Brandon Baker has been performing at venues throughout Mid-Missouri for more than a decade.
And even after four albums, including two that hit the Billboard Charts, he remains firmly committed to this area.
Baker, who records and performs under the moniker REACEYUNG, is a St. Louis native who moved to Jefferson City at the age of 17. He attended Lincoln University, where he cemented relationships with other Mid-Missouri artists, including Marco Patterson, who performs under the name BlackGrits.
“The people here have embraced me,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs with our music throughout the years. … We’re just now able to start to climb out of the barrel.”
In creating and performing his music, which he describes as “wholesome” hip-hop, REACEYUNG found there really wasn’t an established music community in the area, at least not for hip-hop.
“Once more folks notice what we’re doing here, I think we’ll have a lot more support,” he said, noting he really wanted to be the centerpiece of that budding community. “We’re good artists and we make music for the people.”
Most other artists would leave for places with more opportunity, such as Los Angeles, New York or Atlanta, and REACEYUNG said he briefly considered doing the same in a dark moment. He said, several years ago, he used the last of his money to buy a one-way ticket to New York, fully intending to live there homeless and try to make it, as some other major hip-hop artists have done. However, it was Patterson who talked him into staying and continuing to try and build something here.
“He’s the anchor behind me,” REACEYUNG said of Patterson and his influence.
It was Patterson who urged him to reach out to different audiences and play in unexpected places. REACEYUNG said that’s how he began to forge relationships with venue owners, including at The Mission in Jefferson City.
“I didn’t want to be one of those artists that left this area,” he said, adding he knows he can make a big impact in Mid-Missouri. “I’m building a successful music community.
“This place has given me the platform to think and maneuver the way I want to maneuver. … Something in my spirit has kept me grounded here.”
What he hopes to do through his example is inspire future generations of hip-hop artists in Mid-Missouri. REACEYUNG said he really enjoys mentoring young artists, noting he’s always willing to answer questions and help with whatever he can.
“It’s taken me 15 years to learn what I know,” he said. “There’s tons of artists here, but do they have the direction to know what to do and how to do certain things? That’s what I’ve been focusing a lot of time on.”
His first charting album was “Unlucky Me,” which was released in June 2018. His latest effort, “Derrty Joe,” hit No. 2 regionally and No. 40 nationally.
“I got a lot of people locally to support the music,” REACEYUNG said. “I’ve developed a system of directly communicating with my supporters. They love and respect the music.”
This latest album is meant to represent a coming together of St. Louis and Chicago hip-hop cultures, which REACEYUNG noted have always seemed to be kept completely separate, though he’s not sure why.
“I’ve never known St. Louis artists to work with Chicago producers,” he said. “It’s so separate.”
Another friend, Jaimere Thurman, who goes by J Sonata, helped produce “Derrty Joe.”
With his second charting album, REACEYUNG said the reception has been different, with more people paying attention now and many waiting for him to quit.
“Every album has been a bigger step,” he said, noting each time has allowed him to learn something new.
In his day job, Baker works as a mental health specialist at Woodhaven, a nonprofit in Columbia for those with disabilities. It’s his work with his clients, and his background as a teacher and school bus driver, that pushes him to put out positive messages through his music.
“I try to make positive hip-hop music,” he said. “I have a lot of students that listen to my music, so I try to give back to them by providing positive messages and positive, real life insight so they can learn from it.”
So what’s next for REACEYUNG? He said he’s getting ready to shoot a music video in Jefferson City for his song “American Made,” which is on the album “Unlucky Me.”
“When I’m here in Jefferson City, that’s what they want to hear,” REACYUNG said of the song.
He’s already working on another album — he actually has two planned and already named. The final two are part of an overarching plan he made to chart four times, and so far, he’s two for two. And those final two albums yet to be released are part of the build up to his next big album: The Cassette Tape Vol. 3.
“I really want to represent the whole state,” REACEYUNG said. “My next run? Who knows? Maybe Billboard top 200. The sky’s the limit.”
REACEYUNG’s albums can all be found online through most digital music platforms and on his website at reaceyungmusik.bandcamp.com.