Big Yavo

Alabama rapper Big Yavo has a distinctively hard yet playful vocal style, delivering densely stacked lines and rapid-fire punch lines without seeming too self-serious. Exuberant but only intensely aggressive on occasion, his self-described turn-up songs are freestyled rather than written in advance, and he’s skilled at spontaneously creating strong narratives. Even though he regards rapping as a hobby rather than a career, he’s been highly prolific, releasing numerous mixtapes in 2020 (including the Billboard-charting On God II in 2021) and scoring viral hits with songs like “No Pen,” “Him,” and “Rich.”
The rapper originally went by the moniker 41st Yavo, referring to the street where he resides in Birmingham. He started recording songs and posting videos to YouTube in 2019, then changed his name to Big Yavo in early 2020. Signing to Cinematic Music Group, he debuted with the single “No Pen” and released On God, Gorilla Warfare (with Luh Soldier), and Dumb Ass the same year. On God II appeared in 2021, featuring an appearance by Wiz Khalifa on “Hotbox (Remix).” The album reached the Top Ten of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and its song “Rich” emerged as a dance sensation on TikTok. Yavo then released Like Yay, which featured the heavily streamed single “Him.” His 2022 singles included the slower, more vulnerable “Fronted” as well as “Lumberjack,” “Cabbage Patch,” and “Yayski.” ~ Paul Simpson