19-year-old New York hip-hop artist E-Class has been rapping since he was eight years old, but he's finally seeing the biggest success of his career now that he's formed a duo with the perfect counterpart—his 11-year-old brother Young Poppa.
A video of the brothers freestyling in their car has gone viral, racking up over three million views on Facebook over the last month and capturing the attention of famous fans (including comedian D.L. Hughley). "Me and my brother almost cried when we saw it hit a million," E-Class says with a laugh. "I have no clue how that happened. We had other videos that got like 10 thousand but 3 mill was so mind blowing to us."
One of the first things that jumps out is how mature Young Poppa sounds for an 11-year-old, possessing a flow reminiscent of seasoned rappers like Ghostface Killah and Notorious B.I.G. "His favorites of all time are 2pac, Nas, 50 Cent, Biggie, Jay-Z, and DMX," E-Class says. "This kid is a 90's rap fanatic! But 50 Cent is his favorite of all time hands down."
Explaining how his little brother got his start, E-Class says: "He started rapping when he was about four years old. I would be writing and letting my boys hear my music and he would just start freestyling. He would say a whole bunch of gibberish and baby stuff but as he got older his wordplay and vocabulary got better. He's a whole different person now musically, it's unbelievable!"
The brothers' natural abilities and New York-leaning sound come from a lifetime surrounded by hip-hop. "Music is a huge part of our lives," says their mother and manager Tiffany Abrams. "I grew up on old school rap. Eric B & Rakim, LL Cool J, EPMD, to name a few. My boys know the history." E-Class adds, "My whole family is from NYC. New York is the birth place of hip-hop. We love it more than words could describe."
Now that they're a duo, the brothers have decided on a name that hints at a socially motivated message: The Hoodies. "[The name] stems from the stereotype of young minorities in hoodies or kids from a certain area in the world that are viewed as some type of suspicious individual," E-Class explains. "I feel like our clothes, environment, or things that we had to live through shouldn't be the cause of our demise or the reason we are harassed or judged. We call ourselves The Hoodies for people like Trayvon Martin who couldn't live to his 21st birthday."
As E-Class and Young Poppa move ahead with their career as The Hoodies (look out for their upcoming Family Business mixtape and more freestyles on the way here) their mother lets us in on how the whole experience has brought them closer together as brothers.
"I smile just thinking about it," she says. "This has brought their already close relationship closer. They dedicate time every day sitting down together writing and rehearsing projects. It keeps them focused and off the streets. This is a blessing for my family and I am so honored to call The Hoodies my artists and more importantly my sons."
