Haisla rappers Darren ‘Young D’ Metz and Quinton ‘Yung Trybez’ Nyce take us through the album’s journey, blending cutting-edge production with fierce, authentic lyrics. They open up about collaborating with artists like Princess Nokia on the album, and Quinton gives us a peek into his new fashion line, Savage Kids, celebrating his one-of-a-kind style. Plus, the duo shares details on their new television show.
In our latest interview, we sit down with Snotty Nose Rez Kids, the dynamic First Nations hip-hop duo made up of Haisla rappers Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce, to discuss their highly anticipated new album, Red Future, which dropped just last month. This powerful project, in the making since 2019, showcases an innovative fusion of beats, storytelling, and cultural insight that has become the hallmark of their music. The album stands out in today’s hip-hop scene, with a lineup of influential collaborations that elevate its impact, including the hit track “PEACHES” featuring Princess Nokia. Each song offers a fresh layer of production and lyrical depth, underscoring their commitment to exploring and celebrating Indigenous identity through a modern lens.
Beyond music, the duo is expanding their influence with exclusive ventures such as Quinton’s fashion line, Savage Kids, which brings his distinct style to life and reflects his personal journey from youth to artist. They’re also branching out into television, serving as executive producers and consultants on a new show that mirrors their passion for Indigenous storytelling and authentic representation in media. Through their creative endeavors, Snotty Nose Rez Kids embody Indigenous excellence, pushing cultural boundaries and amplifying their voices across both the music and entertainment industries.
Native Max: So, how has it been going so far? We’ve seen each other at the Santa Fe Indian Market very briefly, but what’s been going on since then?
Darren: We’ve been prepping for this album release and tour.
Quinton: Since then, we’ve been working on our TV show. I started a new clothing company called Savage Kids and am just prepping for a tour.
Native Max: So tell us about Red Future. What’s the process been like?
Darren: We were able to get into such a creative routine throughout the process of this album. And it was like some of the most fun times we had in the studio together. There were no limits to any idea that one of us had. If one of us had an idea, I’d say, okay, let’s execute it. And next thing you know, after almost a year of being locked up in the studio, we have over forty demos, and only sixteen made the cut.
Quinton: The process of Red Future dates back to 2019. So, the process of creating Red Future came to us at the tail end of finishing up TRAPLINE. And it was like the third episode of Snotty Nose Rez Kids TRAPLINE and Red Future: past, present, future. But also, it’s all together anyway. And we just started brainstorming since that album dropped. And in the meantime, we created three albums as we made Red Future. We made Born Deadly, which was a 20-minute, 30-minute EP. And then we made Life After, then I’M GOOD, HBU? During that whole process, we were trying to come to terms creatively on how we would make Red Future as impactful as it could be. It wasn’t until we finished the last project, I’M GOOD, HBU?
To that, we were finally in the right head space to even dive into Red Future fully. Over the last year, we built a studio here in Vancouver and made it what it is, like a safe haven for us to be able to create freely, check our egos at the door, and just become the beasts that we are. It took a year of just locking ourselves in the studio to make those forty demos that eventually became sixteen tracks, that Red Future is.
Native Max: Nice. How was it working with Dwilly, known for working with artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, etc.?
Darren: It was cool. Sony was able to get us a beat pack, and that was one of the beats that stood out to us. And the rest is history.
Quinton: The thing about working with producers like that is it gives us freedom to have no limits on our creativity. Before, it was mainly me and Darren just coming up with ideas and then just doing it ourselves, doing edits ourselves, or producing with other producers. Once we get the pack, that’s it. But on this one, we had a lot of time and freedom to dive more into production than we’ve ever had the opportunity to do.
Native Max: Speaking of, what was it like working with Princess Nokia?
Quinton: We’ve been huge fans of Princess Nokia, just like everybody else, especially since the 1992 Deluxe. I’ve seen her live here in Vancouver, then I fell in love with her music. She released “G.O.A.T.” and others, but we connected with her at Luminato in Toronto. It was dope because she was the headliner. We were the direct support, but we went out, and we rapped on “G.O.A.T.,” which is one of our favorite songs, and she became fam that day. She’s one of those people who lights up a room and has infectious energy. We come from similar backgrounds; although they’re not the same place, they hold the same values. She treated us like fam, and that’s just how it happened. It was very organic creating with her; no labels, no managers, nothing like that involved. It was just like direct one-on-one.
