Soul Work and That Bay Area Bounce with Artist YMTK

Published: Jan. 29, 2021, 11 a.m.

b'For the next month, Rightnowish will be featuring artists with local roots who are taking the sounds of the Bay to a national stage.\\nYMTK\\xa0is an R&B and hip-hop artist who grew up in Oakland and currently resides in Los Angeles.\\nIn his music catalog, you\'ll find his collaborations with\\xa0P-Lo,\\xa0IamSu!,\\xa0Rexx Life Raj, and many more. YMTK has also written lyrics for emerging artists like the East Bay\'s\\xa0Marteen\\xa0and Compton\'s\\xa0Gemaine.\\xa0\\nBut while sheltering-in-place over this past year, YMTK says he\'s been exploring his creative process as an individual.\\n"... when you are creating by yourself, it\\u2019s like\\xa0really\\xa0on you," YMTK says. And as a creative person, second guessing himself is common, but this time in solitude has proven to be a "swift kick in the ass to really focus on YMTK," he says.\\xa0\\nBut, focusing on self and going through the process of doing soul work isn\'t a foreign concept to YMTK. He spent his childhood in the church and says it has given his music a foundation, no matter if it\'s a dance track or a prayer song.\\nIn addition to discussing the role spirituality plays in his life and art, we talk hoops, hanging with Mr. Cooper, and shooting your shot as a musical artist in the middle of a pandemic.'