The Rise of DJ Young Slade

Turning sixteen years old wasn’t too sweet for DJ Young Slade, also known as Nathan Smith. The then-drummer-turned-music-rapper-turned-entrepreneur announced the beginning of his party with quite a big shout out to Slade. The dance floor, packed with mostly teenagers who came just to celebrate the occasion with their beloved teenager, was jam-packed with people. Some were there simply to take in the show, while others were there to get a copy of Young Slade’s sophomore album.

A multi-million dollar record label producing rap music from some of the biggest names in the industry, including Nelly and 50 Cent, was responsible for the release of DJ Young Slade’s sophomore effort, entitled No I.D. It was the best selling independent rap album of all time, with its massive radio hits, including the smash “Wake Up.” A year later, he put out another massive project with his major labelmate Outkast, entitled Kanye West x DJ Jazzy Jeff – a concept that made little sense at the time, considering only the most famous rappers were signed to major label labels at that time. However, with West taking a lot of the hip hop world by storm with his self-titled album and subsequently tours that sold millions, he became a crossover star and was soon featured on several other rapper’s songs, like Jay Z’s “Euphoria” and Nas’s “Nasri.” Not bad for a back-up dancer from down south.

Now in 2021, he’s focusing on his acting career, with movies such as The Pursuit of Happyness and What Happens in Vegas coming up. He’s also recently joined the ranks of rap acts with the release of his own song, titled “. We Are Young.”