For Yung Slink, music isn’t just a passion — it’s heritage. It’s family. It’s therapy. It’s legacy in real time. From listening to old rap albums with his dad, to learning the guitar through his brother’s influence, music has always been woven into the fabric of his life. But for Slink, the genre that pulled at his heart the most was hip-hop.

“I mostly fell in love with the culture of hip-hop,” he says. “The first rap verse I ever learned word for word was Eminem’s third verse on Love the Way You Lie. After that, I just thought — ‘man, I wanna rap something I wrote myself.’ That was the start of everything.”

Influenced by Blood, Classics, and Chaos

Yung Slink credits his dad and older brother Emilio as his earliest musical influences. But beyond the household speakers, it was a blend of raw energy and storytelling that shaped his taste. He soaked in the golden age of rap — 2Pac, Biggie, Wayne, Bone Thugs, NWA, Wu-Tang — and connected with the intensity of artists like Eminem, Maino, and Nine Double M.

“I was obsessed with the Up in Smoke and Anger Management tour DVDs,” he remembers. “They made me want to do this.”

Then came the SoundCloud era — a movement Slink lived through and, in many ways, still carries. “I was such an old head back then, I didn’t appreciate it in the moment. But X? He was always different. XXXTentacion was my whole personality in high school. Then came Trippie, Denzel, Juice, Uzi, Corae — that era was just special.”

Today, Slink’s influences reflect both growth and groundedness. “I still ride for Em and X,” he says, “but now I’m playing more J. Cole, Tyler, BigXthaPlug, Billie Eilish, That Mexican OT. And that new Clipse album? Crazy.”

Becoming Yung Slink

The name Yung Slink is more than a rap alias — it’s a tribute. “My dad’s always been known as Slink or Slink Dawg. That was his nickname from the homies — tall, lanky dude. It became his stage name for a while, but life happened and he didn’t take it far.”

Out of respect and a desire to carry the legacy forward, Yung Slink took the name and made it his own. “I’ll always be the young Slink,” he says. “That’s who I am. It just made sense.”

The Process and the Pain

Creatively, Slink is fluid. Inspiration can strike from anywhere — a memory, a deep emotion, or even a random joke from Family Guy. “I usually write and record at the same time — kind of punching in, but I prefer writing it down. I’ve even started streaming my recording sessions on Twitch, so people can see the process raw. That’s @yungslinkdmg — same handle everywhere.”

Among his catalog, few songs hit as hard as the one titled “What Does Heroin Have That I Don’t.” It’s a brutally honest track, pulling from a place of deep emotional pain. “It’s hard for me to even listen to that one. If you’ve heard it, you know why. It’s real, maybe too real sometimes.”

Repping Duke City

Yung Slink’s latest single, “The Duke,” is a love letter to his hometown — Albuquerque, New Mexico. “It’s about putting the culture of Duke City into a song. I know I can’t capture everything, but maybe it can be an anthem — something that makes people proud if they’re from here, or curious if they’re not.”

The track is also a lead single for his upcoming album, Return to Sender, the final chapter in a trilogy that started with Notes From a Broken Heart in 2020 and continued with A Letter to the Melody in 2023.

“This new project is on a whole different level. Better production, more polish, and some serious features — Futuristic, Samad Savage. Lada L.C is on nearly every beat, and we even got Kyle Beats producing Mr. December. It’s easily my best work yet.”

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Legacy in the Making

For Yung Slink, music has always been there — through family, pain, identity, and growth. And now, it’s his turn to give something back.

Whether he’s writing from his wounds, repping his city, or just vibing in a late-night Twitch stream, one thing’s clear — this isn’t just music.

This is Slink’s story — and he’s just getting started.