grown his following on Spotify. With his biggest hits climbing everyday, he continues to surprise us with this unique comedic style you don’t often see succeed in the underground. Getting a chance to speak with him the other day, it is apparent his personality is a large part of the reason he’s been able to sell this style of music to his fans.
UU: Did you grow up in Phoenix, or have you recently relocated?
Young Nut: I grew up in a suburb of Phoenix and I’ve lived here all my life. It’s an okay place to grow up for the most part. It’s a big enough city where there are a lot of creative people to work with but it’s not as intimidating as a Los Angeles or New York.
What kind of music did you listen to as a kid, did you have any strong influences during your childhood?
I mostly listened to a lot of rap, R&B, and folk. A lot of Kanye West. I used to try to find the songs Kanye would sample in his beats and listen to the original version of them a lot.
Did you always want to be a rapper? If not at what age did you discover your skill?
Initially I wanted to be a comedian or some sort of content creator. I like rapping a lot more though. I started rapping a little in high school but I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to talk about or what my image would be. Once I figured that out though everything else came pretty easily.
Let’s talk about your name, it takes some nerve to come into the spotlight as Young Nut. What gave you the confidence to commit to such a title?
That’s just the name I chose I guess. Not a lot of thought was put into it. It’s memorable, though. It hasn’t held me back and I embraced it so it’s worked out for me.
Do you think your high school experience contributed at all to your public image today?
Maybe a little bit. Not all that much though. I didn’t realize until I left high school that I hated it. I only still talk to maybe three or four people who I went to high school with. I had nothing in common with any of my friends there.
How do you feel about Air Bud *laughs* rumor has it you have some beef?
I had a really weird dream once that I met Air Bud but he was really anti-semitic. That’s where that all stems from. I wanted a funny twitter handle so I just went with @fuckairbud. I’m changing it soon, though.
Was Umm… Yeah Bitch I Rap your first tape or did you have earlier work that’s remained unpublished or been deleted?
I made one song that I released in 2016 that was really, really bad. It’s gone forever and hopefully will never be seen again. Umm .. Yeah Bitch I Rap was my first tape, but a lot more thought was put into season2, which I released in December.
How was working with Lil QWERTY? Do you think we’ll get to hear you collaborate again?
He’s the coolest guy. I went to high school with him so I’ve known him for a while. He’s probably the most creative person I’ve ever met, definitely the best writer I’ve ever met. Super funny, too. We’re working on something right now, actually. Coming soon.
Coming up on 415k listens on your top song on Spotify, do you think “I don’t eat ass” will remain your #1 hit going forward?
I hope not. I want this to be my career so ideally I want every song I make to be bigger than that.
We just got to hear your single “All Night” last month and we’ve seen your recent Twitter clips, should we be expecting any more music this spring?
I’m working on three features right now, so those will be released soon. I’ve written a couple songs also that I’m working on, I’m just waiting on some production stuff. Definitely new music coming soon.
Out of your entire library, what bar are you most proud of spitting and why?
In “Big Ballers,” I said “I’m excelling all I do is spread sheets.” That’s probably my favorite line I’ve written.
Your Twitter is the most consistently funny account I’ve seen in awhile; how heavily do you think your comedic nature is carrying your music forward?
I’ve always been a bigger fan of artists who seem like real people. I feel like a lot of artists come across as larger than life or something like that and that’s so intimidating. I just wanted to be dumb and tell stupid jokes. It’s definitely gotten me more exposure, so I’d say it’s helping.
If you could collaborate with any artist in the music scene today who would you choose and why?
There are a million artists I would like to work with. I’d love to do a song with Lil Dicky. I feel like we have a lot of similarities and he’s really talented. I like Kevin Abstract a lot. I like Aminé a lot, too. Or someone completely different, like Billie Eilish. Someone who brings a completely different energy.
We’ve noticed there isn’t much fan overlap between you and a lot of the other artists we’ve interviewed, if someone hasn’t heard your music before, what would you recommend they listen to first?
Probably “Who This?” It’s the first song on the project I just released. I feel like that song is a good representation of who I am as an artist and what I bring to the table.
Finally, any words you want to leave your current and future fans with?
Don’t sleep on me.
