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Yung Pooda Releases “Drop” Music Video
Yung Pooda is set to drop the highly-anticipated video for his new song, “Drop” today, Friday, May 6, at 10AM ET. After featuring Yung Pooda as a Fresh Face Friday artist over the last year, BET Jams & BET Hip Hop are giving Pooda the star treatment by premiering his video and playing it throughout the day. The video was shot in Houston and marks the second time that Pooda has collaborated with famed director, Mr. Boomtown.
Last week, KBXX (The Box), the #1 hip-hop radio station in Pooda’s hometown, Houston kicked off the new single campaign by premiering the song just before its release. Since then the energetic single has landed on top hip-hop playlists on Apple Music’s Get Up and Go, Hip Hop Workout, The New South and Base:Line playlists as accolades continue to roll in for “Drop.” Earmilk raves, “[f]ollowing the success of his breakthrough track ‘Forever Tippin,” Yung Pooda continues to achieve admirable milestones as an independent artist and pay homage to his Houston roots. He has amassed a significant following on social media along with a viral freestyle.
In 2019, Yung Pooda found himself at a crossroads between the streets and the studio. After performing alongside legends such as Boosie Badazz, Slim Thug, and Z-Ro, recording with platinum icon Paul Wall, and igniting a buzz of his own throughout the country, the Houston rapper made an important pledge to himself. His pledge changed the course of everything follow in its wake.
Long before this vow, hip-hop called to him as a kid in Orange, TX. Pooda’s mother bumped Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray” throughout the one-bedroom and one-bathroom house built by his grandfather that he and his mom shared with his grandma. As he puts it, “I used to go nuts to that song!” He used to listen to classics from OutKast, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Master P, Ludacris, DJ Screw, and more. When Pooda visited dad, pops actually built a home studio at his spot to cook up beats and DJ. Growing up, he practiced his skills on the mic and sharpened the wordplay, developing a signature style. He sent shockwaves through the city after a successful showcase, earning endorsements from the likes of DJ Hi-C of Houston’s 97.9 The BOX who said, “He’s always been a lyricist.” Inciting local excitement, he performed multiple tour dates with Boosie Badazz and teamed up with Paul Wall for the single “Beat Up The Block.”
Relocating to Prairie View, he moved into a two-story house with his cousin and two friends where they “were trapping and getting money, but shit got too hectic.” At this point, he reset everything. “There were fights, threats, and all types of shit,” he recalls. “I ended up saying that prayer.”
His music made its way to Jeff Aronson, CEO of It’s A 10 Records, a boutique label, who immediately signed him in 2019. In 2020, Pooda made waves on Tik Tok and mix show radio with the release of his first single, “Repeat Dat” which was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning duo Cool & Dre [JAY-Z, Beyoncé, Nas] along with a reflective song, “Lies Told”- his thoughtful response to social unrest and police brutality. In 2021, he released “Chicken N Grits” a critically acclaimed single that elevated him to the forefront. C&G earned over 30 million Tik Tok views, was the #4 “Most Added” song at urban radio and is in rotation at BET Jams, Revolt and YO! MTV Raps. For his next offering Yung Poodapartnered with DJ Chose on “Forever Tippin,” which gave a new school feel to the Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Slim Thug classic “Still Tippin,” Pooda amassed his third, consecutive, hit in less than one year. Also produced by Cool and Dre, the track garnered over three million views on You Tube and received a heavy-hitting stamp of acclaim since its release this past June with plugs from The Source, Hip Hop DX, Kazi Magazine as Houston Press stated “Pooda’s ‘Forever Tippin’ pays homage not only to the track’s original stars, but to the uniquely Houston rap sound they pioneered.” Moreover, the track entered the Mainstream R&B/ Hip Hop Airplays Charts on Billboard and earned the #1 most added via Urban Radio during its release as Pooda earned the achievement as the #2 most discovered artist on Shazam.
In the end, Pooda fulfills every promise and leaves his mark on the culture in the process. “When you listen to me, I want you to feel enlightened and great,” he leaves off. “I hope you relate to the emotion and know you’re not alone. I’m young enough to make mistakes and old enough to know better. I’m telling my story. I’m human.”