Photo courtesy of Get Fokus’D Productions
The lucky number seven represents spiritual progression in Buddhism, completion and perfection in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and God in Supreme Mathematics. Buffalo, New York emcee Y.N.X.716 (Young Nice X) recently dropped an album that he titled “Peace 7.” On the release, the raspy voiced rapper paints pictures of his life over dusty and soulful samples.
Peace 7 is a 12-track album featuring Aaqil Ali, 7xvethegenius, Henny Da Don, Cheena Black, and Coach Kandaka. The project is produced by Casso Beats, Sterneis, Gemini Soundz, 401 Life, PA. Dre, Slide Beatz, and Y.N.X himself.
The Real Hip-Hop talked to Y.N.X.716 about dealing with naysayers on the underground Hip-Hop scene, why he fears failure, and his new album, Peace 7.
TRHH: Why’d you call the new album Peace 7?
Y.N.X.716: So, it’s been a journey I would say. I would say it was a lot of turmoil on this journey making it to where I am today being a full-time artist. It was a tough time for me, so I associate the calm after the storm with peace. So, Peace and then 7, because I believe in numerology and things of that nature. So, Peace 7 means ‘peace for me’ based off what I was going through. Just finding that peace within myself.
TRHH: What kind of struggles did you have?
Y.N.X.716: Being an independent artist and trying to figure things out I received a grant back in 2022. Prior to that I was working the normal job, but when I received the grant I basically started doing music full-time. At that point it was 2022, I received the grant that paid me a salary to be an artist and once 2024 was up I had to decide what I was going to do. Whether I was going to go back to banking or was I gonna take the risk and just continue doing music. Long story short, I just continued doing music. I never went back to a regular job and so now I’m not getting paid from nobody else. Whatever I do is going to determine how I’m going to be able to sustain – so, finances. Long story short, I just took the risk. I got responsibilities and things like that and I just believed in it so much that I just said if I go back to work I’m gonna feel like I’m going backwards.
So, I’m just going to take that leap of faith and whatever happens just happens. January 5th of 2025 was when I really had to really focus in. I basically just continued to apply for grants. I was doing teaching, so I was teaching mental health workshops and things like that. That’s how I was making money. I got to a point where things were coming up, things I had to pay for, and things just happening in life. I was just about to run out of money in June and I had to make a big purchase like June 7th. June 25th, I received an e-mail about a grant that I applied for back in November 2024. I ended up getting the grant and that carried me through the rest of the year. I’ve been really just leaning on faith and really believing in myself and taking risks to make things happen.
TRHH: On the song “Seeing Souls” you say, “They use the misery within to stunt your growth.” Explain what you mean with that lyric.
Y.N.X.716: Sure, basically people around you. A lot of times if you’re looking to get into something that’s not the normal college, working a job, etc., you get to a point where people take their failures and their misery and stunt your growth with what you could be doing. A lot of people like to cast their fears on you and then you don’t end up pursuing whatever your dream is.
TRHH: Similarly, there is a song called “How Did I Lose?” on the album where you say, “Don’t compare me to them underground spitters/’Cause they all naysayers that can’t come around with us.” Why do you think all underground rappers are naysayers?
Y.N.X.716: Not all, just the ones that I’m in conversation with. I’m in a collective Dusty Souls – me and Aaqil Ali, so when I say “they can’t come around with us” meaning we have a different message than everybody else. Everything is typical in the underground. They’re going to say what sounds good instead of what’s right. That’s what I meant in regards to naysayers because they’re saying things that don’t hold any substance. Not the whole underground because I have a people within the underground that I work closely with that are on the same type of time, but the majority of it is like copy/paste. Everybody wants to get on, so they’re gonna do whatever they feel is popular to see if they can take them to that next level that they’re looking to get to.
TRHH: You put your own twist on a Jay-Z classic with “Imaginary Rappers.” Why’d you decide to touch on that song?
