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Arts & Entertainment

U City Rap Artist to Shoot Video in the Loop Saturday

Local rapper Yung Ro talks about his music career and how he gives back to the community.

Teen rap star Yung Ro says he's  more than just a rapper; this 18-year-old CEO does everything from handle day-to-day business for his company Black Pearl Entertainment, to speaking to hundreds of adolescents about the importance of staying away from drugs and crime.

Yung Ro is the son of Roland Page Sr., who is the owner of Black Pearl Tattoo Parlor, the longest running black owned parlor in the city, and credits his commitment to living positively to a promise he made to his dad. 

“When I was younger, my dad talked to me about his involvement in the streets, and he made me promise not to travel down that same road.  I plan on keeping that promise to my father," Ro proudly admits.

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Yung Ro rose to fame with his first album, “The Rising Son,” which featured one of his classic songs, “Donk Dat.”

“I wanted to create a catchy song geared towards the female population that was fun, but kept me in my own lane,” Ro explains.

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To this day, clubs and radio stations across the country still play that song, which also charted #3 on the Billboards for independent artists.

Yung Ro has received a plethora of music awards and recognition during his music career and as he prepares to release his second album, “Ideology of a Trendsetter,” which features songs such as, “Candy Gurl” and “Fresha Den a Mall,” he is confident that his fans will be just as pleased with this project. 

He is also in the process of putting out a mix-tape, “Raw like Sushi," before his second album hits the stores. “I wanted to offer my fans an appetizer before the entrée,” he boasts.

While there are a number of reasons why Yung Ro would like his fans to support his upcoming album, perhaps the most important reason is because he plans to donate a portion of his sales to help Ranisha “Precious” Cole’s family obtain a tombstone for her grave.

Ranisha Cole was a 17-year-old girl who was shot and killed on Christmas night at a club in North St. Louis.

Yung Ro empathizes with her family because just two years prior, he was grazed in the head by a bullet after leaving a nightclub in St. Louis.

So in the midst of such tragedies, Yung Ro has become a strong advocate against violence in the metropolitan area and utilizes his foundation Runway2Empowerment to shed light on important concerns in the community such as violence, sex, health, and education. 

Through his organization he has done everything from buy uniforms for students to organizing a peace rally for the youth.

Yung Ro, along with help from his father, also started an initiative called Operation Mask, where they offer to cover up gang and block tattoos to young males in exchange for them taking four, one-hour training courses.

This Saturday, at 2pm Yung Ro will be signing autographs at Vintage Vinyl in the Loop.

He will also be shooting the official video for his next single, “Candy Gurl,” at Miss M’s Candy Boutique at 4pm. The candy store is located next door to The Pin-Up Bowl.

On Saturday, for every $10.00 purchase made at the candy boutique, a dollar will be donated to help Ranisha “Precious” Cole's family obtain a tombstone.

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