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Young Mel
Rapper

Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, young black males are considered to be destined for two things: dead by 18 or in jail. But this 20-year-old aspiring rapper, Ramel Carter a.k.a. Young Mel of Natural Born Hustlaz Entertainment, made it past the statistics and empowered himself to be great.

On February 19, 1988, a star was born. Young Mel, his mother, Michelle, second child of three boys grew up in a tiny apartment in the notorious Marcy Projects. Young Mel was left to share not only a bedroom but a bed with his two brothers, and older cousin, Colleek Luckie. But not once did Young Mel ever imagine his life going from “rags to riches” and being the nephew to hip-hop king, Jay-Z.

At the age of 11, Young Mel and his family packed up and relocated to West Orange, New Jersey. The transition from Brooklyn to New Jersey was such a culture shock causing Young Mel to miss his friends, family, and life back in Marcy. In order to cope with the change he began to write poetry to vent his frustration

In 1997 while watching his Uncle Jay, Ain't No Ni**a video, Young Mel realized his poetry could be transformed into music he loves. At the age of 16, he decided to confide in his cousins Young Rah and Spank about his passion for writing songs. To his surprise, they were doing the same, as well. They then formed their infamous Natural Born Hustlaz Entertainment (NBH) label. “We don’t mean hustlin’ as in any illegal stuff. We just get it by any means necessary. Hustlaz represents having the never-ending drive for success.” Watching their Uncle Jay come from Marcy Projects to being widely favored by many cultures to then merge as Hip Hop Icon and a miraculous businessman was exactly the hustle they wanted to emulate.

With the death of his older cousin, Colleek Luckie, it became a reality check for Young Mel to focus on his music and use it as a form of therapy to cope with the pain. “That right there just stopped everything. I felt like the whole world stopped. It made me appreciate life more and look at life differently. It made me focus on what I wanted to do.” By burying himself in his music, he became extremely focused on his craft, which led him to numerous victories in various talent shows throughout New York and New Jersey. “"I take the good with the bad. I could have took the easy way and went to my uncle but I did everything myself and I showed him I can do it too."

Toward the end of 2007, Young Mel won 1st place in the Faces in the Crowd showcase in New York, received over 31,000 plays on his Myspace, and was interviewed on AllHipHop.com. Young Mel started off 2008 with a great start being featured in XXL, Right On! and Rap Fanatic magazines. It's no wonder his uncle can not do any interviews without them inquiring on the status of his nephew

Young Mel’s music puts you in an old East Coast state of mind reinvented in a new movement that he refers to as the "New Breed." Whether it's his Carter charisma or his laid back flow reminiscent of a younger B.I.G., Young Mel is definitely someone who the industry is missing. With the support of his family, fans, and his Natural Born Hustla mentality, Young Mel is destined for success and the love of the masses.