Meet all the members of YBN, a new kind of internet rap clique
Did you know there are 10 whole members of the gamer crew turned viral rap collective?
Even by today's standards, YBN Nahmir's rise to rap stardom was extremely quick. When the 18-year-old Birmingham, Alabama native dropped his "Rubbin Off The Paint" video last September, all the viral elements were present: a Pi'erre Bourne type beat, a line that some falsely interpreted as a Tay-K diss, a Rick and Morty simile. But in the past months, Nahmir has proven himself to be more than a one-hit wonder and he's also used his platform to introduce the public to his YBN crew.
By now, the origins of YBN are pretty well known. The clique began as a loose group of friends from around the country playing Grand Theft Auto online together and freestyling during those sessions. And while YBN Almighty Jay and, more recently, YBN Cordae have begun making names for themselves in their own right, I was surprised to learn while writing this post that there are actually ten whole members of the crew and maybe more. Here's a brief intro to all the YBNs.
YBN Nahmir
The leader of the crew. The Birmingham native first assembled YBN as a teenager on XBOX Live, posting his Grand Theft Auto live streams to YouTube and later freestyling during Live sessions.
YBN Almighty Jay
Nahmir's right hand. Almighty Jay became internet famous on his own through his extremely odd and short-lived relationship with Blac Chyna. But his music is also pretty solid. See "Chopsticks" and the recent "2 Tone Drip."
YBN Cordae
The most recent viral star from the collective. YBN Cordae is the backpack rap answer to Nahmir's type beat sound. These kids are smart.
YBN Glizzy
A Baltimore native who was part of the original XBOX Live squad. Above is a video from his YouTube which shows him and Nahmir playing GTA online, soundtracked by Chief Keef, which really sums up this whole thing.
YBN Manny
YBN Manny is Nahmir's first cousin.
YBN Walker
I'm pretty sure this is YBN Walker's only song. He looks like Anthony Davis, according to YouTube commenters.
YBN Nicky Baandz
The lone Bay Area YBN representative. YBN Nicky Baandz is from Vallejo and seems to be a loose affiliate (his less recent work is just under the name Nicky Baandz). He has a 2017 song with Nahmir that's very SOB X RBE wave.
YBN Malik
In his Instagram bio, YBN Malik says he's a promoter but I guess he also raps? Idk.
YBN Carl
Once again, not really sure what he does but YBN Carl definitely has the best name.
YBN Dayday
Dayday's role is clearly the father.