Rising fast on the West Coast hip-hop scene, 24-year-old Rugby Wild is the kind of artist who was born into his chosen profession: focused, innovative, and driven, he’s launched himself into the national spotlight with infectious tracks that mix fast-moving wordplay with world-class audio and video production. A young rapper who came of age on the avenues of Newark and New York City, Rugby pulls from his own streetwise stories to create high-energy songs with powerful rhymes.

It’s always come naturally to Rugby, and his newest track, “Chickenshack,” off of his forthcoming LP, Millennials, is a perfect example of how everything musical falls into place for the young artist. “Chickenshack” melds the smooth, sophisticated stylings of New York City living with the irreverent swagger of confident youth. The song tracks Rugby’s visits to the City, where culture, art, and an atmosphere of inclusion reign, back home to his neighborhood in New Jersey, where hustle and grit define a different side of life. The finished track, completed after Rugby’s move to Los Angeles, became even more impactful in post-production, when a cross-country move and a plunge into the city’s music scene fostered introspection and continued to develop the song’s unique energy, which unfolds over lilting, soulful production. “Chickenshack” projects the voices of Rugby’s East Coast friends out into the world, providing a space for their narrative to unfold.

“I bring originality,” says Rugby about the track and his new album. “So many artists are trying to make money off of what’s already proven to sell, but you can be original and still get noticed. In this day and age it’s ridiculous to think you have to do what everybody else does. I think my job right now is to be a collage, to show the industry that we don’t all have to do the same thing.”