Darren: It was out of love and respect, so that’s what made it that much better.
Native Max: And you’re going on tour all the way into December to promote the new album.
Darren: We’re excited for it. We’ve been working on ourselves, getting our bodies right because we need our fitness level to be up there for the show that we’re going to put on.
Native Max: Quinton, I want to touch on the clothing line. What was the inspiration for it? The idea behind it?
Quinton: I’ve always been inspired by fashion since I was a little kid. I grew up being obsessed with looks, clothes, and styling, and I just made my friends look good in high school. I was everybody’s stylist. I used to be the barber for the basketball team. I was the guy behind everybody’s looks growing up. It was just a passion of mine, and I always knew that it would be something that I would put into something that I was making a living off of. Snotty Nose Rez Kids has been a really good avenue for me to be able to express ourselves in fashion and just like how we look. But at some point, it just kind of wasn’t enough, and it didn’t feed my hunger for where I felt like I needed to be.
I went to school for Business Administration, and the reason why I did it was because I wanted to start my own clothing company eventually. When I was a little kid, my grandma taught me how to sew, and when she passed, my mom filled that void. So when we moved to the city, we connected with Hugo [Alejandro], who runs RBRTH OFFICIAL, and I’ve been planning Savage Kids for two or three years. But we got an opportunity, and it was in early June when Jolene Mitton from Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week asked us if we wanted to be part of a fashion show in Santa Fe and if I had anything ready to put in a runway show. I was like, ‘hell yeah, I do.’ I didn’t have anything; I had zero products ready. So, we ended up locking ourselves in our apartment for about three months, and we came up with about ten or eleven pairs of pants and ten full looks, or eleven full looks. And we ended up killing it.
The inspiration I draw from is the Indigenous fashion scene. You know, there’s a lot of models killing it out there. There are a lot of designers who are killing it out there. Just like Red Future, Indigenous excellence is at the forefront right now. And why not now? Why not me? Like I have the vision. I’ve always had it. And Red Future now is a better time than any. Coming from the hip-hop background that we come from, we draw a lot of inspiration from our peers; they’re more like our idols. There’s Kanye West, Lil Wayne, the hip-hop community, and culture in general, from whom we drew a lot of inspiration for the brand.
It’s like a solar punk vibe. Just like I’M GOOD, HBU? For us, it’s connecting to our upbringing, too, like a Y2K feel. That’s like what Savage Kids was inspired by.
Native Max: I’d like to very lightly ask about your guys’ new show, which is still in the very early development stages. Not only are you both executive producing it, but you are also consulting on it with the music done by you. That’s really special to talk about, and I know not many details can be shared, but touching on it a little bit would be cool.
Darren: We got a TV show, a scripted comedy series. It’s about our come up in the music industry, but more importantly, it will give you what it’s like to be an artist day-to-day. You know, when a lot of people think of artists, whether it’s music, whether they’re painters, carvers, whatever it may be, all they see is the finished product, but they don’t see everything that goes on in the process of that. Over the years, we have had a lot of mishaps happen to us, which sucked at the moment, but as we look back and reflect on it, it was like, ‘this is comedy gold,’ like, we should let these be known. It’s inspired by our mishaps. That’s where all the comedy lies. And yeah, it’s all going into full swing in 2025.
Quinton: Even today, daily there are mishaps like every time something comes up, it feels like something’s going on. In the moment, it’s not funny at all; it sucks, but looking back, we’re like, ‘okay, you can write that into comedy.’ So it’s just letting the world know that it’s just showing a journey of a creative, and it doesn’t even matter if it’s music, it could be film, it could be fashion, it could be anything. Those stories are very similar. And I think that it’s important, especially today, to showcase a journey like that.
As Snotty Nose Rez Kids continue to rise and redefine Indigenous style and music, there’s no better time to support their journey and experience their creative force firsthand. You can grab official Snotty Nose Rez Kids merch on their website at snrk.shop and check out tickets for their Red Future tour or stream their latest album at snottynoserezkids.com. For more exclusive updates, merch, fashion drops, and news, be sure to follow their Instagram, @snottynoserezkids. Dive into the SNRK world and experience hip-hop from a new perspective—rooted in passion, and pride.
