Yung Berg Previews Debut Album
Epic Records opened its studio doors last Wednesday to host Yung Berg’s listening session for his debut, Look What You Made Me. The album, available August 12th, features the company of Eve, Trey Songz, Lloyd, Amerie, Shawnna, Twista, Collie Buddz, and Ray J; the latter made an appearance at the event to show his support for the rapper. As tracks like “The Business” featuring Casha and “Sexy Can I” featuring Ray J echoed throughout the studio, models sashayed around the spacious room serving Hennessy mojitos and Sexy Ladies—a Hennessy specialty drink—to guests as they anticipated the man of the hour’s arrival.
When Berg finally arrived, he and his entourage stood before the microphone introducing each of his records. The 23-year-old Chicago native sat on a stool and revealed the story behind the making of each track. He referred to “Do That There” featuring Dude ‘N’ Nem as the street single, a record reminiscent of T.I.’s “Big Things Poppin’” because of its Southern flair, while “Victory Lap” featuring Eve and Collie Buddz, has a beat strictly for East Coast hip-hop lovers. Other joints on the album glide to the West, but then rest right back in the Chi. Though he represents the Windy City, the sound Yung Berg expels on his album transcends his region. He’s cultivated his brand of hip-pop, taken his experiences from dwelling in Chicago, New Jersey, Montana, and Los Angeles, to make an album which leads him to profess, “Ay ya’ll, Look What You Made Me!”Â
–Angela M. Barrett in New York