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Philadelphia rapper YOUWIN presents the Spacekidvisuals-directed music video for "Deckard", the Joshua De Mets and Nick Gmerek-produced new single from Eden, YOUWIN's forthcoming album set to feature an appearance from Unotheactivist. YOUWIN says his new single was created "after a few nights spent in an empty cathedral where my friend Slender Pimp lived. It was wild, so the intro to the song comes from there. The instrumental sounded something out of the Blade Runner soundtrack, so I decided to name the song 'Deckard; after Harrison Ford’s character." Eden is coming soon on Marsten House. (stream YOUWIN's previous single "Christopher Wallace" on Spotify)
How did you get your stage name?
Well, my name is Ewan, and people have always had a hard time saying it, so I used to say “Ewan, Like You Win the prize”. To help them remember it. When I started rapping in high school I didn’t know what to call myself, and my mom jokingly suggested “YOUWIN, Like you win the prize” and it stuck.
What’s the Philly vibe like these days, as a city and as a rap scene?
The vibe changes depending on where you go, I record in North Philly, there’s a lot of rap over here, but there’s a lot of metal and indie shit going on too. Kids on the come up are really hungry, there’s local talent like Poundside pop and producers that started here and blew up like Working On Dying. Philly has always been a rap city, I think everyone from the garbage men to the store owners could probably spit a 16. there’s always a creative energy in the city no matter where you go but I think the sound of Philly is changing. People like uzi, Kur, and Pnb have paved the way for people like me to make less traditional sounding music and still find success.
How did “Deckard” come to be?
My friend slender pimp lived in an abandoned nunnery in port Richmond. we used to call it “the cathedral” because it had a church inside and pictures of Jesus everywhere. Everyone would go there to freestyle and party. It got wild sometimes, and the first part of the song was inspired by those times. When my homie Josh sent me the beat, the opening melody reminded me of the movie blade runner, it was so spacey and cinematic. The beat kind of informed the lyrics, and I named the song after Harrison Ford’s Character in the movie.
What do you think makes you unique in the rap game today?
I can hold my own in any arena of rap, and I’m on my own wavelength. These days, it seems like the easiest way to get on is to sound like someone else. I’ve always just been me, I make music from what I’ve lived through and how I feel. I don’t adhere to any formula or any specific “sound”. I’m versatile, I respect the artists that came before me, but I wanna push boundaries with my sound as well. I could go from pop melodies to real lyrics all on the same project.
What’s the main lesson you’ve learned from the COVID pandemic?
The value of work ethic! A lot of artists I know just sat inside and did nothing when the pandemic hit. I was going crazy, I couldn’t do anything besides create. I was making music just to stay sane at first, but when I linked up with Dj Knick at Marsten House everything changed. My output increased and my music became more cohesive, my whole catalogue was recorded during this pandemic. I couldn’t really go anywhere besides the studio, which allowed me to be hyper focused on getting songs done. I think I put out 3 projects last year. I’ve kept the same mentality even though things are kind of going back to normal. I guess I’ve learned that there’s no reason to stop working, if you want success in music I think that has to be the mentality.
