“Yo this is Yung DB, you’re listening to ‘Ride or Die’ on WTBU Radio, the beat of Boston University.”
Lauren, also known as Yung DB, a junior in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences studying Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, has been a part of WTBU for five semesters. This is her fourth semester spinning beats as DJ. Last year, she worked with three DJ friends (DJ Scallywag, DJ Dingus and DJ Vomit) to create a concept for a new radio show, “Ride or Die,” which comes live on-air Friday nights 10 p.m. to midnight. The show’s theme is skater music—punk, hardcore, hip-hop and experimental electronic. Lauren describes the genre as the kind of music you’d expect to hear in a Tony Hawk video game.
A typical Friday night at WTBU for Lauren is as follows:
1. Play some crazy music she’s found within the past week on her playlist
2. Dance
3. Get on-air with co-DJs to talk about the most random of topics—ranging from the weather to Danny DeVito
4. Play some more crazy music
5. Take calls from listeners, whether they be friends or trolls
6. More dance party
Lauren says she and her DJs run their BU radio show like organized chaos. Although they follow the clock schedule, there isn’t a structured rotation. When they’re there, the goal is just have a good time. Lauren loves being a part of WTBU because to her, the show is like a party. She’s close with all her co-DJs and she can just be herself. She’s always learning about new and interesting artists and is able to stay informed about local concerts and shows.
Crazy things tend to happen in the studio during “Ride or Die.” Once, Lauren had a rap battle live on air with a caller. Another time, she brought in a local Boston rapper as a live in-studio guest. Lauren had been following this rapper, OG Swagger****, for the past year on Twitter and reached out to him to visit the show. To her surprise, he agreed to join and brought a bunch of his rapper friends, who all performed a live, on-air epic cypher session. That same night, Michael Christmas, a Boston-based rapper getting his big break in LA, called OG and the “Ride or Die” DJs talked to him on-air through OG’s phone. A week later, she and her DJ friends went to OG’s show at the Middle East in Allston and hung out with him after the performance. With a smile, she recalls how cool it felt to be able to say they knew the headliner personally.
Lauren first got involved with WTBU her second semester freshmen year when she interned on the show, “Left of the Dial.” She knew she had an interest in music but didn’t have an outlet to share music with others and talk about the music industry. Now, the friends Lauren made through WTBU have inspired her to begin writing and producing her own music. She began writing raps in November and to-date she’s performed three raps on air on various WTBU shows. Lauren and her friend have started a female rap movement. Currently they have an mp3 recording of the song “Juicy Booty” and they recently filmed a music video to accompany the track, which should be released in within the next couple of months.
Lauren focuses her raps on the importance of being a strong and independent female. She’s largely influenced by artist Kreayshawn, and other female rap artists (such as Azealia Banks and Dej Loaf), particularly those who promote their work and brand creatively and authentically. She thinks there is a need for more of these kinds of female artists, especially in such a male-dominated industry.
At the end of the interview, she asked me if she could give some life advice from Yung DB. Here’s what she has to say: “Don’t worry about the haters—just keep doin’ you. And STOP WITH ALL THE DRAMA. Also, call your mom more; she misses you. Stay swaggin’.”
Follow Lauren on Instagram and listen to her on SoundCloud—she promises she’s uploading her original music soon!
Listen to WTBU anytime at this link.