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Your Old Droog
Your Old Droog performing in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Dmitry Kutsenko
Also known as	YOD Y.O.D. Droog Krutoy Tvoy
Born	1989 (age 34–35) Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper record producer
Years active	2013–present
Labels	Droog Recordings Mongoloid Banks/Gogul Mogul Nature Sounds
Website	Official site

Dmitry Kutsenko, known by his stage name Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-published debut EP was actually recorded by veteran New York rapper Nas under an alter ego, before revealing himself in August of that year as a 25-year-old Ukrainian American. His self-titled debut album was released digitally on November 25, 2014. The name "Droog" comes from the Ukrainian word 'друг' meaning "friend".

Biography

Droog's family emigrated to the United States from Ukraine when he was four years old. His family was Jewish, and his first language was Russian. As a young rap enthusiast growing up in Brooklyn, Droog first developed his craft in lunchroom battles in school.

In April 2014, he released the song "Nutty Bars", which generated a significant amount of buzz due to comparisons to Nas and the otherwise lack of information about the artist. The speculation began after Sacha Jenkins, a longtime associate of Nas, made a short positive review of the rapper on Mass Appeal with the sub-heading "Who is this guy? None of your damn business! Just enjoy the music and stop asking questions." The 10-song Your Old Droog EP was released soon after in June on SoundCloud, produced by Droog and RTNC (later known as Mono En Stereo ). In August, Droog revealed himself in an interview with The New Yorker and soon showed his face for the first time in a video of him freestyling. At the time, he embraced the publicity and speculation regarding his identity, expressing that "This is like my street team, why would I stop free publicity?" He played his first concert on September 3 to a sold-out crowd at Webster Hall. His debut self-titled album was released digitally on November 26, which included the 10 songs from the EP along with 8 new songs produced by EL RTNC. A limited edition of the album was released on vinyl shortly before the digital release.

Kinison EP, Your Old Droog's second EP, was released on February 4, 2015, again on SoundCloud. Kinison's lyrical theme is that of Droog's appreciation of rock music as a child, with songs named after Rage Against the Machine, Porno for Pyros, and Sonic Youth. That February and March, Your Old Droog supported DJ Premier and Royce da 5'9" on their PRhyme Tour. Your Old Droog's third EP, The Nicest, was released on July 17, 2015.

In February 2017, Your Old Droog released What Happened to Fire?, an EP in collaboration with Ratking rapper Wiki. Later that month, Packs, Droog's second full-length album, was announced to be released on March 10, 2017. To coincide with the announcement, a music video for the album's single "Help" was released, featuring Wiki and Edan.

Droog released three full-length albums in 2019, with It Wasn't Even Close, Transportation, and Jewelry. It Wasn't Even Close was produced by Mach-Hommy and came out on April 20, 2019, featuring appearances by DOOM, and Wiki. Transportation was produced again by Mono En Stereo and was released in June. Jewelry was released on December 23, 2019, featuring collaborations with the album's executive producer Mach-Hommy as well as DOOM, Matisyahu, Quelle Chris, Edan, and Cohen Beats. The album is a celebration of his Jewish heritage, labeled a "A Chanukah Celebration" with Your Old Droog stating "I'm no longer going to diminish my heritage for your comfort, some people hate simply for the sake of hating, let them crumble under the weight of that burden...we will celebrate light and life...I'm a Jew in America. This is my story. Shalom."

Artistry and influences

Your Old Droog has been extensively compared to fellow New York rapper Nas, to the point of theories being developed that his debut EP was actually recorded by Nas under an alter ego. Droog has appreciated the comparison and deemed it a compliment; he also named Big Daddy Kane, Big L, and Kool G Rap as influences, as well as Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Cassidy, and Lloyd Banks. He has named MF DOOM as one of his favorites, from whom he has learned his approach to privacy as a rapper in the public eye.

