Jaboukie Young-White on His Side Career as Rapper: “It’s Always Been a Very Personal Thing”

Kirsten Chuba
·2 min read

After making a name for himself as a writer, actor, comedian and a must-follow on Twitter, Jaboukie Young-White is on to his next venture: music.

Young-White is dropping his debut album, All Who Can’t Hear Must Feel, this summer via Interscope Records, after the release of three singles earlier this year.

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“I kind of Forrest Gump-ed my way into it,” he told THR of his new music career, which began when he was working with Interscope Films as a writer and an executive sent his demo to A&R, leading the label to turn around and offer him a record deal. “It’s always been a very personal thing, so I’m really excited to be able to share it,” Young-White adds, noting that although he’s known for his jokes, he tries to keep the two lanes separate. “I wouldn’t say it’s like musical comedy, but there are some jokes in there. I’m always going to throw some jokes in there. It’s like a dramedy — it’s musical dramedy,” he says.

Young-White, who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on June 28 (ahead of the current SAG strike) at the premiere of Universal Pictures’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, has been amassing a list of acting credits that includes Black Mirror, Strange World, Rap Sh!t, Only Murders in the Building and Fairfax.

And while he’s in demand in front of the camera, he’s not ruling out hitting the stage for live performances in support of his music career. “I love performing in a live room, but there’s only so much a stand-up can do. I feel like music would just be a new arena to interact with an audience in a different medium and tap into something new.”

This story first appeared in the July 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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