Raeford rapper's work ethic, boost from his aunt, leads to big moves

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The acronym YOLO means You Only Live Once. Those who identify with the mantra tend to make the most of every moment. For some, that could mean skydiving or some other extreme activity. For Kerry Braithwaite, better known as Yolo Ru, YOLO means using every moment to chase his dreams and provide for his family. Through his Remember Us imprint and newly-inked deal with Change The Game Music, he has been able to live out dreams that started in his mother’s garage.

Though he is enjoying the fruits of his labor nowadays, Kerry’s journey was unconventional and began in the Caribbean town of Couva on the island of Trinidad and Tobago. He is the youngest of his siblings and the only one to come over to America at the age of 15. Kerry and his family stayed in Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson), Louisiana and Baltimore, Maryland before settling in the Raeford area.

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The move to NC: Difficult adjustment Young Kerry experienced difficulty adjusting to life in North Carolina, which led to early run-ins with law enforcement and the possibility of deportation. However, he found an outlet through sports and music.

Kerry Braithwaite, aka, Yolo Ru, is a rap music recording artist with Virgin Records. He has Hoke County, NC, ties.

Initially, it was his brother, Koon, that took music seriously. Kerry would casually freestyle while passing through the garage. Eventually, Kerry enrolled in Fayetteville State University and adopted the moniker Yolo Beans as homage to Rocafella Records signee Beanie Sigel and created the Geeked Team. While enrolled at FSU, he learned to record himself.

However, his brother got incarcerated. Kerry vowed to continue pushing the music, but he did not have his own music. So, he went to shows and performed Koon’s music. He also performed under the name Yolo Bando before becoming Yolo Ru, RU standing for Remember Us. Some of his earliest offerings include “Meet The Plug” featuring his brother, Koon Ru, along with “Struggle” and “Got It On Me” featuring Koon Ru and Duke Deuce (currently sitting at 1 million views on Youtube).

A self-funded career, then a deal with Virgin Records Much of Yolo’s career has been self-funded, but his aunt believed in his work ethic and decided to help fund his music career. He has always operated in different capacities to push his music career to the next level.

Many of Yolo’s days are spent on the computer recording and establishing connections on the phone or via social media. One of those connections was Jimmy Carl Jackson, better known as Million Dollar Jimmy. Jimmy was managing South Carolina artist Renni Rucci when Yolo enlisted her for a feature on his song “MM mmm 2.”

Jackson noticed that Yolo was doing everything on his own though he was operating at the same level as many mainstream artists. Million Dollar Jimmy would begin managing Yolo and helping him further his career under the Create Music Group umbrella. Jackson and Create Music Group scheduled a meeting with Virgin Records to discuss an agreement that included him and the late Texas artist Enchanting. However, he opted not to attend, fearing disappointment. But, the representatives at Virgin liked his music and offered him a record deal. Yolo’s work ethic has prepared him to fulfill the obligations of his contract.

Has toured with Future: Never stop dreaming Most recently, Yolo embarked on the “Yes, I’m Sad” tour with Baton Rouge, Louisiana, artist Fredo Bang. Prior to going on tour with Fredo Bang, he went on tour with superstar musician Future. The tours served as learning experiences in fan engagement and branding. When he is not creating, Kerry is being a father to his young children. While on tour, his daughter called him every night before he went on stage. In addition, he takes pride in the fact that he has been able to take care of his family from his music career.

His deal with Change The Game Music (distributed through Virgin/Universal) has allowed Yolo to change his life. But, he has never stopped dreaming.

“Dream as if you gonna sleep forever”, says Yolo.

Rakeem Jones

His work ethic and dedication will ensure his dreams continue to unfold. To follow Yolo’s journey, check him out @YoloRuMusic on all platforms. Salute to Yolo and every activist getting active. Peace.

Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a community advocate and father of three from the Shaw Road/Bonnie Doone area of Fayetteville. He can be reached at keemj45@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Raeford by way of Trinidad and Tobago: How Yolo Ru made a rap career

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