Best Thang Smokin'

Young Dro – a new hero of the Southern rap school

Djuan Hart, professionally known as Young Dro, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1979 to a poor large family. He began writing raps since 9th grade and about that time had to survive a hard trial: at the age of 16 Hart got shot in the stomach and the back and it took him almost a year to recover. The shot seems to have seasoned Young Dro so well, that he spent the following years committing minor crimes and doing time, and soon became a respected rapper among the Southern brethren. By the end of 2002 his independent single Yes Sir and regional album I Got That Dro have been highly appreciated by the Atlanta audience and earned the young artist a decent fan base. His long-time friend T.I. later signed him to his label Grand Hustle, and this August Hart has released his debut label LP called Best Thang Smokin’. Every rap fan in the South agrees that Young Dro has a talent to express himself and write harsh lines, and now Best Thang Smokin’ can make the rapper known to a wider audience. Lead single Shoulder Lean has gained popularity in no time, and is often played on radio and at clubs. Obviously, the Southern rap school has found its new hero in Young Dro’s face and he’s about to maintain the reputation.

With Best Thang Smokin’ everything is only beginning for Young Dro

Due to the production from such experienced rappers as Jazze Pha, Chad West, Keith Mack and Grand Hustle’s Khao and Lil C the album Best Thang Smokin’ presents a brilliant example of powerful sounding and perfectly performed arrangements, characterizing the modern rap scene. Young Dro’s manner of writing the texts attracts much attention for his lyrics are always shining with one-liners or amaze with how much of himself he is contributing to this or that song. The opener They Don't Really Know Bout Dro is meant to introduce the rapper to the audience and give a general idea of what his music is like, and further he mostly adheres the chosen themes talking of chic cars, drugs and guns, many rappers’ beloved sibjects. Although while listening to most songs on Best Thang Smokin’ one understands that Young Dro is a real gangsta – check out the tracks U Don't See Me with Slim Thug and Gangsta – there are a few softer and more personal creations on the record. On We Lied the rapper tells about a relationship based on mutual dishonesty, it is one of the few songs devoted to love from the bellicose rapper, and Hear Me Cry, the softest composition on the album, is devoted to the lost friends and hard times Young Dro has had in his life, refining the record with a significant portion of personal feelings. Judging by the promise in the title of the final song It Ain't Over, one can easily state that with Best Thang Smokin’ everything is only for Young Dro.

Young Dro has chosen his way in life

T.I. has been trying to sign Young Dro since the end of the nineties, but different troubles prevented the event. Since the rapper is included into the number of the first artists to be signed to T.I.’s label, much hope is laid on him, and Best Thang Smokin’ is the best means to persuade the skeptics that he is not about to defeat it. Shoulder Lean is one of the most popular hip-hop songs in America today, and there are plenty of songs on the album to share its destiny. Young Dro’s sincere performance and original texts are like a breath of fresh air for many rap fans, and at the same time the best traditions of the genre are preserved on the new record. Life has not been too kind to Djuan Hart but it seems now his worst times are left behind. He has got a priceless experience and can now teach many younger brothers what can expect them in future and how to remain strong under any circumstances. Soft ballads speak of the fact that Young Dro has not completely lost his ability to feel the deepest emotions and besides he demonstrates enough wisdom in the question of relations with the opposite sex. On the whole, however, Best Thang Smokin’ is a tough and often hostile album, leaving no doubt that Young Dro has chosen his way in life and is not likely to turn away from it in the nearest future.