YOUNG Slo-Be was an American rapper from Stockton, California – the location where he got his start performing for others in his neighborhood.
A rapper with plenty of talent, Young Slo-Be went viral for his 2018 song Smurkish Wayz on SoundCloud and YouTube.
Who was Young Slo-Be?
Young Slo-Be, whose real name was Disean Jaquae Victor, had kept much of his life a secret, leaving his age and past partially unknown.
“I tell people [my age] all the time,” Slo-Be told Spin. “I’m 2100.”
His devotion to the 2100 block on Nightingale Avenue, also known as The G, in Central California came out in his music and his mindset.
As a kid, Young Slo-Be watched his uncle pursue a musical career in San Diego and watched his father who frequently rapped, although neither made it beyond their respective locale.
His relationship with his father never extended beyond that of sharing a gene pool, Young Slo-Be told Passion Weiss, adding that he was raised by women.
“With my pops, we didn’t have a cool relationship, to be real. He was always the tough n***a on us. He was a street n***a, so he didn’t really know how to be a father. He taught me the street shit though,” he told the outlet.
But for his mom, he said she tried to set a good example and keep him out of trouble.
“She worked a 9-5. She worked; she wasn’t selling no dope or none of that sh**. She’s street smart, but she wasn’t a street woman. She always wanted her kids to do good.”
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It wasn’t until he walked in on his dad’s studio that Young Slo-Be got the inspiration to make a career out of his music, he said.
The studio door was left open and he recorded a song he had written while his dad was away.
By 2018, he was taking things more seriously.
“I didn’t take it serious until 3 or 4 years ago. That’s why we’re here now,” he said.
“I was just out recording and keeping the music in; I never put it out and tried to be like, ‘I’m a rapper, y’all.’
“I didn’t really care because I didn’t believe some record label would come down and be like, “Ayo, you’re hard. We’re gonna sign you.’”
How did Young Slo-Be go viral?
Young Slo-Be’s musical career finally kicked off when he went viral on TikTok for his song, I Love You.
He told Passion Weiss he hadn’t known it had happened, and it was his daughter who told him.
“My daughter had to show me, ‘Look,’ before it got to two thousand, and I’m like, ‘What the fuck? I’m on TikTok.’
“She’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re going up. They’ve got your song.’ Then, little do you know, it kept going up – two thousand, four thousand, ten…”
He never expected the fame, he said, and never expected he would go viral on TikTok, a platform that he didn’t have a presence on.
The skyrocketing fame showed Young Slo-Be the power of social media and surprised him at how quickly it happened.
“It showed me anything is possible, just keep working. On the other hand, I wasn’t aiming for no TikTok; it could be a hit-and-miss because they probably won’t go on to the next shit,” he said.
What was Young Slo-Be’s last project?
Young Slo-Be released his newest project, Southeast, on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud in June 2022. It was his last project before he died.
The inspiration came directly from Stockton and is a tribute to what his life there is like.
“It’s nothing major; it’s self-explanatory – Southeast,” he said.
“Where in Stockton? That’s what we on. … I f**k with this tape. I ain’t the best rapper in the world, but I do me. Hopefully, they f**k with me for me.”
He continued: “You just want people to know you for you and the art you’re putting out.
“Put your time and effort in and motherf***as are going to appreciate that shit.”
As his success grows, Young Slo-Be wants to keep the momentum moving forward. He wants to keep rapping and keeping making music that his fans will enjoy.
“I’m a king,” he said. “I handle what I’ve got to handle and I’m still hunnit proof. If you know, you know.”
How did Young Slo-Be die?
The rapper was reportedly shot and killed, as confirmed by Tyrese Johnson, Operations Manager at Thizzler On The Roof.
Thizzler On The Roof had worked with the rapper since 2020.
“From early on we knew that his work ethic and the care he put into his artistry would take him very far,” Johnson said.
“We had high hopes for Young Slo-Be’s career and looked forward to doing more great work together.”
