Project Youngin

Florida rapper Project Youngin approached his music with unrelenting ambition, coming from the lesser-known Tampa Bay area and struggling to make a mark for his scene. Starting out in the late 2010s with a nonstop string of mixtapes, tracks, videos, and collaborations, he eventually factored in a healthy social media presence as his audience grew. Collaborative tracks with rappers like Ralo, Quando Rondo, Lil Baby, and others added to his growing catalog of distinctively stylized bangers as his audience grew. Born Rasheed Jamaal Hall in 1994, Project Youngin came up in the St. Petersburg hip-hop scene, beginning to take his music career seriously around 2015. After a few years growing the project, he gained some traction with his 2017 single “Balmains” featuring Lil Baby. Things took off around then for Project Youngin, who released the mixtapes Still Shinin’ 4 Boola 2, Patience, Biggest Blessing, and Group Home Living, all within quick succession of each other. By the time of its summer 2018 release, Group Home Living reflected Project Youngin’s rising star, with features from other prominent rappers like YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Quando Rondo, YNW Melly, and others. Performances at that year’s South by Southwest festival (among other appearances) and a booming social media presence kept Youngin’s follower count growing with each new release. ~ Fred Thomas