If you’re not familiar with YunB, I would encourage you to do three things after reading this review:

1) Follow him on Soundcloud (which will also lead you to the rest of his social media links.) It’s cool to listen to everything YunB has up there starting from the beginning to get a feel for his growth as an artist.

2) Check out his other songs and music videos on the Hilite Youtube channel.

3) If you understand Korean, watch this interview/freestyle session with YunB and Olltii on the second episode of Olltii’s 7InDays series.

YunB’s debut EP (titled YunB) is his first full length project with Hi-Lite. As I’ve mentioned before, he also produces. This debut EP was actually entirely produced by him. I was initially very impressed with his production. It’s something he should be (and is) proud of:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWHaQlThrdm/?taken-by=yunbnotlilb

YunB’s music definitely has a different color than some of the other stuff that’s popular in the hip hop scene now. 

Let’s get into this review.

Skrt (feat. Sway D) – Something unique about YunB is his contrasting style when he raps. He’ll start with a more aggressive tone but then melt into softer vocals in other parts of the song.

New York II has an R&B/neo-jazz fusion sound. I love that. It has a sentimental vibe and in the lyrics YunB waxes reflective as he thinks about his home. Check out this studio session with YunB performing the track:

2099 (feat. Kid Travis & MaseWonder) has a futuristic feel with house elements in the chorus. I’m not super familiar with the feature artists but I know that MaseWonder and YunB have worked together quite a bit. This is probably my second favorite track. Check the music video (and his latest track with MaseWonder below):

U (feat. SUMIN) – If 2009 is my second favorite track, then ‘U’ is definitely my favorite song on the entire album. Sumin has kind of pushed her way into my realm of music awareness lately. I first learned about her when Crush highlighted her ‘Sparkling’ single album on his Instagram story. After that she was also recommended by my friend Louis. 

50K – YunB’s rapping is very strong rhythmically. He skillfully drops verses in Korean and English which will be sure to draw listeners who speak both languages.

Ritalin (feat. YonYon) – I love that this track has a hook that just sticks with you (“I wanna live a beautiful life whoa-oh-oh”). This was my first introduction to YonYon and I love her verse! 

Oppa (feat. Reddy & Paloalto) – I know this one will be really popular. If there’s one song that should have a music video, it’s this one (but I’ll settle for the official audio). The beat and melody are really engaging.

I think it would be cool for YunB to collab with DEAN or Hoody in the future. I feel like their styles and sounds would compliment each other nicely. If you had known YunB before and had been paying attention, you might have noticed him very briefly on SMTM this season (so hey, maybe the DEAN collab will happen):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWal3hFh4cc/?taken-by=yunbnotlilb

Overall, every track on this EP is worth a listen. This album is not repetitive or monotonous at any moment. The album has a definite overarching mood but each song is unique. 

Definitely check out the YunB EP for yourself on Apple Music and on iTunes.