BWM
Black Wealth Magazine
“Many use my outer exterior as a means to figure out who I am, but in retrospect if I wasn’t an aspiring musician, I could have been your favorite chef, your favorite technology teacher or even your most courageous journalist.” However, I love what I do. I am an artist.
BY TARYN ST.LOUIS, SEPTEMBER 8th, 2020
He’s only 23 but has already had the pleasure of participating in a few musical events in his present twin -island home of Antigua & Barbuda, including the ever- popular Antigua Sailing week and “Wadadli Kingz, Just Got Started.” Christopher Howell grew up in the reggae-centric Caribbean island of Jamaica, where he earned the moniker ‘Young Luiy’ because of a small Louis Vuitton bag which he donned in primary school. The name stuck and he has grown to infuse his unique and authentic tastes into his music.
Chris got his introduction to the world of Hip Hop in his hometown of Jamaica, when his childhood friend, a hip hop artist himself, introduced him to the recording studio. He immediately felt at home. When placed in front of the mic, he imagined himself among the hip hop greats that he admired such as Lil Wayne and J Cole.
Young Luiy is confident that his love for music was fortified by the rich musical culture of Jamaica where he grew up. Jamaica has spawned a plethora of internationally renowned artists like Beenie Man, Chronix, Sean Paul and Koffee, to name a few. Reggae is the most widely known genre of music in Jamaica and it was popularized by the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers in the 1960s. Soon, the selection of genres expanded to include dancehall and dub.
With the introduction of sound systems, American music found its way into the households of the islanders. According to worldmusic.net, sound systems were an extremely significant development in Jamaican music, and helped to develop the Jamaican record industry. When radios finally became affordable to the majority of Jamaicans, there was a boom in the popularity of American R&B, but it did not stop there.
Did you know that Hip Hop has inherent ties with Jamaica and Reggae? Reggae was the most influential figure in the development of Hip Hop. Although Hip Hop wasn’t exactly discovered in Jamaica, The dubbing and toasting techniques used in reggae directly influenced America’s techniques of emceeing and scratching.
Reggae!
Rrrroots, rap, reggae!
And we don’t stop
It’s like that y’all, and then we’re ready to play
It’s no jive, it’s live, and it’s reggae.
These famous lines are in Run DMC’s “Roots, Rap, Reggae” and reflect the influence of Jamaica within hip-hop. Read more on how Jamaica’s place in Hip Hop was recognized.
“Many use my outer exterior as a means to figure out who I am, but in retrospect if I wasn’t an aspiring musician, I could have been your favorite chef, your favorite technology teacher or even your most courageous journalist.” However, I love what I do. I am an artist.
Young Luiy
Grateful for his multi-cultural background, Young Luiy credits this quality for his ability to speak to and entertain both his American and Caribbean Audiences. His musical style is upbeat, raw and explicit in some cases. His tracks can all be found on his YouTube Channel, IamYoungLuiy. There’s no doubt that this artist is has an incredible ability to incorporate his native ‘twang’ into his Hip Hop verses. One of his latest singles, Bragginz/Benz, highlights this artist’s versatility. Listen Below, and be sure to subscribe!
His advice to upcoming artists
“Stay being you and true to whom you are, never let your worth be defined by the stereotypes of the world or what you see on social media. Being black and authentic is a great privilege which will bring forth great scrutiny and hate, but never let that hinder you from accomplishing the big dreams you are aiming for”.
Throughout history, black culture has been known to influence all genres of music. Having had such an influence on the very musical cultures of our oppressors, only to be targeted by those influenced, should only give you even more courage to stand with your own and cement your very will to exceed all expectations within the music industry. Young Luiy has taken this thought to heart as he sets his sights on future projects.
What’s Next for this island artist?
Growth. His hopes are to continue expanding his platform both regionally and internationally. He is also the father to a 2 year old son; his heir and driving force, Aahron Howell. Chris is on a mission to bring the international spotlight to Hip Hop and R&B music in the Caribbean. He is confident that one day, the world will acknowledge the hard work and dedication of talented artists in this corner of the world.
“We are so much more than just Dancehall, Reggae, and Soca. There is so much more here than beautiful vacation spots. It’s time the world knew that we have so much more to offer.”
I am an entrepreneur. My main interest is to garner my people together both financially, mentally, spiritually so that we can all win!
BWM 
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