Discography

Studio albums

• Your Old Droog (2014)
• Packs (2017)
• It Wasn't Even Close (2019)
• Transportation (2019)
• Jewelry (2019)
• Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition (2020)
• Time (2021)
• Space Bar (2021)
• Movie (2024)

Collaboration albums

• Tha Wolf on Wall St. (with Tha God Fahim) (2021)
• Tha YOD Fahim (with Tha God Fahim) (2021)
• Tha Wolf on Wall St. 2: The American Dream (with Tha God Fahim) (2022)

Extended plays

• Your Old Droog EP (2014)
• Kinison (2015)
• The Nicest (2015)
• What Happened to Fire? (with Wiki) (2017)
• Looseys (2017)
• YOD Wave (2022)
• Yod Stewart (2022)
• Yodney Dangerfield (2022)
• The Yodfather (2022)
• YOD Presents: The Shining (2022)

Singles

As lead artist

Guest appearances

Other songs

References

1. ^ Calloway, Sway (Interviewer) (November 26, 2014). Your Old Droog Talks Nas Comparisons and Coming Up Battle Rapping in 1st On-Camera Interview. Sway's Universe. YouTube. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
2. ^ Caramanica, Jon (September 14, 2014). "Unmasked, a Rapper Exults in Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
3. ^ Kang, Jay Caspian (August 25, 2014). "Nas Is Not Your Old Droog". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
4. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (November 17, 2014). "New York Rap Enigma Your Old Droog Plots LP Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
5. "Your Old Droog Returns with Ukraine". Shorefire.com.
6. ^ Tosiello, Pete (March 17, 2017). "Your Old Droog Isn't Nas, and That's the Way He Likes It". Spin. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
7. Jenkins, Sacha (April 29, 2014). "YOUR OLD DROOG "NUTTY BARS"". Mass Appeal. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
8. ^ Scott, Data (June 30, 2019). "Review: Your Old Droog Drives To Next Level Lyricism On "Transportation" LP". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
9. Bobb, Maurice (August 26, 2014). "Watch Your Old Droog Put Those 'Nas in Disguise' Rumors to Rest". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
10. "CHOPPED HERRING RECORDS welcomes to the label, the dopest new act outta NYC". Chopped Herring Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014. ORDERS WILL SHIP FROM THE 27th OCTOBER.
11. ^ Frydenlund, Zach (February 4, 2015). "Stream Your Old Droog's "Kinison" EP". Complex. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
12. Breihan, Tom (February 4, 2015). "Download Your Old Droog Kinison Mixtape". Stereogum. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
13. Emmanuel C.M. (February 27, 2017). "Your Old Droog, Wiki and Edan Take Out the Trash in "Help" Video". XXL. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
14. "Your Old Droog Drops Surprise Album 'It Wasn't Even Close,' ft. DOOM, Mach-Hommy, Wiki, and More". okayplayer. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
15. ^ "Your Old Droog Releases 'Jewelry': Listen". Stereogum. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
16. "Your Old Droog 'Jewelry' Album Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
17. "Jewelry (MP3)". Your Old Droog. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
18. "Your Old Droog announces new album, shares "Meteor Man" featuring Lil Ugly Mane and billy woods". Thefader.com. November 15, 2021.
19. "Looseys, by Your Old Droog". Daupe.bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
20. "Your Old Droog - YOD Wave". Apple Music. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
21. "Your Old Droog - Yodney Dangerfield". Apple Music. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
22. "Your Old Droog - The Yodfather". Apple Music. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
23. "Your Old Droog - YOD Presents: The Shining". Apple Music. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
24. "Bandcamp - Your Old Droog's "The Dustiest" (Produced By El 108 RTNC)". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
25. "iTunes - Music - 42 (Forty Deuce) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
26. "Bandcamp - Hip-Hop Head (Prod. by Alchemist)". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
27. "Bandcamp - DYLAN! (Prod. by Oh No)". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
28. "iTunes - Music - Just Rhymin' (feat. Styles P & Joey Bada$$) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
29. "Bandcamp - White Rappers (A Good Guest) [Prod. by EL RTNC]". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
30. "iTunes - Music - Help (feat. Edan & Wiki) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
31. "iTunes - Music - You Can Do It! (Give Up) - Single by Your Old Droog". iTunes. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
32. "iTunes - Music - Lucky 7 by Statik Selektah". iTunes. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
33. "No Message". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
34. "Sleepers". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
35. "SoundCloud - Hear the world's sounds". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
36. "SoundCloud - Hear the world's sounds". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
37. "SoundCloud - Hear the world's sounds". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
38. "Basketball & Seinfeld (prod. by Y.O.D.)". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

• 1989 births
• Living people
• Rappers from Brooklyn
• 20th-century American Jews
• American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
• Jewish rappers
• 21st-century American rappers
• 21st-century American Jews
• Ukrainian emigrants to the United States