Authority control databases: Artists
Authority control databases: Artists  |
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DJ Yung Vamp | |
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| Birth name | Gregory Renard |
| Also known as |
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| Born | 30 June 1995 Liège, Belgium |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Radio Juicy |
| Website | www |
Gregory Renard (born 30 June 1995), known professionally as DJ Yung Vamp or simply Vamp,[1] is a Belgian DJ and record producer, who also uses the alias Jeune Vamp as a rapper. He has been defined as "one of the largest influencers of new-age phonk".[2]
Gregory Renard was born on 30 June 1995[3] in Liège, Belgium,[4] to Belgian and Tunisian parents,[2] and moved to Brussels later on.[4] He lived with his parents until the age of 10, when he moved with his grandparents.[4]
He described both his parents and his grandparents as an influence to his interest in music: his father listened to techno, his mother to techno and drum and bass, and his grandparents to jazz, blues and 1960s rock.[4]
At a young age, DJ Yung Vamp's father let him try his Technics turntables; Vamp continued to mix until the age of 15–16.[4] After his friend helped him download FL Studio, DJ Yung Vamp started to produce his own music; he switched to Ableton a short while later.[4]
After listening to various hip hop albums, DJ Yung Vamp discovered his favourite genres: trill, phonk, grime, and trap.[5] His main influences on the SoundCloud platform were Loud Lord, DJ Smokey, Kaytranada, Mr. Carmack, IAMNOBODI, and the Soulection collective.[4] He also listened to Three 6 Mafia, DJ Screw, Busta Rhymes, and Missy Elliott.[4]
At 15 years old, he released mixes under the name "Wankaz" (slang for wanker) on SoundCloud,[4] using an old computer gifted to him by his grandfather when he was 13.[2] He then changed his alias to DJ Yung Vamp.[4]
Initially struggling to gain popularity, DJ Yung Vamp's breakthrough came with his track I GOT MOLLY I GOT WHITE, released in 2016.[4] He quickly became popular, amassing over 20,000 follows on SoundCloud within one year.[6] His success can mainly be traced to the emergence of phonk as a genre, catalyzed by promotional YouTube channels such as Emotional Tokyo, Ryan Celsius, and rare.[6] DJ Yung Vamp's tracks were heavily featured in the channels' mixes, which had millions of views, further contributing to his fame.[6]
By the end of 2017, DJ Yung Vamp had worked with DJ Smokey, Jason Rich, and Soudiere, three of phonk's most prominent artists.[6] Soudiere himself recruited DJ Yung Vamp to the collective "Purple Posse" in 2018,[6][7] also composed of Aseri, Backwhen, and Mythic, among others.[8] He made his debut with Purple Posse in the compilation ISSUE 08.[7]
DJ Yung Vamp collaborated with mainstream artists such as bbno$, Mister V, Soulja Boy, Scarlxd, Yung Gravy, Thouxanbanfauni, and Chxpo.[9] He cites Soulja Boy as his main source of inspiration, having also made a studio session together.[4] Following the release of his EP Night off the Trill, Vol. 1 in 2017, DJ Yung Vamp was contacted by Scarlxd to collaborate.[9] The two procuded several tracks together, namely a few songs in Scarlxrd's studio album Acquired Taste Vxl 1., released in 2019.[10]
In 2020, he released his first song as a rapper under the alias Jeune Vamp (French for Young Vamp),[1] and launched his own fashion label called "Vampire-Corp".[2]
A phonk producer, DJ Yung Vamp's music draws inspiration from 1990s and 2000s hip hop, and also features samples from south rap and crunk.[2] He defined his music as "nostalgic and relaxing at the same time".[2] Radio Juicy – his record label – has defined it as "the super contrast of chill and hard".[11]
Compared to other contemporary phonk producers, DJ Yung Vamp's production style is more "simple", involving less layers and more readily-available sounds.[6] His style has also been seen as "consistent", consisting of a slow jazz sample, mainstream vocals, and simple drums.[6]