Young Reid is working hard to become one of North Carolina A&T’s most notable student artist. The passion he has for his craft is like no other. Meet the rapper who is putting hard work into his music and education!
The North Carolina A&T campus has a plethora of talented students. These students are not putting their dreams on hold while they pursue a degree. Instead, they are fulfilling both passions. One of those students is Reid Swann, better known as artist Young Reid, a native of Winston, North Carolina. I sat down with Reid in the student center to find out what made him the artist he is today.
Music has been a part of Reid’s life since he was young. In the eighth grade, he started to seriously pursue music and began working in the recording studio. Now, he is working hard to become a well-known and successful rapper.
Reid describes his sound as a mix of east and west coast styles. Some artists that inspire Young Reid are rappers Da Baby and Lil Yachty. In 2016, Reid met Lil Yachty who told him encouraging words about being yourself as an artist. Da baby inspires Reid by being authentic and another example that artists can make it out of North Carolina and be successful. Recently Reid opened up for artist Stunna 4 Vegas.
As an upcoming artist in college, Reid has experienced many challenges. One valuable thing he has learned is that some people will not always be supportive. “People mistake growth for acting funny.” he said. The obstacles he faces only push him to work harder. In the future Young Reid wants to keep improving his industry knowledge. One of his biggest goals is to start his own record label. “You hear about rappers going broke you don’t hear about a broke record label executive.” said Reid.
“I’m not a wanna-be, I’m gonna be.” is a saying that Reid says as motivation to pursue his passions. Reid is a sophomore social work student. Social work is a passion that grew from spending most of his life in Winston, North Carolina. He has seen the effects of gang violence in his own community and even lost friends due to senseless acts. Reid aspires to be a positive change in his community and hopes that his music career will give him a chance to give back.
Young Reid recently performed at NC A&T’s SUAB block party on Thursday, September 12th. He be performed his most popular song “Outta Luck”. Young Reid’s music can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, Spinrilla, Youtube and other music streaming platforms. Follow Young Reid on Instagram @theofficialyoungreid and Twitter @_youngreid_ .