The L.A.-centric jerkin’ phenom has produced its share of homegrown high school stars in record time, but none has come to symbolize the movement’s independent, entrepreneurial spirit more than Compton’s YG. His signing to the Island Def Jam Music Group, and the June 9th iTunes release of “Toot It and Boot It,” YG’s Def Jam debut single, is a musical and cultural breakthrough.
YG — that’s short for Young Gangsta (aka Keenon Jackson) — has brought attention to his music with a fierceness reflective of his tattooed physique. “His skin [is] inked up with Polynesian intricacy: tribal designs, to foot-long crucifixes, to the names of the fallen,” said L.A. Weekly magazine, which called him “jerkin’ music’s progenitor.” YG’s well-traveled MySpace website — http://www.myspace.com/yg400 — has amassed over 2.1 million profile views, with three of its tracks logging more than a million plays each.