Y.N.X.716: I feel like they label Hip-Hop as not like the essence of Hip-Hop anymore. It’s like the melodic rapping. Initially Cardi B did “Imaginary Players” and re-did it. She basically took his whole cadence. I listen to the original all the time, “Imaginary Playmates.” I found this sample and then I ended up flipping it the way that I heard it and then I did “Imaginary Rappers” because the way that the industry is now they make these rappers and that’s not even who they are, so, it’s Imaginary Rappers. It was more so for shock value because she just dropped a song, I know everybody was listening to her version, but it was like if you dropped something around the time where it’s popular, then from there you can kind of take it and utilize the algorithm in your favor.
TRHH: On the song “Love” you have a lyric that says “everything I’m fearing is a mind trick.” What exactly do you fear?
Y.N.X.716: Failure. Failure is the main thing. It’s pretty much a trick based off of how we came up. Any trauma and things like that, that was passed down to us either by a parent or in the real world, it’s basically tricking your mind to feel like you’re going to fail before you even try from taking a risk. I’ve been looking to music full-time for a while, but I finally got the opportunity to where I was secure and also able to take the risk fully. A lot of times I hear people say “don’t quit your job” which I understand now, because it’s tough.
It’s been a journey trying to figure everything out because every day I wake up I have to figure out how I’m going to make money to continue to sustain. I’ve definitely found other aspects and other avenues, that’s why I feel like I’m definitely a very unique situation, because I’m not just a rapper. I have to be an entrepreneur because rapping don’t always pay. Everybody can make it look like they’re making money, but they’re not always making money from this.
TRHH: You mentioned not just being a rapper, tell me about Pen Your Pain and Sampling in Symmetry.
Y.N.X.716: Absolutely, so what I mentioned earlier was the grant of 2022 that I received, so, what ended up happening was it was a large New York State grant that was made to help artists that were struggling from COVID because you couldn’t travel or anything like that. So, within that time frame I was working with a nonprofit that I did workshops in the community with children. At that point I developed my own workshop to be able to provide to the youth as a service for the community. Pen Your Pain came about from that aspect of me getting the grant and doing the workshops, but also what originally got me into music, which was using things to write things down to channel my emotions. I turned that into a workshop to where I worked with youth as well as adults. Basically, it breaks down your emotions. First you give yourself your emotions survey, so you survey how you feel.
Everybody’s different, but mostly when you wake up you just wake up and do what you have to do. You’re not even thinking about how you feel, you just know, “hey, I have to do this.” So, with the emotion survey it’s like, “How do you feel today from a scale of 1 to 10 and why?” Because now you have to identify how you’re feeling before you go on with your day, because if you just hold it in like, “I gotta go to work, I can’t even think about that,” now it’s built up stress that you’re putting on yourself. I developed that during the grant and Sampling in Symmetry came about when I taught myself how to sample beats. I’ll go to Goodwill, find different samples and things of that nature, and then I’ll find a part and then I’ll sample it. Basically, Sampling in Symmetry is sampling, making that symmetry, and basically making a full song based off of what you sampled.
TRHH: Who is the Peace 7 album made for?
Y.N.X.716: Really made for myself. Usually when I’m going through a transition phase, or a stress phase, or if I’m coming out of stress I usually will prepare an album because sometimes the mind is not really clear. A lot of those songs are like songs that I’ve done years ago that I just want to get out, because I just have to make room for the next batch of songs. But it’s for me, it’s for people that are entrepreneurs, it’s for people that’s unsure and uncertain about the path. I’ve been learning to embrace it and just know that you’re on the right path and continue on, no matter if it looks realistic or not. Like I said, January 2025, so it’s been like a year and a month since I’ve gotten money given to me. Every time I made money it was earned, either from a workshop or me networking to be able to do what I have to do. Peace 7 is for anybody that needs peace. You can replace it where you can take off 7 and put yourself, because it applies to everybody and it’s basically about overcoming the difficulties.
Purchase: Y.N.X.716 – Peace 7