Young Scrap

Young Scrap first drew breath in Los Angeles, where his childhood propensity for physical confrontations earned him the nickname that stuck. Before reaching his teens he had already logged countless hours studying tap and modern dance inside his aunt’s studio, yet he still felt compelled to demonstrate street toughness among neighborhood peers. Throughout adolescence he navigated two separate spheres, absorbing raw hip-hop alongside friends while simultaneously performing alongside Debbie Allen and Savion Glover. An introduction to street dancer Tommy the Clown finally bridged those worlds; Scrap appeared on one of Tommy’s DVDs and joined the associated dance crew until a relocation to Maryland’s Greenbelt/Fulton district shut that chapter down. Turning solely to music, he connected with his uncle’s label and cut the album Puppy Power during his sophomore year of high school. Although the regional success of that project attracted major-label interest, he declined offers until the right contract materialized at age nineteen from Universal Music Group. In 2009 the imprint issued his first national single, the swaggering, Usher-flavored “Melody.” While preparing his debut album he promoted the track via the mixtape Cali Prince and by serving as opening act for singer Lloyd on tour.