Drewboy is Ready to Bring Traphouse Bounce to the Masses [Q&A]
Philly has a new MC ready to make an impact on the music industry. Drewboy has just released his debut full-length mixtape, Personality, via Island Records. Pioneering the traphouse bounce genre of rap, Drewboy has combined his unique approach to music with a knack for building community online into a winning formula. We were lucky enough to catch up with the emerging MC to speak on Personality, his dream collabs, and more.
Ones To Watch: Your name is Drewboy, but people also call you The Flow God and Da Boy - how did you come up with that?
Drewboy: Drewboy was a name my dad used to call me when I was coming up & Da Boy kind of just came like Lil Wayne/Tunechi or Young Thug/Thugga. I earned the name "The Flow God" from my freestyle videos and witty style people would comment on when I’d post videos.
What is Traphouse Bounce?
Traphouse Bounce is my own genre of music or my sound. It’s the vibe or getting in your “zone” when listening to my music. It’s a hybrid of Trap with some bounce in it. It’s feel-good music.
How do you feel about being the next big voice out of Philly? You've already received co-signs from Meek Mill, Rick Ross and Wale?
It feels amazing knowing that all my hard work is getting noticed because in this day and age everybody wanna rap so I knew I had to come up with something that was different. I wanted to show I could rap but also wanted to show off my fun side. It lets me know my vision is being seen and it’s paying off.
When did you decide you wanted to rap?
I’ve always loved music. I have a lot of respect for the game so I wanted to do it right and work hard to earn my place. So I decided wanted to take rap seriously in 2018 and I’ve been focused ever since.
How did "Personality" come together?
Personality came together from a mixture of songs I recorded when I first got signed. I have kind of been around, grinding, but now I’m here, so the tape is an introduction. The songs have different vibes that show different sides to my personality.
What's the standout track on the tape to you?
My stand out track on the tape would be Traphouse Bounce. But other dope moments are: Bass and Crash
How has COVID affected your creative process and how have you seen it affect your city?
COVID has affected my creative process in a big way because performing is what makes me the artist I am. I get a rush off of feeling the energy of people. My connection with my fans and the audience is electric and that’s one of the most important elements of what I do. I miss it but want everyone to stay safe, so we can get better. In Philly, idle time isn’t good. It gives people more time to do dumb stuff and higher rates of crime. So I’m doing everything I can to use my platform to keep people inside, talking to fans to past the time and giving them some fire music now to listen to.
What's the #TRAPHOUSEBOUNCEChallenge?
The Traphouse Bounce Challenge is a dance challenge me & Dre came up with to my song Traphouse Bounce and it’s been moving on Triller with over 100k views on it. So, we’re keeping it moving and giving people something to do on the quarantine.
You recently performed for a BLM fundraising concert with YK Osiris, how did that happen and what's a special moment from it?
This happened through a girl I know named Indigo. It was something that I wanted to be apart of because I see what injustice looks like in my city. The whole concert was a vibe and it was super special to turn up with YK for a good cause.
What are some other artists you're listening to now?
Right now, I'm listening to NLE Choppa , NBA Youngboy , Lil Baby , Da Baby, Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Wale, Rod Wave, Lil Durk, G Herbo and King Von
What are some of your dream collabs?
Some of my dream collabs are Da Baby, NLE Choppa , Meek Mill , Wale, Rick Ross and T.I
What do you want fans to take away from your mixtape?
I want my fans to hear the fun side of my music and have fun with it. I want people to hear another side of Philly and see that there is a lot of promising talent coming from the city. I want fans to have some captions for IG and I want them to go to my tape to make them feel good & hopefully it makes them want to turn up even more.
What makes you "one to watch"?
My hard work & my vibes make me one to watch .. it's hard to find good vibes AND #Bars…so don't overlook me.
Listen to Personality below.
