Demrick

West Coast rapper Demrick took his place in a legacy of legendary stoners, building his appeal on energetic party anthems, struggle bars, and a healthy love of weed and stoner culture. Falling in with established rappers, he came under the tutelage of Cypress Hill's blunted MC B-Real and the two would collaborate on various projects, including tracks with Xzibit, Bad Lucc, and others. Demrick captured a wider audience with the hit-heavy 2016 mixtape Blaze with Us, made in collaboration with Dizzy Wright. This led the way to more fully formed solo albums like 2016's Collect Call and 2018's Came a Long Way. Demrick was born Demerick Ferm and began his rap career under the stage name Young De. Living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early 2000s, Ferm was part of a group called Tangled Thoughts. The group met Dogg Pound member Kurupt in 2005, and on his suggestion relocated to Los Angles. Kurupt worked with Tangled Thoughts on the 2007 mixtape Philly 2 Cali, and in the next year Ferm went solo, branching out from the group with his 2008 debut mixtape, Audio Hustlaz, Vol. 1, released under the name Young De. The mixtape would mark the beginning of his relationship with Cypress Hill member B-Real, who contributed features to multiple tracks on the mixtape. From there, Demrick was prominently featured on B-Real's 2009 solo debut, Smoke N Mirrors, and the two toured together extensively. When Cypress Hill recorded their eighth studio album, Rise Up, in 2010, Demrick contributed a verse to one of the singles. His name changed officially from Young De to Demrick in 2011 with the release of his #HeadsUp mixtape. His output would be largely collaborative for a time, as he focused on releasing mixtapes, singles, and albums created with like-minded artists. Standout releases included the 2015 mixtapes Losing Focus made with Cali Cleve and Stoney Point made with DJ Hoppa, 2016's weed-centric Dizzy Wright collaborative mixtape Blaze with Us, and a string of releases under the name Serial Killers, a group featuring Demrick, B-Real, and Xzibit. Completely solo albums also materialized, first with the 2016 offering Collect Call and also with the more reflective 2018 album Came a Long Way. ~ Fred Thomas