Most everyone is inspired by someone else, no matter what it is that you do. Hip-hop's growth owes a lot of debt to artists learning or being motivated by each other's work. Bronx rapper Justin Rarri was just an 11-year-old kid when he came across A$AP Rocky's "F**kin Problems," the star-studded hit song that introduced the Harlemite to the world. Rarri heard the beat and started writing to it in his English notebook. All of those years of writing paid off in 2019, when "W2Leezy," Justin's guitar-driven, melodic track about his incarcerated cousin, took off.

To this date, "W2Leezy" has been streamed over 20 million times on Spotify. The song received an official release thanks to Justin's record deal with Interscope Records. The rising New York rhymer is also doing well with increasing views on YouTube, with the videos for his songs "Treesha," "8LBS" and "More Than Best Friends" all meeting or breaking the million-view mark. His most recent mixtape, 4EVRARRi, dropped last October, and now Justin is gearing up for another run.

Catch up with Justin Rarri in this week's edition of The Break.

Age: 17

Hometown: Bronx, N.Y.

I grew up listening to: "Young Thug, throughout middle school and high school. I noticed at a young age that he was different, from everybody. When he came out with first track, that nobody could understand what he was saying, I still was like 'Nah, this shit is hot. I'm jackin' it. Drake, I listen to a lot of people now.  "

My style’s been compared to: "Other New York rappers. But I that's just ’cause there's not a lot of New York rappers out like that. The singin' flow shit. Some people compare me to XXXTentacion because of the hair I had. Rest in peace to him, but I don't make music like that."

I’m going to blow up because: "Some way, some how, I was like, I'm not living regular. I stayed determined. In any situation, I find something. And look where I'm at now. "

What’s your most slept-on song, and why? "'Fix Up.' Everybody sends me that one, even people that are not fans, be like, 'Yo, this your most underrated song.' It's not my favorite song, but everyone says that they favorite."

My standout records to date have been: "I say 'W2Leezy' my biggest one."

My standout moments to date have been: "Getting signed to Interscope. It was pretty chill to be honest, I was happy, too. Y'all see it from the outside, but I'm still the same."

Most people don’t know: "I'm laid-back and quiet. Even in my interviews. I notice that everybody expects the social media shit, but I'm not that nigga that's always rappin' or always throwing money."

I’m going to be the next: "The next me. The next him. The next 'Nah, that nigga goin' crazy!'"

Follow Justin Rarri on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"W2Leezy"

"8LBS"

"Strong" featuring Lil Poppa

4EVARARRi

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