YMTK 2014 Brownies & Lemonade stage

Murphy Jewell Holmes II (YMTK) was raised in east Oakland, CA. Perhaps it was his mother’s gospel singing prowess that eventually led him to music, but despite Young Murph’s inherent gift for song, it was basketball that first inspired him and earned the second part of his name, “the kidd” – homage to fellow Oakland product, Jason Kidd.

After an injury, basketball led YMTK to the University of Santa Cruz, where he began honing his musical craft with two students who went on to create the RCA pop band, 2AM Club. With them, he aggressively developed his musical talents – writing, playing shows and testing the limits of his abilities as both a singer and a rapper. When YMTK moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time after graduation, what began as a creative outlet proved to fully represent his professional potential.

To put it simply, YMTK pushes the envelope of musicality in hip-hop. He has always been more out-of-the-box than his roots suggest, and his music reflects that he has a style uniquely his own. YMTK’s professional career began as a songwriter, but he has since demonstrated that his solo work fills a niche that hasn’t been tapped by other artists of this generation. His live performances alone consistently captivate fans and industry insiders alike.

Indisputable talent and continued rapport with rising stars have filled YMTK’s resume with collaborations with some of the most popular artists coming out of CA. He has worked with the Cataracs (#1 hit “Fly Like a G6”), IAMSU! of the HBK movement, Clyde Carson, The Pack, and Nic Nac, producer of YMTK’s first album and nationwide hit “143,” performed by Bobby Brackins and Ray J.

MTV and VH1 recently cosigned YMTK by heavily featuring his songs in primetime programming. The demand for YMTK music is further emphasized by packed floors at his performances throughout the US and abroad in Australia. It is no small thing that YMTK has attracted hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.